Purpose: To determine if a commercially available electrolyte solution is safe and lessens the duration and severity of diarrhea in shelter dogs in stressful situations. Methods: In Experiment 1, six healthy beagles were administered the protocol-approved dose of the electrolyte solution to evaluate clinical, biochemical, or fecal microbiome changes. In Experiment 2, 22 dogs with small or large bowel diarrhea were randomized into one of three groups: the electrolyte solution and a prescription veterinary diet, a placebo and a prescription veterinary diet, or the electrolyte solution and a standard diet. A fecal score was assigned by trained, masked observers through Day 5 using the Purina 7-point fecal scoring system. All dogs were screened for enteric parasites by fecal flotation and the use of a fluorescence antibody assay for Giardia spp. cysts and Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts and all dogs that were parasitized were administered fenbendazole for five days. Results: In Experiment 1, all dogs tolerated the electrolyte solution with no vomiting or diarrhea noted and there was no evidence of negative effects on the gastrointestinal microbiome. In Experiment 2, 16 of the 22 dogs enrolled in the study had a normal stool the day after the first dose of the electrolyte solution, prescription diet, or placebo. All six dogs with the first day of normal stool detected after Day 1 were parasitized. When the days to normalcy were compared, the parasitized dogs had a significantly slower resolution (P = 0.018) than dogs with no parasites regardless of the other treatment group. Conclusions and Relevance: The results of the study suggest that this electrolyte solution is safe for use in dogs and that adding the electrolyte solution to a standard diet is equivalent to using a therapeutic diet alone or the electrolyte solution combined with a therapeutic diet.
Dogs housed in animal shelters frequently developed non-specific diarrhea that is commonly associated with bacteria, viruses, or parasites [
The electrolyte solution (ES; SxDog, EcoPlanet), is classified as a nutritional supplement that has been shown to be effective in the management of dehydration and diarrhea in calves (https://ecoplanetonehealth.com/). The inventors have shown safety in a limited number of dogs in an unpublished open trial when used to treat non-specific diarrhea in several local veterinary clinics.
The primary objective of Experiment 1 was to assess whether the product is safe to administer to healthy beagles and to determine the effects on the fecal microbiome. The hypothesis for Experiment 1 was that ES would have no noticeable side effects or toxicity and would have no negative effects on the fecal microbiome.
The primary objective of Experiment 2 was to dose dogs with diarrhea in a shelter the ES with a prescription diet, the ES with a standard diet, or a prescription diet alone. The hypothesis for Experiment 2 was that diarrhea response rates would be similar amongst the groups of dogs.
A total of six healthy laboratory raised mixed sex, 2- to 5-year-old beagles were used in this IACUC-approved study (170-052). The dogs were on a standard facility diet for over 12 weeks and were housed individually.
On Day 0, physical examinations were performed, and blood was collected for complete blood cell counts (CBC) and serum biochemical panels. In addition, feces were collected for fecal flotation, Giardia and Cryptosporidium immunofluorescent antibody assay (MeriFluor, Meridian Diagnostics), and for fecal microbiome assessment (Gastrointestinal Laboratory, Texas A & M University, School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, College Station, TX). Dogs were then treated with the ES at 1.5 ml/kg on Day 0 and Day 1. The dogs were evaluated daily on Days 0-14 by abdominal palpation and for attitude, appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, inappetence, and for a fecal character using a standardized scoring system (
Dogs housed in a shelter in north-central Colorado with acute diarrhea (score of >4) were approved for entry by the shelter veterinarian. Dogs with inappetence, fever, BW loss > 2%, dehydration > 3% - 5%, vomiting, abdominal pain, abdominal masses, or a positive parvovirus antigen test on feces were excluded.
Feces from all dogs were tested on site at the shelter for Giardia spp. using a commercially available antigen assay (SNAP Giardia; IDEXX Laboratories, Portland ME). Feces were also evaluated by fecal flotation and Giardia/Cryptosporidium IFA. After the SNAP Giardia assay was performed, 2 grams of feces
| Score | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Appetite Score | 0 | All food consumed |
| 1 | 1/2 of food consumed | |
| 2 | 1/4 of food consumed | |
| 3 | None of the food consumed | |
| Attitude Score | 0 | Bright, active, and alert |
| 1 | Mild lethargy or depression | |
| 2 | Moderate lethargy or depression | |
| 3 | Severe lethargy or depression | |
| Hydration Score | 0 | Normal |
| 1 | 5% - 8% dehydrated | |
| 2 | 8% - 10% dehydrated | |
| 3 | 10% - 12% dehydrated | |
| Fecal Score | 0 | No stool |
| 1 | Very hard and dry | |
| 2 | Firm but not hard | |
| 3 | Normal, little or no segmentation, moist | |
| 4 | Very moist, log shaped | |
| 5 | Very moist, piles | |
| 6 | Texture but no defined shape | |
| 7 | Watery puddle | |
were transferred to the Center for Companion Animal Studies for microscopic examination for parasite eggs, cysts, and oocysts after sugar centrifugation as well as a commercially available fluorescent antibody assay for Giardia cysts and Cryptosporidium oocysts (Meridian Diagnostics). Dogs positive for Giardia spp. had the assemblage determined as previously described [
A random number generator was used to assign the treatment groups which included the ES with the facility diet, the ES with a veterinary prescription diet (Hill’s Pet Nutrition Prescription Diet i/d), or the veterinary prescription diet alone. Dogs with Giardia or nematodes were administered fenbendazole at 50 mg/kg, PO daily for five days. The feces were scored daily (
To be included in the final data analysis, each dog was enrolled in the study for at least 4 days. The proportion of dogs with parasites by groups were compared by Fisher’s exact test. The mean and standard deviations for the days to the first normal stool were calculated for each group and compared by student’s t-test. Significance was defined as P < 0.05 in all analyses.
