Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Synbiotics may help prevent antibiotic stomach issues in healthy dogs
By Whittemore, Jacqueline C et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2019·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Randomized, controlled, crossover trial of prevention of antibiotic-induced gastrointestinal signs using a synbiotic mixture in healthy research dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of healthy research dogs experienced vomiting, diarrhea, and reduced appetite after being given antibiotics for a study. To see if a synbiotic (a mix of beneficial bacteria and yeast) could help, some dogs received it while others got a placebo. The results showed that dogs taking the synbiotics had fewer gastrointestinal issues, including less vomiting and better food intake, even after stopping the treatment. This suggests that synbiotics can help reduce the side effects of antibiotics in dogs.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Synbiotics decrease antibiotic-associated gastrointestinal signs (AAGS) in cats, but data supporting synbiotic use to ameliorate AAGS in dogs are lacking. OBJECTIVES: To determine if administration of synbiotics mitigates AAGS in dogs. ANIMALS: Twenty-two healthy research dogs. METHODS: Randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, 2-way, 2-period, crossover study with an 8-week washout period. Each period included a 1-week baseline and 3-week treatment phase. Dogs received enrofloxacin (10 mg/kg PO q24h) and metronidazole (12.5 mg/kg PO q12h), followed 1 hour later by a bacterial/yeast synbiotic combination or placebo. Food intake, vomiting, and fecal score were compared using repeated-measures crossover analyses, with P < .05 considered significant. RESULTS: Hyporexia, vomiting, and diarrhea occurred in 41% (95% confidence interval [CI], 21-64), 77% (95% CI, 55-92), and 100% (95% CI, 85-100) of dogs, respectively, during the first treatment period. Derangements in food intake were smaller in both periods for dogs receiving synbiotics (F-value, 5.1; P = .04) with treatment-by-period interactions (F-value, 6.0; P = .02). Days of vomiting differed over time (F-value, 4.7; P = .006). Fecal scores increased over time (F-value, 33.5; P < .001), were lower during period 2 (F-value, 14.5; P = .001), and had treatment-by-period effects (F-value, 4.8; P = .04). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Enrofloxacin/metronidazole administration is associated with a high frequency of AAGS. Synbiotic administration decreases food intake derangements. The presence of milder AAGS in period 2 suggests that clinical effects of synbiotics persist >9 weeks after discontinuation, mitigating AAGS in dogs being treated with antibiotics followed by placebo.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31268578/