Dog volunteers needed for study to fight canine inflammatory bowel disease

New research at Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine will hopefully lead to a better understanding of the cause of inflammatory bowel disease in canines and more effective treatments for the disease.

The study, led by Dr. Matthew Wun, a resident in small animal intestinal medicine, is currently recruiting dogs to participate in the research on IBD, which is a common canine condition.

The disease disrupts a dog's ability to digest and absorb nutrients, leading to symptoms such as recurrent vomiting and diarrhea, and weight loss. Managing IBD can be challenging for both veterinarians and pet owners, often necessitating frequent veterinary visits and extensive diagnostic testing.

"This condition is relatively common among our patients," said Wun. "Sometimes it can just present as chronic diarrhea, which is obviously distressing for owners and the dogs, but it can also be fatal in really severe cases."

Dr. Wun noted that IBD often begins with minor symptoms manageable through special diets and antibiotics. More severe cases typically require immunosuppressive drugs, which can have significant side effects. For patients unresponsive to these drugs, the prognosis is poor.

"It is frustrating that the primary treatment option for dogs with this disease is immunosuppressive drugs," Wun said. "In humans, this is similar to Crohn's Disease or ulcerative colitis, for which we have more advanced drugs that target various portions of the immune system. But in dogs, the disease is so poorly understood we're just not anywhere near to developing more specific, targeted therapies."

The cause of IBD in dogs is unknown, though a genetic component is suspected. Wun's research aims to investigate the genetic differences between dogs with IBD and healthy dogs using organoid models, lab-grown collections of cells that mimic the structure and function of various organs, in this case the intestine.

"We're taking intestinal stem cells from healthy dogs and dogs with inflammatory bowel disease, and we're growing those stem cells in the lab to create what are called organoids, which basically are a collection of cells that are like a microscopic intestine," Wun said. "Then we are sequencing the genes expressed by those organoids and seeing if there's a difference between the genes the healthy organoids express versus the inflammatory bowel disease organoids."

Dr. Wun hopes the study will uncover specific genetic deficiencies that could lead to targeted therapeutic options for affected dogs.

"The ultimate goal is to advance our understanding of the disease and develop new treatments," Wun said.

Dogs enrolled in the study will receive a free gastrointestinal endoscopy including anesthesia and histopathology, which is required to diagnose IBD. Pet owners will also receive a $25 Amazon gift card. To qualify for the study, a dog must have been vomiting or having diarrhea for at least three weeks, among other criteria.

The study is being funded through a grant that was awarded by the Morris Animal Foundation and funded by Jack and Megan Czerwinski in memory of their dog Zinnie that succumbed to inflammatory bowel disease at just 3 years old. The family worked closely with the foundation to offer funding for research focused on innovative ways to treat or cure canine IBD. The study is also supported by an intramural grant awarded by the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine Department of Clinical Sciences.