Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Probiotic Enterococcus faecium SF68 effects on liver tests in healthy
By Lucena, Rosario et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2019·Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Spain·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Effect of probiotic Enterococcus faecium SF68 on liver function in healthy dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at the effects of a probiotic called Enterococcus faecium SF68 on liver function in healthy dogs. Thirty-six neutered dogs were given the probiotic for 14 days, and their blood was tested for liver enzymes and fat levels. The results showed that the probiotic did not significantly affect liver enzymes, which is good news for monitoring liver health. However, there was a notable decrease in cholesterol and a gradual increase in triglycerides, with one dog developing high triglyceride levels. Overall, the probiotic seemed safe for liver function, but further research is needed.
People also search for: dog probiotics liver health · Enterococcus faecium for dogs · dog high triglycerides treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Probiotics are widely used in dogs but can be associated with alterations in some serum biochemistry test results. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of Enterococcus faecium SF68 administration for 14 days on serum alanine transferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations in healthy dogs. ANIMALS: Thirty-six healthy privately owned neutered dogs were randomly allocated, stratified by sex, to control or probiotic groups. Dogs were clinically healthy, with normal physical examination findings, blood, urine, and fecal analyses and ultrasonographic examinations. METHOD: In this blinded, controlled study E. faecium SF68 was administered to the probiotic group for 14 days. Blood samples were taken from all dogs at days 0, 14, and 28. Serum ALT and ALP activity and total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations were determined on these 3 days. RESULTS: The probiotic induced no significant changes in mean ALT and ALP activity. Mean cholesterol concentration did not change during probiotic administration but a significant decrease was seen on day 28 (P < .01). Mean triglyceride concentration increased progressively, becoming significant at day 28 (P < .05), with 1 dog developing hypertriglyceridemia. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: E. faecium SF68 would not create confusion when monitoring dogs with hepatobiliary disease because ALT and ALP activity did not change significantly. A significant decrease in cholesterol and significant increase in triglyceride concentrations were seen at day 28 but were not clinically relevant, with 1 dog showing hypertriglyceridemia. A longer trial is warranted to assess if the probiotic effects could be clinically relevant and to assess its potential use in hypertriglyceridemic dogs.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31578761/