Chronic enteropathy (CE) describes a myriad of prolonged (greater than 3 weeks) gastrointestinal (GI) signs in animals who are suspected to have nondescript GI inflammation and in which treatment success has yet to be defined. (1) All dogs with CE will have some degree of GI inflammation and share similar changes in microbiota richness, diversity, or composition compared to healthy dogs. (2) However, their clinical and pathological response is different based on the treatments instituted and are categorized as food-responsive enteropathy (FRE), antibiotic-responsive enteropathy (ARE), immunosuppressant-responsive enteropathy (IRE), or nonresponsive enteropathy (NRE).
These treatment classifications have different etiologies but, dogs can display similar clinical signs and may require treatment through a multimodal approach involving 1 or more of these treatment categories. Further classification of CE includes those animals with loss of protein across the gut, termed protein-losing enteropathy (PLE). A diagnosis of PLE is based on the exclusion of neoplastic, parasitic, or infectious disease within the gut, and the presence of PLE with CE suggests a more guarded treatment response rate and prognosis. (3)
This article originally appeared on dvm360.com on October 4, 2024, as part of Thrive Pet Healthcare's Strategic Alliance with dvm360.
About Kasey Mabry, DVM, MS, DACVIM-Small Animal
Dr. Mabry is a southeastern native who spent most of her childhood in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She earned her undergraduate degree in animal science from Auburn University, where she and her now-husband participated in the Auburn University marching band. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Tuskegee University, followed by a rotating small animal medicine and surgery internship at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Mabry completed her small animal internal medicine residency training and dual master’s degree in Comparative Biomedical Sciences at The University of Georgia. During this time, she developed an interest in immune-mediated, gastrointestinal, and hepatobiliary diseases, with a strong research focus in canine acute gastrointestinal injury secondary to critical illness and exercise (canine athletes).
