From Early Care to Lifelong Health: Diarrhea Management in Puppies and Kittens (Purina Institute Microbiome Forum Round Table 2026)

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This quiz is for on-demand attendees of the Purina Institute Microbiome Forum Round Table 2026 “From Early Care to Lifelong Health: Diarrhea Management in Puppies and Kittens.” In order to obtain your RACE certificate for 1.5 CE hour, you must get a score of 80% or higher. You can retake the quiz as needed to pass.

This webinar is eligible for RACE credit through 15 December 2027.

1 / 10

Which of the following is FALSE regarding the impact of the microbiome on immune development?

The intestinal microbiome is an important metabolic organ that impacts development of the intestine and the immune system; the maturation of the immune system is closely related to the maturation of the microbiome.

The composition of the microbiome during this critical developmental stage may determine whether the immune system develops a more tolerant programming or if it trends toward intolerance (and potentially allergy) and inflammation.

A normal, diverse microbiome is critical for inducing a well-functioning immunoregulatory network.

The microbiome has limited impact on the development of the immune system, but it impacts the expression of immunity later in life.

2 / 10

Which of the following is FALSE regarding resilience of the health status in general, and more specifically the resilience of the microbiome?

Resilience represents stability and resistance to disruption when challenged, as well as ability to reestablish normality after a challenge.

The development of resilience requires normal development of the microbiota and barrier function, which happen in the first year of life.

Resilience recovers quickly following early-life enteritis.

Any disruption of microbiota and barrier function sets the stage for chronic disease(s) later in life.

A normal, diverse microbiome is critical for resilience.

3 / 10

Which of the following is FALSE regarding the impact of the gut barrier in immune function?

Intestinal infection and inflammation are associated with disruption of the mucus barrier and barrier function, which may be accompanied by altered innate and adaptive host responses to the microbiota and food components – setting the stage for chronic inflammation and immune dysfunction.

The intestinal mucus layer allows the gastrointestinal tract and microbiome to perform their necessary functions while preventing direct physical contact between the microbiota and host cells.

The gut barrier is composed solely of physical barriers to exclude microbiota from contact with the intestinal epithelium.

When intact and functional, the mucus layer prevents direct contact between bacteria and the epithelial lining in order to reduce immune stress and preserve tolerance.

4 / 10

Which of the following is TRUE regarding the use of antibiotics for early-life GI disease?

Antibiotic exposure disrupts microbiota and immune tolerance.

Antibiotic administration induces intestinal dysbiosis and increases the risk of later-life disease.

In humans, early-life antibiotic administration impairs microbiota maturation and significantly increases the risk of a number of childhood and lifelong diseases, such as childhood-onset asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, food allergy, childhood obesity, and autism spectrum disorder.

Cats administered antibiotics in their first year of life were almost 20 times more likely to develop chronic GI disease in adulthood.

All of the above are TRUE.

5 / 10

How does Giardiasis and its potential treatments impact risk of later-life disease?

Giardiasis affects tight junctions, leading to barrier dysfunction.

Metronidazole, commonly administered as treatment for giardiasis in dogs, is well known to induce dysbiosis that persists for weeks (or longer) after discontinuation of the antibiotic.

Dogs that experienced a giardia-associated enteritis in early life are more likely to develop chronic GI disease and/or chronic pruritic later in life.

A high clinical disease activity index during acute enteritis, combined with metronidazole use, significantly increases the risk for chronic GI disease later in life compared to mild disease or treatment with fenbendazole only.

All of the above

6 / 10

Which of the following is FALSE regarding the association between parvoviral enteritis and its potential treatments on long-term health?

Canine parvovirus enteritis (parvo) induces both dysbiosis and barrier disruption risks.

Canine parvovirus induces barrier disruption but not dysbiosis.

Canine parvo survivors are more likely to develop chronic enteropathy later in life.

Prevention of dysbiosis and barrier dysfunction, particularly during early-life, sets the stage for long-term health and lowers the risk of chronic disease.

Antibiotic administration remains the biggest cause of dysbiosis. Avoid unnecessary antibiotics; restrict their use to systemic infections.

7 / 10

Which of the following medications are known to induce dysbiosis or disrupt the intestinal barrier and should be used with caution when treating enteritis?

NSAIDs

PPIs

Antimicrobials

Fenbendazole

8 / 10

Which of the following is FALSE regarding Peptacetobacter hiranonis (formerly Clostridium hiranonis) and its importance in early-life GI health and enteritis?

P. hiranonis levels are initially low but begin to increase at 5-6 weeks of age.

P. hiranonis levels are decreased with enteritis but will recover with antibiotic administration.

P. hiranonis is the primary bacterial species that converts primary bile acids to secondary bile acids (2BA), which are important for suppressing pathobionts.

As P. hiranonis levels increase and more bile acids are converted to 2BA, C. difficile growth and survival reduce.

Antibiotics such as metronidazole can decrease P. hiranonis levels.

9 / 10

At what age do dogs reach near-normal gut microbiota composition?

9-12 weeks

4-5 weeks

4-6 days

16 weeks

1 year

10 / 10

Which of the following statements regarding canine parvovirus enteritis is FALSE?

Dogs with hemorrhagic diarrhea caused by parvovirus enteritis have a significant disruption of the intestinal barrier.

Approximately one third of dogs develop chronic diarrhea after an episode of parvovirus enteritis.

Dogs with parvovirus enteritis and neutropenia should receive broad-spectrum antibiotics.

Some dogs with parvovirus enteritis may benefit from fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT).

Antibiotics are indicated in every case of parvovirus enteritis and should be administered for at least two weeks.

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