Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Treatment results for dogs with immune-related intestinal inflammation
By Borella, Franca et al.·Published in Open veterinary journal·2025·Department of Veterinary Sciences, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Retrospective evaluation of short- and medium-term therapeutic response to different immunosuppressive and dietary approaches in 148 dogs diagnosed with immunosuppressant-responsive enteropathy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 148 dogs with chronic intestinal inflammation was treated with various medications and diets to see how well they responded. Most dogs received prednisolone, and some were given additional medications like cyclosporine or chlorambucil, along with special diets. After one month, about 79% of the dogs showed improvement, but this dropped to 59.5% after six months. Unfortunately, some dogs did not respond to treatment, and many of the deaths occurred within the first month after diagnosis. The study found that factors like low protein levels in the blood and the need for a special diet affected how well the dogs did.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Chronic intestinal inflammation in dogs is common worldwide; however, it can be very difficult to manage and predict clinical response to different treatment protocols. AIM: This retrospective analysis included 148 dogs with chronic intestinal inflammation with the aim of describing different treatment protocols and their impact on clinical response and identifying potential predictors of treatment failure. METHODS: Of the 148 dogs, 53 were classified as having presumptive inflammatory protein-losing enteropathy (IRE-PLE). The factors associated with treatment failure were also analyzed. Clinical severity (CCECAI), serum albumin concentration, type of immunosuppressive therapy (prednisolone vs prednisolone in combination with cyclosporine or chlorambucil), type of diet (hydrolyzed protein, restricted antigen, highly digestible, restricted fat), and cobalamin supplementation were evaluated at diagnosis (T0) and after 1 (T1) and 6 (T6) months. CCECAI at T1 and T6 were used to evaluate the short- and medium-term response, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 113 dogs (33.6% IRE-PLE) received prednisolone. Twenty-one dogs (28.6% IRE-PLE) received prednisolone and cyclosporine, whereas 14 dogs (64.3% IRE-PLE) received prednisolone and chlorambucil. Ninety-five (41% IRE-PLE) received cobalamin supplementation. Hydrolyzed protein and restricted antigen diets were most commonly prescribed. At T1 and T6, 79% and 59.5% of dogs were responders (24.8% and 15.9% IRE-PLE), and 21% and 27% (79.3% and 72.5% IRE-PLE) were nonresponders, respectively. The median CCECAI scores were 2 (IQR 4) and 0 (IQR 2) at T1 and T6, respectively. CONCLUSION: Most dogs showed favorable clinical outcomes, although a subset did not respond to treatment at short- and medium-term follow-up. Most deaths or euthanasia occurred within 1 month of diagnosis. The therapeutic response was not influenced by the type of immunosuppressive protocol, but rather by the presence of hypoalbuminemia, hypocobalaminemia, and the need for a home-cooked restricted-fat diet.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41200357/