Efficacy of an orally administered anti-diarrheal probiotic paste (Pro-Kolin Advanced) in dogs with acute diarrhea: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical study

Nixon, Sophie L.; Rose, Lindsay; Muller, Annika T.

Dogs enrolled in the study were processed according to the study procedures described in Figure 1 . In brief, clinical examination was performed on Day 0, and owners of dogs enrolled in the study were given the ADPP or placebo syringes to administer q8h starting immediately, and diaries in which they were instructed to record the date, time, and consistency of all feces passed by their dog for the duration of the study. Fecal consistency scoring was performed using a scale of 1 (hard) to 6 (watery) based on a modification of the Nestle-Purina scoring system in which scores 1 (hard) and 2 (firm) of the Nestle-Purina system were combined. 45 Scores ≤3 were defined as normal and scores ≥4 were defined as diarrhea. Owners were provided with both a text and pictorial description for each score ( Figure 1A Owners, veterinarians, and the study monitor were blinded to the contents of the syringe. Dogs with comorbidities were included if it was believed that neither their underlying disease nor any treatment that they were receiving would be expected to affect the course of acute diarrhea. Concomitant medications that dogs received in the study for unrelated problems are listed in Supporting Information S4.