The demographic characteristics of recruited animals are summarized in Table 2 and Fig. 1, Fig. 2. A total of 142 animals, including 105 dogs and 37 cats (73.9% and 26.1% of total, respectively; Fig. 1A) of diverse breeds (Fig. 2), were recruited for the study. The male/female ratio of animals varied widely among clinics, with the overall values for dogs and cats being similar (56.2%, 43.8% and 56.8%, 43.2%, respectively; Fig. 1C). The age distribution of sampled animals also showed ample variation among clinics, but the overall values were similar for the dog and cat subpopulations: 20%, 45.7%, 32.4% of dogs and 10.8%, 54.1%, 32.4% of cats had <1 year, 1–6 years and ≥7 years, respectively (Table 2).Fig. 1Characteristics 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).Fig. 1Fig. 2Bar plots showing the breed distribution of recruited dogs (n=105, left panel) and cats (n=37, right panel). *Other dog breeds (n): Boxer (3), Setter (3), Shih Tzu (3), American Staffordshire Terrier (2), Belgian Shepherd (2), Border Collie (2), Chinese Shar-Pei (2), Cocker Spaniel (2), Golden Retriever (2), Labrador Retriever (2), Pug (2), Shiba Inu (2), Andalusian Hound (1), Chihuahua (1), Dalmatian (1), Galician Palleiro (1), Hound (1), Mastiff (1), Miniature Pinscher (1), Pit bull (1), Poodle (1), Water dog (1).Fig. 2Table 2Overview of the animals that were recruited for this studya.Table 2ClinicNbDogsCatsnSex ratiocAge distributionDays since last episode of diarrheanSex ratiocAge distributionDays since last episode of diarrhea<1 yr1–6 yr≥7 yr0≤30>30<1 yr1–6 yr≥7 yr0≤30>30A662:133.3%66.7%0%0%66.7%33.3%0–––––––B15121:525%25%50%25%0%75%32:10%33.3%66.7%0%0%100%C843:150%50%0%0%25%75%41:10%25%75%50%0%50%D321:10%100%0%0%0%100%10:10%0%100%0%0%100%E432:10%66.7%33.3%0%66.7%33.3%10:10%0%100%100%0%0%F1252:30%20%80%0%40%60%74:314.3%85.7%0%0%0%100%G171511:420%40%40%13.3%26.7%60%20:10%100%0%0%0%100%H554:1100%0%0%20%20%60%0–––––––I654:120%60%20%40%20%40%11:00%0%100%0%100%0%J*832:10%66.7%0%33.3%66.7%0%53:220%60%0%40%60%0%K221:00%50%50%0%0%100%0–––––––L*220:10%0%50%50%0%50%0–––––––M27224:74.5%59.1%36.4%0%13.6%86.4%53:220%60%20%0%0%100%N*987:112.5%37.5%50%12.5%0%37.5%11:00%0%100%0%0%100%O1141:125%75%0%0%25%75%75:214.3%57.1%28.6%0%0%100%P110:1100%0%0%100%0%0%0–––––––Q665:116.7%50%33.3%33.3%33.3%33.3%0–––––––Total*14210559:4620%45.7%32.4%13.3%21.9%61%3721:1610.8%54.1%32.4%13.5%10.8%75.7%aSee also Fig. 1. Asterisks indicate that there were some recruited animals with missing data and thus the sum of percentages can be <100%.bTotal number of animals that were recruited (i.e. dogs and cats).cNumber of males: number of females.