2015 ACVIM Forum Research Abstract Program

Alpha-diversity analysis of the pre-treatment samples showed a significantly decreased species richness and Shannon diversity in the tylosin group compared to the probiotic group (P = 0.0131 and P = 0.0210, respectively). There was no significant difference in alpha-diversity analysis before treatment between dogs with and without diarrhea during the quarantine period. When comparing the groups before and after treatment, regardless of fecal score, there was a significant difference in the alpha-diversity and Shannon diversity in both the probiotic (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.0001, respectively) and tylosin (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.0006, respectively) groups but not the placebo group. Principal coordinates analysis plots also showed a significant difference in clustering in the tylosin group compared to the placebo (P = 0.001) and probiotic (P = 0.001) groups after treatment. There was also significant difference in clustering before and after treatment for all groups: placebo (P = 0.001), tylosin (P = 0.001), and probiotic (P = 0.001) with the largest effect seen in the tylosin group (R = 0.508). Bifidobacterium spp. increased in all groups after treatment, and Clostridium spp. decreased in all groups after treatment.