Retrospective evaluation of faecal PCR results in Western Australian dogs

Canine faecal PCR assays have recently become commercially available to investigate infectious causes of diarrhoea. Despite an increase in use, there remains uncertainty regarding the clinical relevance of positive test results. To explore this, we performed two retrospective studies: firstly, we described the faecal PCR results and clinical data of 168 dogs seen at The Animal Hospital at Murdoch University, and secondly, we established faecal PCR-based enteric organism profiles in 2025 Western Australian dogs. In the first study, 68% of dogs presented for acute diarrhoea. For the PCR results, Clostridium perfringens alpha-toxin gene was most frequently detected (92.9%), followed by Campylobacter spp. (32.7%), canine parvovirus (CPV) (17.3%), Salmonella spp. (8.3%), and Giardia spp. (5.4%). Canine enteric coronavirus and canine distemper virus were rarely detected (