Here at My Pet Nutritionist, we know that a healthy gut microbiome is the most important aspect to keeping your dog healthy all round! There is so much to learn about the gut microbiome – what it really is, what it consists of, what other parts of the body it interacts with, and what happens when it’s not in tip top condition. Many of our readers will notice that most of our blogs mention the microbiome, so this blog post is a full round up of everything gut microbiome related, in one easy read!
What is the Gut Microbiome?
Every dog has a gut microbiome. It’s one of the most important parts of your dog in terms of digestion and overall health, from joints to skin, to the brain and immunity. The microbiome is a community of microbes, including good and bad bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
The gut microbiome is very carefully balanced. Some of the microbes found in a healthy gut microbiome are ones we would typically class as ‘bad’ which have health conditions associated with them, including bad bacteria such as Salmonella, and Clostridia. Viruses and Fungi are typically classed as ‘bad’ microbes too, but are still part of a healthy microbiome.
Good bacteria such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Enterococcus are all found in abundance in the healthy canine gut microbiome – these beneficial bacteria are found in high enough numbers to outweigh the negative impact of the bad microbes found in the gut.
A healthy gut microbiome means the ‘good guys’ outweigh the ‘bad guys’. Health problems begin to emerge when the gut microbiome is knocked out of balance, allowing for gut dysbiosis to occur. Gut dysbiosis can lead to a host of health problems including reduced skin and joint health, increased digestive issues, and prominent or mild negative behavioural changes.
Findings Here
Findings Here
Interactions Between the Gut Microbiome and the Rest of the Body
The health of the gut microbiome is a huge part of overall health – but why is this? You may be wondering how gut health could impact so many other parts of the body, so let’s take a closer look at these!
We can look at the gut as a ‘roundabout’. Roundabouts have multiple exits – these ‘exits’ stemming from the gut are collectively called Axes; and these link to other parts of the body to form a two-way pathway/link from the gut. The main axes are:
- The Gut-Skin Axis: this pathway connects the gut to the skin, and the skin to the gut. If we start at the gut and work our way to the skin, we can see that poor gut health can cause or exacerbate skin conditions. Going to other way; from skin to gut, we unfortunately have the risk of gut microbiome damage caused by external exposure to toxins, whether they’re from laundry detergents, household cleaning products, external flea and tick medications, or other environmental toxins.
- The Gut-Joint Axis: this pathway connects the gut to the musculoskeletal system, and the musculoskeletal system to the gut. An imbalance in the gut microbiome can be connected to poor joint health, especially in cases of osteoarthritis due to the increase in inflammation around the joints. In a poorly balanced gut, there is often an increased risk of pro-inflammatory cytokines and inflammatory metabolites being produced, which are the main cause of poor joint health in dogs.
- The Gut-Brain Axis: this is the bidirectional pathway between the brain and the gut. This pathway has connections both physically, and chemically. In terms of physical connections, the Vagus Nerve is the main avenue for carrying signals between the two locations. Chemically, the healthy gut produces neurotransmitters and hormones, which move between the brain and gut. Mood, response to stress, and digestion are three of the main roles of the gut-brain axis.
It is also important to note that around 70-80% of the immune system is found in the gut! Keeping the gut microbiome healthy, and perfectly balanced means the immune system, and therefore overall health of an individual remains stable.
Findings Here
Findings Here
Findings Here
Findings Here
What Happens When the Gut Microbiome is Unhealthy?
When the Gut Microbiome is unhealthy, a host of health conditions can occur. As previously mentioned, an unhealthy gut microbiome is unbalanced; and this condition is called Gut Dysbiosis. Gut Dysbiosis occurs when the ‘bad microbes’ outweigh the ‘good microbes’. Here’s some health concerns that we see a lot in those with an unhealthy gut microbiome:
- Food sensitivities: when the gut microbiome is unbalanced, food sensitivities are common due to increased gut permeability; known as Leaky Gut. When the gut integrity is poor, food particles leak into the bloodstream which encourages the body to create an immune response, presenting as food sensitivities.
