Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dietary cellulose may help dogs recover faster from acute diarrhea
By Holz, Mara et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2025·Vetsuisse Faculty·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effects of dietary cellulose on clinical and gut microbiota recovery in dogs with uncomplicated acute diarrhea: a randomized prospective clinical trial.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Nineteen dogs with diarrhea were treated with a fiber supplement called cellulose to see if it would help them recover faster. The dogs showed improvement in stool consistency within the first day, and all of them recovered within about three days. While the cellulose helped some dogs have better stool, all dogs improved regardless of whether they received the supplement or not. The study suggests that mild changes in gut bacteria during diarrhea are usually temporary and don't require antibiotics.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of dietary fiber supplementation with cellulose on clinical course, fecal consistency, and intestinal microbiota composition in dogs with uncomplicated acute diarrhea (AD). METHODS: From September 2022 to November 2023, a total of 19 dogs presenting with uncomplicated AD were included in this prospective, randomized, and double-blinded clinical trial. The time to resolution of diarrhea was evaluated via owner surveys and a fecal scoring chart. The client-owned dogs were randomly assigned to a cellulose group (CG) or control group. The intestinal microbiota was analyzed via quantitative PCR. RESULTS: A marginally significant, faster improvement in stool consistency on day 1 was observed in the CG (P = .09). All dogs improved clinically, with a median recovery time of 3.0 days in the CG and 3.2 days in the control group (range, 1 to 6 days in both groups). There was no significant difference regarding the Canine Acute Diarrhea Severity index or composition of the intestinal microbiota during the study. CONCLUSIONS: All dogs with uncomplicated AD exhibited rapid clinical improvement and recovery of the core intestinal microbiota within the first few days. Cellulose improved the fecal consistency in a subset of dogs, and intestinal dysbiosis was mild and self-limiting. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The administration of dietary cellulose has the potential to accelerate improvements of stool consistency. Mild changes in pathobionts, such as an increased amount of Clostridium perfringens, are self-limiting; thus, antibiotic intervention is not warranted.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39536440/