Texas A&M researchers identify early signs of GI disease risk in dogs

Researchers at the Texas A&M Gastrointestinal Laboratory (GI Lab) have discovered signs that can be used to identify dogs with a high risk of gastrointestinal disease — which causes more than 10% of all new visits to a veterinarian — before they develop symptoms. 

That team will now use this discovery — published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine — to research whether specific dietary interventions can help prevent at-risk dogs from developing GI disease, which may be lifesaving for breeds that are prone to diseases with a high mortality rate.

Soft-coated wheaten terriers, for example, often develop a disease called protein-losing enteropathy (PLE), which causes the intestines to stop functioning normally, sometimes leading to death in less than six months after diagnosis.

Other breeds that are prone to GI disease are German shepherds, Yorkshire terriers and Staffordshire bull terriers.

“Sometimes, dogs that are predisposed to GI disease can go their whole lives without having any clinical signs. For others, signs develop after some kind of stressor in the gut, like an unbalanced diet or having to take antibiotics, triggers the GI disease to develop,” said Dr. Katie Tolbert, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist, small animal internist and associate professor in the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences’ (VMBS) Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences.

“In this study, we found that certain biomarkers start to show up before symptoms are present, and we think this can help us identify dogs before they actually have the disease,” she said.

Importantly, the researchers found multiple signs that indicate a high risk of disease — not just one.

“There are all sorts of things going on in the gut that turn out to be markers for high risk,” Tolbert said. “Some dogs may have inflammation, while others have leaky guts. Any of these signs can contribute to the development of GI disease if enough changes are present.”

Tolbert and her collaborators have received funding to conduct a new study to see if diet changes can help prevent or slow down the development of GI disease in soft-coated wheaten terriers. 

“As a nutritionist, I’m hopeful that diet can be a benign intervention to reverse the condition in these dogs,” Tolbert said. “At the GI Lab, we’re also working toward the development of new diagnostics that we hope will make pre-clinical detection more widely available.”

By Courtney Price, Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences