Guarda Nacional Republicana (Portuguese Gendarmerie), Lisbon, Portugal.
MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Instituto de Investigação e Formação Avançada, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554, Évora, Portugal.
BMC Vet Res. 2021 Mar 2;17(1):100. doi: 10.1186/s12917-021-02809-w.
Chronic intermittent or persistent diarrhoea is a common condition in dogs and may be a reflex of gastrointestinal or non-gastrointestinal disorders. Besides diarrhoea, many athletes experience other gastrointestinal symptoms. Dietary fiber can help normalize colonic motility and transit time, support normal gastrointestinal microflora growth and provide fuel for colonocytes. This study aimed to evaluate dietary supplementation effectiveness with psyllium husk in police working dogs with chronic large-bowel diarrhoea. Twenty-two animals were selected. Concurrent conditions were ruled out through complete blood count and serum biochemistry. Fecal Clostridium and Salmonella were also screened. A soluble fiber, psyllium husk, was added to the diet at the dose of 4 tablespoons/day for 1 month. A daily log of fecal characteristics (type, frequency, and color) was maintained during the supplementation month and for an additional month, without supplementation.
Response to treatment was classified as "very good" in 50% of animals, "good" in 40% of animals, and "poor" in 10% of cases. During the month of psyllium husk supplementation, defecation frequency decreased from 3.5 to 2.9 times a day, with 90% of animals showing consistent stools regularly and registering a mean increase of 2 kg in body weight. Beneficial effects were still observed during the second month, without psyllium husk supplementation.
Psyllium husk can be useful in the management of chronic large-bowel diarrhoea in working dogs, which exhibited lower defecation frequency, improved stool consistency, and gained weight. Effects were felt beyond the supplementation period. Alternative approaches for non-responsive cases need to be evaluated.
慢性间歇性或持续性腹泻是犬的常见病症，可能是胃肠道或非胃肠道疾病的反射。除腹泻外，许多运动员还会出现其他胃肠道症状。膳食纤维有助于使结肠运动和转运时间正常化，支持正常的胃肠道微生物群生长，并为结肠细胞提供燃料。本研究旨在评估车前子壳对患有慢性大肠性腹泻的警犬的饮食补充效果。选择了 22 只动物。通过全血细胞计数和血清生化检查排除了并发疾病。还筛选了粪便梭菌和沙门氏菌。将可溶性纤维车前子壳添加到饮食中，剂量为每天 4 汤匙，持续 1 个月。在补充的一个月和不补充的额外一个月期间，每天记录粪便特征（类型、频率和颜色）。
50%的动物治疗反应被评为“非常好”，40%的动物评为“好”，10%的动物评为“差”。在车前子壳补充的一个月中，排便频率从每天 3.5 次减少到 2.9 次，90%的动物粪便规律且体重平均增加 2 公斤。在没有车前子壳补充的第二个月，仍观察到有益的效果。
车前子壳可用于管理工作犬的慢性大肠性腹泻，可降低排便频率、改善粪便稠度并增加体重。效果持续到补充期之外。需要评估针对无反应病例的替代方法。
