2015 ACVIM Forum Research Abstract Program

Twenty-four privately owned healthy dogs were enrolled and assigned to one of 3 groups of 8 dogs each: control dogs with no intervention (group 1, G1), dogs treated with a soy-based hydrolyzed diet for 12 weeks with administration of metronidazole 15 mg/kg PO q12 h during weeks 8 to 10 (G2), and dogs maintained on their usual diet and administered the same dose of metronidazole for 2 weeks (G3). Feces and blood were collected at day (D) 0, 21 and 42 in G1; and D0, 14, 28 and 42 days in G2 and G3, with D0 coinciding with initiation, and D14 with discontinuation of metronidazole treatment. Feces were frozen at -80C within 4 hours of collection and analyzed in batch later. A qPCR panel targeting 8 bacterial groups of interest to gastrointestinal health was used for analysis of fecal microbiota at various phylogenetic levels (Faecalibacterium spp., Bifidobacterium spp., Lactobacillus spp., Streptococcus spp., Ruminococcaceae, C. perfringens, E. coli, and Blautia spp.). Serum cobalamin and folate concentrations were analysed by automated chemiluminescence assays. Differences in serum cobalamin and folate and in bacterial abundance among groups and time-points were evaluated using repeated measures ANOVA followed by Tukey's posthoc test. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05.