Case study of diet digestibility and gut microbiome changes in a dog undergoing CHOP chemotherapy for lymphoma

Abstract

Nutritional strategies in the management of canine cancer patients undergoing CHOP chemotherapy are still in its infancy. Studies on a novel diet containing cooked navy beans and rice bran have demonstrated to have cancer chemo-preventive properties and have a strong potential to support a healthy gut microbiome in both humans and animals. In this case study we evaluated how a diet rich in rice bran and navy bean affects a dog’s gut microbiome and its function during CHOP chemotherapy. Stool samples were collected from an adult 12-year-old male castrated Labrador which is diagnosed with multicentric B-cell lymphoma with ocular involvement. The dog was undergoing a 15 week CHOP chemotherapy protocol combined with a 6 week dietary trial containing 25% cooked navy bean powder and heat stabilized rice bran. Nine breed matched control dogs undergoing the diet intervention without CHOP chemotherapy were used to evaluate diet digestibility. Four of the breed matched control dogs were used to evaluate microbial alterations. The 16s rRNA gene was pyrosequenced, a digestibility analysis was performed and fatty acids were extracted and analyzed utilizing Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). We found that canine fecal samples collected after the diet intervention displayed notable increases in Bifidobacterium adolescentis and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii compared to fecal samples prior to the diet intervention. In addition a notable increase in Palmitic and Stearic acid and a decrease in Oleic acid and Linoleic acid was found. In this case study, the consumption of a diet containing rice bran and navy beans during chemotherapy was associated with an enhanced modulation of the canine gut microbial composition and function. Therefore a diet rich in rice bran and navy beans could potentially be combined with chemotherapy to support the gut microbiome and improve quality of life during chemotherapy.