Just like humans, pets have trillions of tiny organisms (such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses) living in their gastrointestinal tracts. Collectively called the “gut microbiome” (pronounced /mahy-kroh-bahy-ohm/), those microorganisms do all sorts of important things for your pet’s body, like helping digest their food, protecting against disease, and maintaining a beautiful coat.
The Microbiome
What Is the Gut Microbiome?
What Is the Gut Microbiome?
In a healthy gut, thousands of different kinds of microorganisms make up a diverse, balanced community. But when there aren’t enough beneficial microbes or there are too many harmful ones, some of the community’s important functions stop working. This can lead to an imbalance that may cause your pet to develop uncomfortable symptoms like diarrhea or itchy skin. This kind of disruption in the gut microbiome can be caused by a variety of factors, including disease, age, diet, and medications—especially antibiotics.
- Imbalanced Gut Microbiome
- Balanced Gut Microbiome
An imbalanced gut microbiome may contain only a handful of different bacterial groups. When important kinds of bacteria are missing, the gut can’t function properly, and your dog may develop uncomfortable symptoms.
A diverse, balanced gut microbiome includes thousands of different kinds of bacteria and other microorganisms. This dynamic community is crucial for the proper functioning of your pet’s body.
Do Antibiotics Harm Your Dog’s Gut Microbiome?
In some situations, these powerful medications are a necessary and even life-saving treatment, but antibiotics (like metronidazole) can make radical, long-term changes to your pet’s gut microbiome. That’s because antibiotics kill a lot of beneficial bacteria along with the harmful ones they’re meant to target. But if your pet needs a course of antibiotics, there’s still a lot you can do to support their gut health during and after treatment.
How Can I Know What’s Going On in My Pet’s Gut Microbiome?
Gut microbiome testing is a great way to learn the status of your pet’s gut health and whether their diet is supporting the right microorganisms. With our easy, at-home test, a tiny poop sample will tell you what’s really going on with the bacteria living in your pet’s digestive system. And if an imbalanced community of bacteria in the gut microbiome is causing symptoms like diarrhea or itchy skin, we can help you restore balance among the gut bacteria. Rebalancing your pet’s gut microbiome can be highly effective in reducing or eliminating symptoms.
How Is Diet Involved in My Pet’s Gut Health?
Diet is one of the best and most important ways to manage your pet’s gut microbiome. When you feed your pet, you’re really feeding their billions of gut bacteria, so what you feed your pet affects which kinds of bacteria thrive and multiply in their gut. By feeding a diet that supports the beneficial kinds of bacteria and discourages the harmful kinds, you can help your pet live a healthier, happier life.
What Can Probiotics Do for My Pet's Gut Health?
Probiotic supplements contain living, beneficial bacteria. but often these supplements only include a handful of bacterial strains. Even in probiotics intended specifically for pets, the vast majority of the probiotic strains are not native to cats and dogs. These probiotic products may temporarily improve some symptoms, but the microorganisms they contain won’t become permanent residents of your pet’s gut, so they are fundamentally unable to correct an imbalance.
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