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In This Article
Rockville, MD – November 14, 2025 – The veterinary community is facing a paradigm shift in how to treat canine diarrhea. Recent guidelines from the European Network for Optimization of Antimicrobial Therapy (ENOVAT)1 urge practitioners to sharply reduce antibiotic use in many routine cases – particularly for mild gastrointestinal issues – to combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This raises an important question: if vets use fewer antibiotics, what can fill the void in treatment? One promising answer is probiotics. These beneficial microbes may help keep our animal patients healthy while reserving antibiotics for when they’re truly needed.
Historically, antibiotics such as metronidazole were commonly prescribed for canine acute diarrhea (CAD). Recent evidence shows these antibiotics significantly alter the gut microbiome, causing dysbiosis and metabolomic disturbances, including decreased beneficial secondary bile acids and increased lactate production.2,3
The systematic review by ENOVAT demonstrated that antimicrobial treatments do not yield clinically relevant benefits for mild or moderate acute diarrhea in dogs. Conversely, nutraceutical treatments including probiotics have not shown severe adverse effects and appear beneficial.4,5
Probiotics, synbiotics, and prebiotics may effectively shorten diarrhea duration and improve fecal consistency without the risks associated with antibiotics. Indeed, clinical studies demonstrate probiotics significantly accelerate clinical recovery and improve gut microbiota composition, notably increasing beneficial bacteria like Blautia and Faecalibacterium, and decreasing harmful bacteria such as Clostridium perfringens in dogs with acute diarrhea.4
Further research illustrates probiotics’ capacity to support intestinal health in chronic conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Dogs with IBD treated with probiotics showed enhanced expression of tight junction proteins critical to gut barrier integrity, and improved overall gut mucosal homeostasis.5 Another study found probiotics significantly reduced inflammation and abnormal cell proliferation in colonic polyps, promoting healthier intestinal mucosal repair mechanisms through increased polyamine levels.6
Given the new emphasis on antimicrobial stewardship, probiotics are emerging as valuable alternatives or adjuncts in veterinary practice, aligning with a more sustainable approach to animal healthcare. By adopting probiotics as first-line interventions for gastrointestinal conditions, veterinarians can help mitigate AMR risks, restore and maintain gut health, and support better long-term outcomes for pets.
About ExeGi Pharma
ExeGi Pharma LLC is a biotechnology company specializing in the development and commercialization of live biotherapeutic drugs for humans and probiotic agents for both humans and pets. With a strong foundation in microbiome science, ExeGi delivers innovative, clinically supported products designed to address a range of health needs. The company is headquartered in Rockville, MD.
About Visbiome® Vet
Visbiome® Vet is a high potency probiotic for use in companion pets to help support normal inflammatory responses in the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract) and to help normalize gut health. The formulation in Visbiome Vet contains an eight-strain proprietary probiotic blend that has recently been studied in several canine GI concerns.
References
1. Scahill et al. (2024). Efficacy of antimicrobial and nutraceutical treatment for canine acute diarrhoea: A systematic review and meta-analysis for ENOVAT guidelines. The Veterinary Journal.
2. Pilla et al. (2020). Effects of metronidazole on the fecal microbiome and metabolome in healthy dogs. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
3. Ellis et al. (2023). The use of metronidazole in acute diarrhea in dogs: a narrative review. Topics in Companion Animal Medicine.
4. Ziese et al. (2018). Effect of probiotic treatment on the clinical course, intestinal microbiome, and toxigenic Clostridium perfringens in dogs with acute hemorrhagic diarrhea. PLoS ONE.
5. White et al. (2017). Randomized controlled trial evaluating the effect of multi-strain probiotic on the mucosal microbiota in canine idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease. Gut Microbes.
6. Rossi et al. (2017). Effects of probiotic bacteria on mucosal polyamines levels in dogs with IBD and colonic polyps: a preliminary study. Beneficial Microbes.