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अमूर्त

Effects of blond psyllium husk powder (Fiberact®) in dogs and cats with slow digestive transit through a pet-owners survey

Sarah Muller, Bruno Jahier, Christelle Navarro*

Introduction: Prolonged retention of stools is a common clinical complaint in small animals, and its management should first consist in identifying and eliminating, if possible, the cause, and then implementing medical and/or surgical therapy. Among medical approaches dietary fibers, such as psyllium, are well tolerated and effective. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of blond psyllium husk powder on bowel movement in dogs and cats.

Methods: 50 dogs and 50 cats with slow digestive transit were administered orally with psyllium powder for 7 days at the dose of 1 teaspoon/10 kg/day. Pet-owners were asked to fill in a questionnaire on D0 and D7 that evaluated signs of stool retention (0-10 scale), stool consistency (1-5 scale), intestinal transit, and owner’s satisfaction.

Results: 44 dogs and 46 cats completed the study. After 7 days of psyllium administration, a significant decrease in defecation difficulty (p<0.05), defecation pain (p<0.001), abdominal pain (p<0.0001), and traces of blood in the stool (p<0.05) was observed. In cats, the presence of hairs in the stool was also significantly reduced (p<0.01). The faecal score got significantly better in both species (p<0.0001) and transit rapidly improved in more than 80% of the animals. The product was easy to give in 82% of dogs and 70% of cats, and over 75% of owners were satisfied with the results.

Conclusion: Psyllium powder proved to exert beneficial effects on pets with slow digestive transit by significantly improving stool consistency and digestive comfort.