title: Treatment of aseptic dogs with hemorrhagic gastroenteritis with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid: a prospective blinded study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Antibiotics generally are recommended to treat hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (HGE). Inappropriate use of antibiotics may promote risk of antimicrobial resistance and unnecessary adverse drug reactions. The necessity of antimicrobial therapy in dogs with HGE has not been demonstrated.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this prospective, placebo-controlled, blinded study was to evaluate whether treatment with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid improves the clinical course and outcome of HGE in dogs that show no signs of sepsis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 60 dogs diagnosed with HGE between 2007 and 2009 at the Clinic of Small Animal Medicine, LMU University of Munich, Germany. The inclusion criterion was the presence of acute hemorrhagic diarrhea (<3 days). Dogs pretreated with antibiotics, with signs of sepsis, or diagnosed with any disease known to cause bloody diarrhea were excluded from the study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were randomly divided into treatment (amoxicillin/clavulanic acid for 7 days) and placebo groups. To evaluate treatment efficacy, severity of clinical signs (based on a newly developed HGE index), duration of hospitalization, and mortality rate were compared between the 2 groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-three of 60 dogs completed the study. No significant difference between treatment groups concerning mortality rate, dropout rate, duration of hospitalization, or severity of clinical signs, either on any individual day or over the course of disease, was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In some dogs with HGE that show no signs of sepsis, antibiotics may not change the case outcome or time to recovery.
authors.affiliation: LMU University of Munich, Munich, Germany. s.unterer@medizinische-kleintierklinik.de
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Unterer
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Strohmeyer
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Kruse
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sauter-Louis
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hartmann
mesh_terms: D019980:Amoxicillin-Potassium Clavulanate Combination / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000662:veterinary; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018805:Sepsis / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D019980:Amoxicillin-Potassium Clavulanate Combination