- Yeast: yeast cells are naturally present in the gut; they’re called Candida. When Candida is present, and there’s not enough of the good microbes to keep these in check, a yeast infection will often occur. Symptoms include rust coloured paws, ears and groin, cheesy smelling feet, and itching among others.
- Digestive problems: digestive upset including diarrhoea and vomiting is common in those with an unhealthy gut microbiome, due to the abundance of ‘bad’ microbes and a lack of ‘good’ ones to keep the effects of the bad ones at bay. Many dogs also suffer with Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) which contributes to these symptoms.
- Bad breath: a lot of owners assume their dog’s bad breath is caused by poor dental hygiene, however this is often not the case. Bad breath can emanate from the gut, in those with poor gut health. When the gut microbiome is unbalanced, the overgrowth of harmful bacteria in the gut results in the production of VSCs; Volatile Sulphur Compounds, which cause bad breath.
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): when the gut microbiome is unbalanced, inflammation occurs as a result. This inflammation often leads to chronic inflammatory conditions such as IBD. Other gastrointestinal conditions occur due to this too, however IBD is the one we see most in clinic here at My Pet Nutritionist.
- Arthritis: when the gut microbiome is out of balance, the gut-joint axis is heavily affected. This is another condition that occurs due to the systemic inflammation that occurs when the gut is imbalanced. Other arthritic conditions, specifically autoimmune conditions, are also affected by a poor gut microbiome due to the weakened immune system that comes hand in hand with poor gut health.
- Behavioural anxiety (including separation anxiety) and aggression: the gut-brain axis is at play here; when the gut health is poor, neurotransmitter and hormone production reduces, which in turn causes behavioural changes. These changes can include generalised anxiety, separation anxiety, and aggression. One of the most important things to consider when your pet is struggling with behavioural struggles, is how healthy their gut microbiome is – a multi-pronged attack is best; work with a force free trainer, and work on gut health.
Findings Here
Findings Here
Findings Here
Findings Here
Findings Here
What Factors Affect the Gut Microbiome?
There are various contributing factors to your dog’s gut health – many of which we can fully, or partially control in our pet’s life such as:
- Diet: what you feed your dog, has a huge impact on the gut microbiome. With so many options on the market, it can feel like a minefield when choosing what to feed. Here at My Pet Nutritionist, we advocate for diets which will benefit the all important gut microbiota. Our top choice would be fresh food – whether that is raw or lightly cooked. These gut friendly, biologically appropriate food options aid the health of the gut microbiome due to their lack of processing, and high moisture content. Studies show that dry food not only promotes gut inflammation, but it also reduces the diversity of the microbes in the gut microbiome, due to the amount of processing they’re subjected to.
- Medications: the use of various medications, especially worm treatments, flea and tick treatments, and antibiotics contribute to reduced gut microbiome diversity – discuss with your vet if they prescribe antibiotics; always ensure they have a definite diagnosis of your pet’s condition before prescribing antibiotics! The use of NSAIDs can also cause gastric disruption which affects the gut microbiome.
- Age: your dog’s age has an impact on the gut microbiome. While this cannot be controlled by us directly, we can keep on top of gut health, knowing our dogs are ageing; keep reading to find out how!
- Genetics: your dog’s genetics, which not able to be controlled directly by us, plays a huge role in gut microbiome diversity. Genetically, different individuals will have different types of microbiota living in the gut. Genetics also determine how an individual’s gut microbiome responds in reaction to an illness! Keep reading to find out how we can indirectly control this factor.
- Behavioural overload: your dog’s mental wellbeing is super important. Should your dog’s mental wellbeing be overlooked, there is more opportunity for gut microbiome diversity to decrease due to the gut-brain axis. The more stress or mental overload your dog is subjected to, the lower the diversity in the gut, which in turn affects neurotransmitter and hormone production, further worsening behavioural symptoms.
- Environmental toxin exposure: in the modern day toxic world we live in, there are many contributing factors to a poor gut microbiome. Just simply walking our dogs through streets and parks will expose them to harmful chemicals, which can affect gut health via the gut-skin axis.
