Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Diet factors linked to chronic gut disease in dogs
By Trewin, Isla & Kathrani, Aarti·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2023·Royal Veterinary College, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pre-illness dietary risk factors in dogs with chronic enteropathy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at 95 dogs, including 48 with chronic enteropathy (CE), which causes ongoing gastrointestinal issues. It found that dogs with CE were less likely to eat diets with carbohydrates and red meat as the main protein source. Additionally, diets with low moisture content (14% or less) were linked to a higher risk of developing CE. This suggests that what dogs eat before showing symptoms could influence their chances of developing this condition. Adjusting their diet may help manage or prevent gastrointestinal problems.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Dietary factors have been extensively studied as potential triggers of inflammatory bowel disease in humans. Scant literature exists regarding diet as a pre-illness risk factor in dogs with chronic enteropathy (CE). HYPOTHESIS: To evaluate possible pre-illness dietary risk factors in dogs with CE. ANIMALS: Ninety-five client-owned dogs; 48 with CE (25 presumptive and 23 confirmed) and 47 without a history of signs of gastrointestinal disease. METHODS: Retrospective case-control questionnaire-based study at a veterinary referral teaching hospital in the United Kingdom. Diet history was obtained relating to the onset of initial presenting signs for all dogs. The main diet consumed underwent ingredient analysis and caloric distribution calculation using a guaranteed analysis convertor software. Length of time the main diet was fed and adherence to the World Small Animal Veterinary Association Global Nutrition Committee guidelines was also recorded. RESULTS: The frequency of the main diet containing no carbohydrate was greater for controls (5/47 dogs, 11%) vs the combined presumptive and confirmed CE dogs (0/48 dogs, 0%; P = .05). Fewer dogs with confirmed CE were fed a main diet containing red meat as the primary protein source (2/23 dogs, 9%) vs controls (15/47 dogs, 32%; P = .03). A main diet moisture percentage of ≤14% as fed was significantly associated with confirmed CE in logistic regression analysis (OR 5.71 [95% CI: 1.18-27.69]; P = .03). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The presence of dietary carbohydrate, protein source, and dietary moisture content, or factors related to moisture content such as preservatives, might play a role as potential pre-illness dietary risk factors in dogs with CE.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37743693/