Gastrointestinal (GI) disorders are common problems encountered in veterinary medicine. When all gastrointestinal illnesses are eliminated, chronic GI disorders need to be considered including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBD is characterized by increase in number of inflammatory cells found in lining of stomach or intestinal tract. Any animal with unexplained vomiting or diarrhea, especially chronic in nature, should be examined for IBD.
Dietary modifications, antibiotics such as Tylosin and possibly probiotics are generally first line therapy for IBD. Tylosin is a macrolide antibiotic that inhibits bacteria by preventing protein synthesis, with its spectrum of activity limited to gram positive bacteria. Clostridium and Campylobacterare usually sensitive to Tylosin.
A study conducted in 2011 examined the effect of tylosin in dogs in relation to recurrent diarrhea. The results found that the treatment group on tylosin at 25mg/kg daily for 7 days had 85% of tylosin group returned to normal fecal consistency. This number was significantly lower in placebo group with only 29% normal bowels with statistical significance at 0.0049.