Is Your Dog Hounded By Bad Bacteria?

Original article by Dr. Joe Inglis, BVSc, MRCVS*. Edited for blog publication by Kelly Gredner, RVT, VTS (Nutrition)

Did you know that your dog is basically made of bugs?

OK, that’s not exactly true, but scientists estimate that the average dog’s body contains around the same number of microbial cells as it does dog cells — and most of these are concentrated in their digestive system where they play an essential role in the digestion of food , and also contribute to a wide range of other important bodily functions.

The community of these organisms that live within the digestive tract, or gut, are known as the gut microbiome. And there are literally trillions of them.

Most of the bacteria in the gut are completely harmless - with many being classified as ‘good’ bacteria which are involved in aiding digestion, boosting immune system health, or supporting brain health.

There are less welcome bugs in the mix as well, with many species of ‘bad’ or disease-causing / pathogenic bacteria usually present, but if these are balanced out with ‘good’ bacteria they don't usually cause active disease.

There are also bacteria that are known as opportunistic pathogens - this means that most of the time they are harmless, but if they get the opportunity then they become pathogenic. This means that your dog's body is performing a continuous balancing act within the gut microbiome to ensure that these ‘bad’ bacteria don't start to dominate and overwhelm the ‘good’ bugs.

The gut microbiome is involved in lots of essential processes for health, including:

Helping to digest food

Manufacturing vitamins (like vitamins B12 & K)

Transforming fiber into short chain fatty acids (food for the gut lining)

and many more!

Some of the compounds the bacteria produce are essential for health but cannot be produced by the body itself, so dogs (and ourselves) depend upon the ‘good’ bacteria to produce them. In addition, the canine microbiome has an essential role in the dog’s immune system and overall health; it can educate the immune system, protect against pathogens, and through these, and its metabolic actions, it directly or indirectly affects most physiological functions.

There are lots of factors that can influence the health of your dog’s microbiome, from their diet and lifestyle to their age and social lives - but the biggest impact often comes from diseases, particularly those affecting the digestive system such as gastroenteritis leading to inflammation of the gut wall. Digestive disorders can lead to changes in the balance of bacteria in the gut, known as dysbiosis, which can then lead to secondary health problems linked to the products that the gut microbes produce.

And it's not just the disorders themselves that can cause problems - the treatments that vets often prescribed, such as antibiotics, can also have negative effects on the microbiome, leading to a vicious cycle of ever worsening gut diseases such as colitis, inflammatory bowel disease and ulcerative colitis. On the other hand, a stable, balanced microbiome, undisturbed by antibiotics, supports a normal inflammatory response, while also helping the immune system to respond appropriately to infections.

Despite all the unknowns surrounding canine microbiome science, it is clear that the microbes in our dogs’ tummies hold many of the keys to health and well-being, and by analyzing them we can potentially transform the future of pet healthcare!

*Originally published in Cotswold Life, this article by Dr. Joe Inglis, a UK-based Veterinarian and expert in animal nutrition, has been republished here, with minor edits, with the author’s express permission.