Trial reportPloS one2014
Comparison of microbiological, histological, and immunomodulatory parameters in response to treatment with either combination therapy with prednisone and metronidazole or probiotic VSL#3 strains in dogs with idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease.
Trial report in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 127 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
127 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 252 citations in OpenAlex.
- ACVIM-endorsed statement: consensus statement and systematic review on guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic inflammatory enteropathy in dogs.Journal of veterinary internal medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Pharmaco-psychiatry and gut microbiome: a systematic review of effects of psychotropic drugs for bipolar disorder.Microbiology (Reading, England) · 2025Pooled it
- Clinical effect of probiotics in prevention or treatment of gastrointestinal disease in dogs: A systematic review.Journal of veterinary internal medicine · 2019Pooled it
- Associations between the gut microbiota and host responses to high altitude.American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology · 2018Trial
- Effects of probiotic VSL#3 on glomerular filtration rate in dogs affected by chronic kidney disease: A pilot study.The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne · 2017Trial
- Randomized, controlled trial evaluating the effect of multi-strain probiotic on the mucosal microbiota in canine idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease.Gut microbes · 2017Trial
- Randomized, Controlled, Crossover trial of Prevention of Clindamycin-Induced Gastrointestinal Signs Using a Synbiotic in Healthy Research Cats.Journal of veterinary internal medicine · 2017Trial
- Rifaximin is an effective alternative to metronidazole for the treatment of chronic enteropathy in dogs: a randomised trial.BMC veterinary research · 2016Trial
- Oral chondroitin sulfate and prebiotics for the treatment of canine Inflammatory Bowel Disease: a randomized, controlled clinical trial.BMC veterinary research · 2016Trial
- A prospective, randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled pilot study on the effect of Enterococcus faecium on clinical activity and intestinal gene expression in canine food-responsive chronic enteropathy.Journal of veterinary internal medicineTrial
- Effect of a probiotic on prevention of diarrhea and Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens shedding in foals.Journal of veterinary internal medicineTrial
- Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Dogs and Cats: Evidence for Gastrointestinal and Emerging Extra-Intestinal Applications.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Review
- Clinical and Faecal Outcomes in Adult Dogs with Chronic Enteropathy Fed an Hydrolysed Protein Diet with and WithoutAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Assessment of CD3+ T cell density in the intestinal mucosa of dogs with inflammatory bowel disease.Journal of veterinary internal medicine · 2026Article
- Lactobacillus probiotics potential in Blastocystis infection: in vitro and in vivo studies.Gut pathogens · 2025Article
- Application of Probiotics in Cats and Dogs: Benefits and Mechanisms.Veterinary sciences · 2025Review
- In vitro fermentation characteristics of dietary fibers using fecal inocula from dogs treated with metronidazole.Animal microbiome · 2025Article
- Assessment of duodenal villous morphology in canine IBD using magnification endoscopy with water immersion technique (WIT) and image skeletonization.Veterinary research communications · 2025Article
- Restorative Effects of Synbiotics on Colonic Ultrastructure and Oxidative Stress in Dogs with Chronic Enteropathy.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Effects of High-Dose Prednisone on the Gastrointestinal Microbiota of Healthy Dogs.Veterinary sciences · 2025Article
67 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIdiopathic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a common chronic enteropathy in dogs. There are no published studies regarding the use of probiotics in the treatment of canine IBD. The objectives were to compare responses to treatment with either combination therapy (prednisone and metronidazole) or probiotic strains (VSL#3) in dogs with IBD. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL
findingsTwenty pet dogs with a diagnosis of IBD, ten healthy pet dogs, and archived control intestinal tissues from three euthanized dogs were used in this open label study. Dogs with IBD were randomized to receive either probiotic (D-VSL#3, n = 10) or combination drug therapy (D-CT, n = 10). Dogs were monitored for 60 days (during treatment) and re-evaluated 30 days after completing treatment. The CIBDAI (P<0.001), duodenal histology scores (P<0.001), and CD3+ cells decreased post-treatment in both treatment groups. FoxP3+ cells (p<0.002) increased in the D-VSL#3 group after treatment but not in the D-CT group. TGF-β+ cells increased in both groups after treatment (P = 0.0043) with the magnitude of this increase being significantly greater for dogs in the D-VSL#3 group compared to the D-CT group. Changes in apical junction complex molecules occludin and claudin-2 differed depending on treatment. Faecalibacterium and Turicibacter were significantly decreased in dogs with IBD at T0, with a significant increase in Faecalibacterium abundance observed in the animals treated with VSL#3 strains.
conclusionsA protective effect of VSL#3 strains was observed in dogs with IBD, with a significant decrease in clinical and histological scores and a decrease in CD3+ T-cell infiltration. Protection was associated with an enhancement of regulatory T-cell markers (FoxP3+ and TGF-β+), specifically observed in the probiotic-treated group and not in animals receiving combination therapy. A normalization of dysbiosis after long-term therapy was observed in the probiotic group. Larger scale studies are warranted to evaluate the clinical efficacy of VSL#3 in canine IBD.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.