Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Diet changes to manage chronic gut disease in dogs
By Tolbert, M K et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2022·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Dietary management of chronic enteropathy in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog with chronic gastrointestinal issues, known as chronic idiopathic enteropathy, often struggles with symptoms like diarrhea and weight loss. Many dogs benefit from a change in diet, and about half of those treated with dietary adjustments see improvement. In addition to diet changes, some dogs may need medications or other treatments to help manage their condition. A thorough nutritional assessment is essential to ensure these dogs receive the right support, as many are malnourished or have trouble absorbing nutrients. With the right dietary management, many dogs can feel better and improve their overall health.
People also search for: dog chronic diarrhea diet · dog weight loss gastrointestinal issues · treatment for dog enteropathy
Abstract
Chronic idiopathic enteropathy is a clinical condition defined by the exclusion of infectious, metabolic or neoplastic causes of gastrointestinal signs and is categorised by a response to treatment including management with diet change, immunosuppressant medication or interventions that directly target the microbiome (e.g. antibiotics, faecal transplantation or probiotics). Animals that fail these therapies are categorised as non-responsive or refractory chronic idiopathic enteropathy. This specific categorisation implies that nutritional intervention is only needed for a subset of patients with enteropathy. However, often dogs with chronic idiopathic enteropathy are malnourished, have nutrient malabsorption or have gastrointestinal inflammation that occurs as a result of a breakdown in tolerance to luminal antigens including microorganism or dietary components. Thus, all dogs with chronic idiopathic enteropathy benefit from a nutritional assessment and targeted nutritional intervention. Among dogs presenting for chronic idiopathic enteropathy, the response rate to diet alone is roughly 50% in the referral population giving the impression that the overall response could be even higher especially when more than one nutritional intervention is attempted and strict adherence is maintained. The objectives of this review article are to outline the nutritional approach to a dog with chronic idiopathic enteropathy, including the nutritional assessment, and to highlight areas for nutritional intervention.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34991182/