Small Animal Internal Medicine resident The Ohio State University COLUMBUS, Ohio, United States
Abstract: Background– Nutrition is a mainstay of management of canine chronic enteropathy (CE). While many veterinarians prioritize elimination diet trials, there seems to be less consideration paid to fiber-responsive enteropathies. Hypothesis– Modifying dietary fiber intake can improve objective clinical markers in dogs with CE. Animals– Dogs with CE presented to the Nutrition service (n=32). Methods– Retrospective case series of CE dogs for whom dietary fiber intake was intentionally increased or altered as the primary nutritional goal. Purina fecal scores, canine inflammatory bowel disease activity index [CIBDAI] scores, and fiber concentrations [g per 100 kilocalories (kcal)] of diets fed at time of initial nutrition consult (baseline) and at time of follow-up were compared. Data were analyzed using a Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test with significance defined as P < 0.05. Results– Median (range) crude fiber and total dietary fiber increased from 0.8 g/100kcal (0.2-2.5 g/100kcal) and 1.7 g/100kcal (0.1-6.6 g/100kcal) at baseline to 1.8 g/100kcal (0.3-3.0 g/100kcal) and 4.6 g/100kcal (0.5-6.6 g/100kcal) at follow-up. Median (range) time from baseline to follow-up was 21 weeks (4-82 weeks). Fecal scores significantly decreased from baseline to follow-up with a median (range) of 4 (2-7) to 2 (2-3), respectively (p < 0.0001). CIBDAI scores significantly decreased from baseline to follow-up with a median (range) of 4 (1-8) to 1 (0-4), respectively (p < 0.0001). At follow-up, 27/32 (84%) of dogs had improved fecal scores and 29/32 (90%) had improved CIBDAI scores. Conclusion and Clinical Importance– Increased dietary fiber intake can improve fecal and clinical activity scores in dogs with CE.
