We screened (comprehensive physical examinations, bloodwork, and fecal analysis) 51 dogs for the SLIM study. Of these, 31 met the inclusion criteria and were enrolled. Of these enrolled dogs, 25 dogs completed the 24-week clinical trial. Unfortunately, 6 dogs were removed from the study early with the most common reason related to administration of antimicrobials needed for underlying health conditions including dog bite wounds, urinary tract infections, and surgical procedures. Based on recalculating our power analysis for sample size estimation, out current samples size (n=25) is sufficient to find a significant difference in weight loss between the treatment groups. Our last SLIM patient finished the clinical trial at the end of October 2022. Since this time, we have entered the analysis phase and sample processing for microbiome sequencing and metabolomics.
The most rewarding part of this clinical trial was that all dogs achieved their weight loss goals, despite their treatment group. Our patients’ owners were thrilled with how their pets progressed in their weight loss goals and were greatly appreciative for the improvement in their pets’ quality of life since completing the SLIM study. For example, over the 24-week SLIM study, a dog named Pax achieved a total weight loss of 23% of his body weight. His body condition score (BCS) improved from 8/9 to 5/9 during the SLIM study. His owners’ report a marked improvement in his energy and actively levels since completing the SLIM study.
