Characteristics of the animal populations recruited for this study. A) Bar plot showing the distribution of recruited animals per species: dog, green bars; cats, orange bars. For each participating clinic (A to Q), the overall number of animals is indicated between parentheses. B) Bar plot of the overall age distribution of dogs (n=105; green bars) and cats (n=37; orange bars) recruited for the study. C) Pie charts of the overall sex distribution of dogs (n=105) and cats (n=37) included in the study. Blue and pink sectors represent male (M) and female (F) subpopulations, respectively. D) Bar plot of the antimicrobial treatments administered to recruited dogs and cats (green and orange bars, respectively) ≤30 days before sampling. E) Bar plot of recent pharmacological treatments administered to recruited dogs and cats (green and orange bars, respectively) ≤30 days before sampling. Abbreviations: ACE, angiotensin-converting-enzyme; NSAIDs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; PPIs, proton pump inhibitors. In panels D and E, pharmacological treatment data were not available for a total of 48 animals (32 dogs and 16 cats).