GASTROENTEROLOGY
other factors, including inflammatory disease, dietary
indiscretions, pathogen overgrowth, parasitic infection
and neoplasia. Some sufferers of CILBD can be fibre responsive, with fibre aiding in promoting colonic health.
Dietary management is recommended in all mild cases, although medical management may be required
alongside dietary management in chronic or severe
cases.
There are several potential mechanisms by which dietary fibre supplementation may result in clinical improvement in dogs with FRLBD. Soluble fibre adsorbs
a large quantity of water, improving faecal consistency. Colonic bacteria, which make up approximately
40-55% of the dry stool mass, ferment soluble fibre,
which results in a vast increase in the numbers (but not
types) of colonic bacteria and quantity of bacterial byproducts. Insoluble fibre greatly adds to faecal volume.
Thus, dietary fibre can increase faecal bulk which increases colonic distension, the major stimulus for normal colonic motility. With increased colonic distension,
an improved motility pattern in dogs with FRLBD may
result in resolution of clinical signs. In fact, dietary fibre
has been shown to normalise colonic myo-electrical
activity and colonic motility in people.
When the initiating cause of the colitis is unknown, dietary modifications can be very much a case of trial
and error.3
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Issue 04 | JULY 2015 | 38
Modifications to the diet include:
• high-fibre diets that normalise the transit time and bind
faecal water and acts as a