Your Pet's Microbiome: The Key To Strong Health
The word “microbiome” has been becoming more popular in recent years, and for a good reason. Much research in the past decade has proven that the microbiome is much more important than we ever imagined.
Many different areas of the body have a microbiome, from the skin to the gut. While each one is vital in its own way, the gut microbiome is particularly important in the health of your pet.
The intestinal tracts of dogs and cats are made up of trillions of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa. These living microorganisms make up the intestinal microbiome and live in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, with bacteria being the most abundant of them.
Researchers have discovered some amazing facts about the microbiome:
There are approximately a trillion (1012–1014) microbial cells in the GI tract, around 10 times more than the number of all host cells.
The loss of normal microbiota due to acute and chronic intestinal diseases has been linked to metabolic changes and the intestinal microbiota also influence the early stages of these diseases. They do this by modulating your dog or cat’s immune development, as there is a constant interaction between certain members of the microbiota and the host's immune system (Keeney, 2014).
A balanced microbial ecosystem is important for the regulation of your dog or cat's health and immunity.
Studies have demonstrated that dysbiosis (an imbalanced gut) may exacerbate inflammation.
Gut dysbiosis induced by antibiotics or other environmental and genetic factors is strongly correlated with diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), type 1 diabetes (T1D), atopy, and obesity (Keeney et al., 2014).
An alteration of the microbiota can occur with something as simple as acute diarrhea, having body-wide consequences. Dogs with acute diarrhea were found to have the fecal dysbiosis present which was associated with an altered systemic metabolic state (Guard et al., 2015).
The verdict is out—a healthy microbiome is incredibly important when it comes to the vitality of any animal. But how can you create a healthy microbiome in your own pet?
Because a balanced microbiome needs to be fed healthy food, what you feed your pet is the key to supporting a healthy microbiome. And while probiotics are great, they aren’t effective in the long term. After all, simply throwing seeds into the dirt is not going to create a luscious garden! The garden must also be nourished and cared for if it will become fruitful.
Here are some more easy but powerful steps to improve the microbiome of your pet:
1.Get them onto a fresh food diet.
It might seem overwhelming at first, but feeding your pet a fresh food diet is easier than you may think. With my “Naturopawthic Courses,” I make any fresh food diet easy. We also offer private diet consultation sessions where we help create a balance in your pet’s body which promotes a healthy digestive system and boosts the gut’s health. Click HERE to set up a diet consultation appointment today!
2. Utilize all-natural solutions.
Speak with your local holistic vet about using herbs and maintenance acupuncture sessions to support a healthy microbiome.
3. Test your pet’s microbiome.
Have your pet’s microbiome analyzed through a stool sample and then use that information to map out a plan with your holistic veterinarian to create a better environment for healthy microbiota to grow. This will largely contribute to your pet’s overall health.
Research doesn’t lie. A healthy microbiome is integral to your pet’s quality of life. If you want to test the quality of your pet’s microbiome or get more support in implementing a fresh food diet, click HERE to set up an appointment! If you want to learn more about the role of food as medicine for your pet, sign up for our education series. The first lecture will be online January 12th and the topic is: To Feed Grain or Not to Feed Grain, That is The Question. Signup here.
References:
Jan S. Suchodolski, Diagnosis and interpretation of intestinal dysbiosis in dogs and cats. The Veterinary Journal. 2016; 215: 30-37.
Keeney KM, Yurist-Doutsch S, Arrieta MC, Finlay BB. Effects of antibiotics on human microbiota and subsequent disease. Annu Rev Microbiol. 2014;68:217-35.