Clinical Effects of Faecal Microbiota Transplantation as Adjunctive Therapy in Dogs with Chronic Enteropathies-A Retrospective Case Series of 41 Dogs.

Chronic enteropathies (CE) are common in dogs, but not all affected dogs respond to standard therapy. Successful responses to faecal microbial transplantation (FMT) in dogs with non-responsive CE have been reported in two case series. The objective of this retrospective study was to describe the clinical effects of FMT as an adjunctive therapy in a larger population of dogs with CE. Forty-one dogs aged 0.6-13.0 years (median 5.8) under treatment for CE at one referral animal hospital were included. Dogs were treated with 1-5 (median 3) FMTs as a rectal enema at a dose of 5-7 g/kg body weight. The canine inflammatory bowel disease activity index (CIBDAI) was compared at baseline versus after the last FMT. Stored faecal samples (n = 16) were analysed with the dysbiosis index. CIBDAI at baseline was 2-17 (median 6), which decreased to 1-9 (median 2; p < 0.0001) after FMT. Subsequently, 31/41 dogs responded to treatment, resulting in improved faecal quality and/or activity level in 24/41 and 24/41 dogs, respectively. The dysbiosis index at baseline was significantly lower for good responders versus poor responders (p = 0.043). Results suggest that FMT can be useful as an adjunctive therapy in dogs with poorly responsive CE.

Effects of oral cobalamin supplementation on serum cobalamin concentrations in dogs with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency: A pilot study.

The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate serum cobalamin concentrations before and after oral cobalamin supplementation in dogs with low serum cobalamin concentrations and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI). Eighteen dogs with serum trypsin-like immunoreactivities between <1.0-2.7 µg/L (reference interval, 5.2-35 µg/L) and serum cobalamin concentrations ≤350 ng/L (reference interval, 244-959 ng/L) were enrolled. All dogs were treated with oral cyanocobalamin according to a previously described protocol (0.25-1.0 mg daily, depending on bodyweight). Median (range) serum cobalamin concentrations at inclusion was 188 ng/L (<111-350 ng/L), which increased significantly to 1000 ng/L (794-2385 ng/L; P < 0.001) after cobalamin supplementation for 19-199 days (median, 41 days). Oral cobalamin supplementation is a potential alternative to parenteral supplementation in dogs with EPI.

Oral cobalamin supplementation in cats with hypocobalaminaemia: a retrospective study.

Objectives The objective of the study was to evaluate whether oral cobalamin supplementation can restore normocobal-aminaemia in cats with hypocobalaminaemia and clinical signs of gastrointestinal disease. Methods This was a retrospective study based on a computerised database search for client-owned cats treated at Evidensia Specialist Animal Hospital, Helsingborg, Sweden, during the period December 2013 to August 2016. Inclusion criteria were cats with clinical signs of chronic enteropathy, an initial serum cobalamin concentration ⩽250 pmol/l (reference interval 214-738 pmol/l) and oral treatment with cobalamin tablets. Results Twenty-five cats met the inclusion criteria. The cats were treated with 0.25 mg cyanocobalamin tablets once daily. Serum cobalamin concentration was rechecked 27-94 days after continuous oral cobalamin supplementation. All cats had serum cobalamin concentrations above the reference interval after oral cobalamin supplementation. Median (range) serum cobalamin concentration was 128 pmol/l (111-250 pmol/l) prior to treatment and 2701 pmol/l (738-16,359 pmol/l) after supplementation. This difference was statistically significant ( P <0.0001). Conclusions and relevance Our results suggest that oral cobalamin supplementation is effective in increasing serum cobalamin to supranormal concentrations in cats with hypocobalaminaemia. Thus, oral cobalamin supplementation is a promising alternative to parenteral administration. Prospective comparative studies in cats being treated with parenteral vs oral cobalamin supplementation in a larger number of patients are warranted before oral supplementation can be recommended for routine use.