- Mother’s microbiome: the microbiome of the mother dog heavily dictates your dog’s microbiome diversity. A puppy’s initial gut bacteria colony is acquired through the mother’s colostrum, as well as through the birthing canal, and first contact with the mother once born. If a mother has poor diversity of gut microbiota, the puppy will receive the same microbiota, leaving the puppy exposed to potential health risks and diseases.
- Specific health conditions: some health complaints, including inflammatory diseases, cancers, and obesity are all factors contributing to poor gut health. The common denominator linking these conditions to poor gut health, is inflammation. Inflammation is well known to reduce gut microbiome diversity.
Findings Here
Findings Here
Findings Here
Findings Here
How To Keep the Gut Microbiome Healthy
There are numerous things we can tweak in our dog’s diet and general lifestyle to achieve a healthy gut microbiome, and keep it in tip top condition. Here’s our recommendations on what to do to keep your dog’s gut microbiome healthy!
- Feed fresh: diet is the first big step toward a healthy gut microbiome! Feeding fresh, whether that’s raw or cooked, will enable a strong microbiome with high diversity of microbes. You can find our extensive range of balanced, gut friendly recipes here!
- Add a gut health supplement: to aid gut health, or improve gut microbiome diversity in an individual, there are supplements you can use alongside any diet type. Giving your dog a mucilage herb can help to heal anu damage in the gut wall, and act as a barrier against pathogens to keep gut stability and motility in tip top condition. As well as the mucilage herb, a high quality probiotic supplement is wise to add in to your dog’s regime as these help to replenish the gut microbiome, and enable it to flourish! Our own supplement, Gut Guardian, is an all-in-one supplement for gut health, and includes not only various strains of high quality probiotics, but also 3 popular mucilage herbs!
- Switch to natural pest control, and avoid unnecessary medications: We would recommend using natural preventative methods for parasite control for both internal parasites, and external parasites as well as only using antibiotics where absolutely necessary. When using antibiotics, ensure you also feed a high quality probiotic to help to replenish the gut.
- Consider natural household cleaning products: switching to natural cleaning and laundry products around the home can benefit the gut microbiome, as the constant contact with the many toxins found in standard cleaning products can affect the gut microbiome via the gut-skin axis. There are lots of natural options on the market, or you may wish to look into making your own products at home; some are surprisingly easy – and effective!
- Stay away from environmental toxins where possible: while it’s impossible to avoid ALL environmental toxins in the modern day (the world is such a toxic place!), it may be wise to be aware of areas your council is spraying glyphosate in, or laying other chemicals. It may be beneficial to wipe your dog’s paws down following a walk, using salted water or other natural antimicrobial product such as Leucillin or other hypochlorous acid based solution.
- Avoid overvaccination: core DHP vaccines are not to be given any more frequently than once in three years – however we would recommend titre testing before considering these. Overvaccination can cause vaccinosis which is often detrimental to gut health.
- Buy responsibly: when sourcing your new puppy, ensure to take a good look into the health of the mother dog, and how your chosen breeder weans. Do they ween puppies onto a fresh diet to give the gut a good head start? Be aware of their proposed vaccine schedule for the puppies too! Do they wait until the maternally derived antibodies passed onto the pups begin to dampen? This would be the ideal path to take! Take into consideration any birthing or pregnancy issues the mother dog has faced too, as a high stress birthing environment can be detrimental to the gut microbiome of the puppies! Of course this tip doesn’t apply to those able to rescue a dog from their local shelter.
- Reduce behavioural stressors: ensure you try to keep your dog free from stress triggers. If your dog is experiencing any stressful situations, seek force free behavioural help as soon as possible. Your dog may also benefit from our Calm Complex supplement, designed with anxious dogs in mind! Learning to read your dog’s body language can go a very long way in detecting potential stress in your dog too!
Findings Here
Findings Here
Findings Here
Findings Here
Is your dog’s Gut Microbiome in tip top condition? If you answered yes, fantastic! If you are unsure if your dog’s gut is in a good condition, or know it could benefit from some improvements, our team would love to help you make these changes! Our team love chatting about gut health, and helping you achieve your dog’s health goals – book in with one of our passionate and experienced team members today to improve your dog’s gut health.
Team MPN x
