Diarrhea is a common trouble for dogs. When it becomes chronic, the well being of the dog becomes at stake and the situation is troubling for the owner as well. A cure was found to the disease from an antibiotic, Tylosin, which was originally used to cure pigs. The medication has been effective, but it’s still unclear how Tylosin exactly works.

- In October we started a research on Tylosin’s mechanism of effect and the proper amounts of dosing, tells Susanne Kilpinen, a vet of Clinical Veterinary Medicine at the Academical Animal Hospital. Professor Emeritus Elias Westermark has been studying the effects of Tylosin on dogs for a couple of years. The research has proceeded to a six month long clinical test stage, of which the Animal Hospital performs with the collaboration of Vetcare Ltd.

- For subjects we look for dogs that have a chronic diarrhea, and who have been treated successfully with Tylosin. First we examine what causes the diarrhea and that systemic illness , like liver- or kidney disorder is not the case. With the dog owner’s permission we perform gastrointestinal tract observation and take samples. The dogs who pass this stage continue to the second part of the test, in which we survey the correct doses of medicine, says Kilpinen about the examination that covers almost hundred dogs.

The dogs’ owners get all the test results and diagnosis. –Depending on the case, some dogs come to Viikki for follow-up studies for couple of times. After this it’s owners responsibility to keep record of the density of the dog’s excrement. We give the owner a visual map and clear criteria, on which the observations are to be based. We do a summary about the test next spring, which will be published on an international veterinary magazine.