All six dogs were administered the protocol approved dose of ES on two consecutive days (1.5 ml/kg, PO). There was no salivation or vomiting noted in any of the dogs during or after administration. There were no significant findings in any of the four monitoring rubrics (
A total of 43 dogs were screened for inclusion in the study. Of these dogs, a total of 22 dogs (10 dogs fed ES plus i/d; seven dogs fed placebo and i/d alone; five dogs fed ES and a standard diet) remained in the study long enough to generate data for analysis. Parasites detected included Giardia spp., Cystoisospora spp. Cryptosporidium spp., Ancylostoma caninum, and Toxocara canis (
The mean and standard deviation of the day to first normal stool after the first dose of ES or placebo was calculated for the three groups of dogs and no significant differences were recognized (
All six dogs with the first day of normal stool detected after Day 1 were parasitized and when the mean and SD of the days to normalcy were compared between parasitized dogs (1.7 ± 0.99) and dogs with no parasites (1 ± 0), the parasitized dogs had a significantly slower response (P = 0.018). All six dogs with a coccidian parasite (Cryptosporidium spp. or Cystoisospora spp.) were in an ES group and of these dogs, four had a response to normalcy > 1 day. Of the three
| Group | Parasite Species | Parasitism Prevalence | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giardia spp. | Cryptosporidium spp. | Cystoisospora spp. | Other | Any Parasite | % Any Parasite | |
| Dogs on ESa & i/db | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 Ancylostoma | 8 | 80% |
| Dogs on placebo & i/db | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 Trichuris vulpis | 3 | 42.90% |
| Dogs on ESa & normal diet | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 60% |
a. ES = Electrolyte Solution. b. i/d = Hill’s Pet Nutrition Prescription Diet i/d.
dogs with a response to normalcy on Day 3 or Day 4, all were infected with Cryptosporidium spp. or Cystoisospora spp. There were six dogs infected with Giardia spp. alone and each of these dogs was normal by Day 1 (four dogs) or Day 2 (two dogs). All the Giardia positive dogs with adequate DNA for sequencing were infected by the non-zoonotic assemblage C genotype.
In Experiment 1, the ES was shown to be safe in laboratory reared dogs. This conclusion was based on clinical findings (no vomiting or diarrhea) and no abnormal biochemical findings. Additionally, there was no induction of dysbiosis detected from the microbiome analysis.
In Experiment 2 in shelter dogs, it was shown that ES could be used with whatever diet they were currently being fed. The results of this study suggest that ES added to a standard diet is equivalent to using a therapeutic diet alone or the ES combined with a therapeutic diet. However, the major limitation is the sample size. Not having to use a therapeutic prescription diet potentially saves money and the time it might take to get a prescription diet ordered for owners.
In this study, it was shown that parasitism, particularly in the coccidian group, may lead to a slower response and resolution of diarrhea than a viral or bacterial agent. Therefore, the results support doing a fecal examination in the workup of shelter dogs with acute diarrhea. In a future study, it would be interesting to see if clinical responses were improved if the electrolyte solution was combined with specific drugs for the parasite that was diagnosed. Finally, the Giardia spp. identified from the fecal samples were not zoonotic, which is similar to many studies performed in the USA in general and the USA in specific [
The authors thank Katrina Jones and Megan Slaughter for their help during data collection and Animal Friends Alliance for the use of their facilities. Funded by unrestricted donations to the Center for Companion Animal Studies (Web address: http://csu-cvmbs.colostate.edu/vth/veterinarians/research/companion-animals/Pages/default.aspx).
The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.
Davis, H., Franco, P., Isdale, R., Scorza, V., Marsella, J. and Lappin, M.R. (2023) Effect of a Commercially Available Electrolyte Solution on Acute, Non-Specific Diarrhea in Dogs. Open Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 13, 33-39. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojvm.2023.134004