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. 2024 Jan 30;14(3):453.
doi: 10.3390/ani14030453.

A Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Impact of a Novel Probiotic and Nutraceutical Supplement on Pruritic Dermatitis and the Gut Microbiota in Privately Owned Dogs

Devon E Tate  1 , Jirayu Tanprasertsuk  1 , Roshonda B Jones  1 , Heather Maughan  2 , Anirikh Chakrabarti  3 , Ehsan Khafipour  3 , Sharon A Norton  3 , Justin Shmalberg  4 , Ryan W Honaker  1
Affiliations

A Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Impact of a Novel Probiotic and Nutraceutical Supplement on Pruritic Dermatitis and the Gut Microbiota in Privately Owned Dogs

Devon E Tate et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Pruritic dermatitis (PD) is a common presentation of canine allergic skin diseases, with diversity in severity and treatment response due to complex etiopathogenesis. Evidence suggests the gut microbiota (GM) may contribute to the development of canine allergies. A 10-week double-blind randomized controlled trial evaluated a novel probiotic and nutraceutical blend (PNB) on clinical signs of skin allergy, health measures, and the GM of privately owned self-reported pruritic dogs. A total of 105 dogs were enrolled, with 62 included in pruritus and health analysis and 50 in microbiome analysis. The PNB supported greater improvement of owner-assessed clinical signs of PD at week 2 than the placebo (PBO). More dogs that received the PNB shifted to normal pruritus (digital PVAS10-N: <2) by week 4, compared to week 7 for the PBO. While a placebo effect was identified, clinical differences were supported by changes in the GM. The PNB enriched three probiotic bacteria and reduced abundances of species associated with negative effects. The PBO group demonstrated increased abundances of pathogenic species and reduced abundances of several beneficial species. This trial supports the potential of the PNB as a supplemental intervention in the treatment of PD; however, further investigation is warranted, with stricter diagnostic criteria, disease biomarkers and direct veterinary examination.

Keywords: dog; fecal microbiota; pruritic dermatitis; pruritus; skin allergies.

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Conflict of interest statement

D.E.T., J.T., R.B.J., and R.W.H. were employees of NomNomNow Inc. at the time the study was completed but are currently employed by Mars Petcare (Waltham Petcare Science Institute). J.S. received compensation from NomNomNow Inc. during data collection and H.M. was contracted as a consultant. A.C., E.K. and S.A.N. are/were employed by Cargill Inc.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Trial flowchart. PBO—placebo group; PNB—probiotic and nutraceutical blend group; GM—gut microbiota.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Canine pruritus severity score (digital PVAS10) plots: (a) Boxplot for all weeks. Dots represent the digital PVAS10 scores of individual dogs; dashed line—normal severity (digital PVAS10-N = <2); ns p > 0.05, ** p < 0.01; and (b) absolute change in digital PVAS10 score at week 10 vs. baseline score.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Owner Assessed Skin Allergy Severity Index (OA-SASI) score plots: (a) Boxplot for all weeks. ns p > 0.05, ** p < 0.01; (b) absolute change in OA-SASI score at week 10 (log-transformed) vs. baseline score (log-transformed); and (c) individual OA-SASI change baseline to week 2 in subgroup with high OA-SASI at baseline (≥median score within group; PBO = 16, PNB = 18).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Boxplot of skin redness [from 0 (not red at all) to 10 (extremely red)] for all weeks. ns p > 0.05, * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01.
Figure 5
Figure 5
α-diversity metrics (richness, Pielou’s evenness, and Shannon H) from baseline to week 10. ns p > 0.05, * p < 0.05.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) plot. PCoA axes 1 and 2, respectively, explained 16.6% and 13.7% of the variance of the abundance of gut microbiome at the species level.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Scores of the first 3 principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) axes in subjects receiving the probiotic and nutraceutical blend (PNB; n = 27) or the placebo (PBO; n = 23) at baseline and week 10. ns p > 0.05, * p < 0.05.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Volcano plots demonstrating the fold-change (FC) in the differential abundance analysis of gut bacteria at the species level at week 10 compared to week 0. Vertical dashed lines show log2FC at 1 and −1 (i.e., FC at 2 and −2). Horizontal dashed line shows −log10 (adjusted p) = 2 (i.e., adjusted p = 0.01). Each point represents a distinct species and points are colored by phylum. (a) The probiotic and nutraceutical blend (PNB) group (n = 27); and (b) the placebo (PBO) group (n = 23).
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Grants and funding

This research received no external funding. NomNomNow Inc. provided support in the form of salaries for specified authors but did not have any additional role in the preparation of the manuscript. Cargill Inc. provided financial support and resources for study completion.

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