The purpose of this study is to determine if daily supplementation with a mixture of vitamins, standard of care treatments, and feeding of a veterinary therapeutic low fat diet will result in resolution of gallbladder mucocele formation in dogs.
Participation Requirements:
Dogs must be diagnosed with a developing gallbladder mucocele that contains unsolidified content not exceeding 30% of the gallbladder lumen and have no ultrasonographic or bloodwork evidence of gallbladder rupture or biliary obstruction. Dogs cannot have any concurrent medical illnesses that would be expected to decrease the likelihood of 1-year survival, must be compliant with oral medications and must not have any food allergies, intolerances, or aversions that would preclude exclusive consumption of Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Low Fat (RC GI LF) dry or canned dog food for a duration of 1 year.
Owner’s Responsibilities (Samples and information to be collected):
Exclusive feeding of Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Low Fat dry or canned food with a 10% snack allowance for up to 1 year. Your dog’s feeding plan will be prescribed and monitored by a veterinary nutritionist.
- Oral administration of up to 15 capsules of dietary supplements (vitamins and amino acids) per day for up to 1 year.
- Complete a daily checklist documenting administration of diet and dietary supplements.
- Must be able to travel to the North Carolina State University Veterinary Hospital once every 3 months for 1 year for ultrasound examination and collection of blood, urine, and a fecal sample.
Download the study announcement.
Contact Information:
Name: Jody Gookin, DVM, PhD
Email: jody_gookin@ncsu.edu
Phone: 919-513-6295