Molecular-based approaches are rapidly developing in medicine for the evaluation of physiological and pathological conditions and discovery of new biomarkers in prevention and therapy. Fatty acid diversity and roles in health and disease in humans are topical subjects of lipidomics. In particular, membrane fatty acid-based lipidomics provides molecular data of relevance in the study of human chronic diseases, connecting metabolic, and nutritional aspects to health conditions. In veterinary medicine, membrane lipidomics, and fatty acid profiles have not been developed yet in nutritional approaches to health and in disease conditions. Using a protocol widely tested in human profiling, in the present study erythrocyte membrane lipidome was examined in 68 clinically healthy dogs, with different ages, sex, and sizes. In particular, a cluster composed of 10 fatty acids, present in membrane glycerophospholipids and representative of structural and functional properties of cell membrane, was chosen, and quantitatively analyzed. The interval values and distribution for each fatty acid of the cluster were determined, providing the first panel describing the healthy dog lipidomic membrane profile, with interesting correlation to bodyweight increases. This molecular information can be advantageously developed as benchmark in veterinary medicine for the evaluation of metabolic and nutritional status in healthy and diseased dogs.

Dogs with acute diarrhea are often presented to clinical practice and, although this generally represents a self-limiting condition, antibiotics are still frequently used as treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects in dogs with acute non-hemorrhagic diarrhea of the administration of an antibiotic combination in comparison to a nutraceutical product. Thirty dogs were enrolled and randomly assigned to two groups: 15 dogs (group A) received a nutraceutical commercial product while 15 dogs (group B) received an antimicrobial combination of metronidazole and spiramycin. For each dog, the Canine Acute Diarrhea Severity Index, the fecal microbiota and the Dysbiosis Index were assessed. Both stool consistency and frequency decreased on day 2 in the dogs of group A compared to baseline, while in group B, these parameters significantly decreased at days 3 and 4. The global concern for rising antibiotic resistance associated with indiscriminate use of antimicrobials, in both humans and animals, suggests the necessity of avoiding empirical and injudicious use of these molecules in diarrheic dogs. These results suggest that the nutraceutical treatment had a similar clinical effect compared to the antibiotic formulation, representing a valid antibiotic-sparing therapeutic approach in canine acute diarrhea.

Aims There is interest in using probiotics such as Lactobacillus species to control canine intestinal infections. The bacterial species should be of canine intestinal origin exhibiting host specificity. Bacterial strains were isolated from dog faecal samples and characterized to select specific probiotics as dietary supplements in feed, promoting health status. Methods and Results Bacterial strains have been screened for their probiotic properties including survival to gastric and pancreatic juices and bile salts, resistance to antibiotics and antipathogenicity. Five of 14 isolated Lactobacillus strains were tolerant to gastric stress. They were also resistant to clindamycin and with a significant antimicrobial capacity towards the pathogenic strains tested, variable according to the strain. They were identified by morphological and molecular characterization comparing the 16S rRNA gene sequence with the blast database. Three strains were identified as Lactobacillus reuteri and two as Lactobacillus johnsonii. Sugar fermentation profiles and adhesion to HT29 epithelial cells have been in vitro verified on L. reuteri AI, chosen as probiotic candidate. Resistance to freeze‐drying, production and subsequent in vivo administration evaluating strain permanence, were also performed. No loss of vitality has been recorded due to the freeze‐drying process. The average value of recovery percentage of L. reuteri AI at the end of the administration period and after 1 week of follow‐up was respectively 26·7 and 17·4% of the total Lactobacillus sp. Conclusions Among several selected probiotic strains, L. reuteri AI proved to be the best probiotic candidate to use as a supplement for dogs. Significance and Impact of the Study Control of intestinal pathogenic micro‐organisms in dogs is a growing concern and the selection of autochthonous probiotic bacterial strains to overcome some of the gut problems associated with the modern domestication of animals is a valuable tool.

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