Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dogs with chronic gut disease treated long-term with bile acid binders
By Toresson, Linda et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2025·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Fecal and Clinical Profiles of Dogs With Chronic Enteropathies Treated With Bile Acid Sequestrants for 5-47 Months: A Retrospective Case Series.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with chronic diarrhea, known as chronic enteropathies, were treated with bile acid sequestrants (BAS) to help manage their symptoms. Out of 24 dogs, 16 showed improvement after being on BAS for 5 to 47 months, with their clinical scores indicating less severity of their condition. The dogs that responded to treatment had higher levels of certain bile acids in their feces compared to those that did not respond. This suggests that BAS can be a helpful option for dogs struggling with chronic diarrhea that isn't fully controlled by other medications.
People also search for: dog chronic diarrhea treatment · bile acid sequestrants for dogs · dog inflammatory bowel disease management
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Bile acid (BA) malabsorption and BA diarrhea (BAD) are prevalent but underdiagnosed conditions in people with chronic diarrhea of multiple causes. Recent studies have shown BA dysmetabolism in dogs with chronic enteropathies (CE). OBJECTIVE: Describe canine inflammatory bowel disease activity index (CIBDAI), dysbiosis index (DI) and fecal BA concentrations in healthy dogs and dogs with refractory or partially immunosuppressive-responsive CE or CE dogs requiring high doses of corticosteroids, treated with BA sequestrants (BAS). ANIMALS: Twenty-four CE dogs and 18 healthy dogs. METHODS: Retrospective case series. Dogs with CE were treated with BAS as adjunctive treatment. Fecal BA was analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Fecal microbiota was assessed using DI. Response to treatment was defined as a decrease in CIBDAI category. RESULTS: Sixteen of 24 dogs improved clinically after BAS treatment (cholestyramine, 44-133 mg/kg q12h; colesevelam, 7-24 mg/kg q12h; colestipole, 26 mg/kg q24h). Duration of treatment was 5-47 months. Median (range) CIBDAI decreased from 6.5 (4-13) to 3 (2-5) in responders. At baseline, responders had a higher median (range) percentage of fecal unconjugated primary BAs (93 [1-100]) versus non-responders (2.5 [0-95]) and healthy dogs (1.5 [0-19]). Dysbiosis index (median [range]) was higher in responders (4.2 [-4.7 to 9.0]) versus non-responders (-0.1 [-1.5 to 5.7]) and healthy dogs (-4.5 [-6.4 to -0.2]). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Treatment with BAS as adjunctive treatment potentially may benefit some dogs with nonresponsive or partially immunosuppressive-responsive enteropathy or CE dogs requiring high doses of corticosteroids.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40833185/