Fish-meal diet enriched with omega-3 PUFA and treatment of canine chronic enteropathies

Watching to see whether their pet has another explosive episode of bloody diarrhea, and the detailed characteristics of those episodes, must be every pet‐owner's nightmare. Until now, the standard method of differentiating the two most common forms of chronic enteropathy in dogs, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and food‐responsive diarrhea, has been to watch their response to various treatments, including an elimination diet. The manuscript by Ontsouka et al. in this issue of the European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology [p. 412–422], is of particular interest for several reasons. Firstly, it relates changes in duodenal gene expression profiles to a longer term reduction in diarrhea. This is important not only in providing a mechanism for this effect, but also implying a potential biomarker that might predict a reduction in the symptoms of chronic enteropathies, without having to wait for the disease process to occur. This thereby adds to a growing literature base endorsing genomic technologies in supporting health claims for pet foods. In addition, the study gives credibility to a fish‐meal‐ and potato protein‐based diet, enriched in omega‐3 PUFA, in reducing the symptoms of spontaneous diarrhea lasting at least 6 wk. Consequent opportunities and challenges, for pets, other animals and humans, are discussed in the present commentary. See accompanying article http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ejlt.201100343