Weight issues in dogs: How your dog’s gut microbiome could be to blame

Weight struggles are an extremely common issue for dogs, whether they’re struggling to lose weight or gain it.

The healthy, ideal weight for a dog can vary between breed, size and age, which can make finding the right balance a little tricky, especially when you feel like you’re doing everything you can, and things aren’t changing.

Well, it could be that their gut health and diversity of their gut microbiome are making it harder for your dog to reach their ideal weight.

Read on to discover more about your dog’s gut microbiome and how it can impact your dog’s weight, and how investigating their gut health could be the first step towards helping them reach their ideal, healthy weight.

What is a gut microbiome?

Within your dog’s gut, you’ll find a little ecosystem of bacteria. In a healthy microbiome, these bacteria are of varying species, but in equal proportion to each other and work to support the smooth functioning of many crucial processes around the body. This includes, but isn’t limited to, digestion, overall gut health, immunity and nutrient absorption.

When your dog has an unhealthy microbiome, it’s no longer rich in species and completely balanced. This can be due to several impacting factors including their medical history, breed, environment, diet, and lifestyle, which has allowed one species of bacteria to overgrow and take over.

An unbalanced microbiome is referred to as dysbiosis, and when left untreated, this can lead to inflammation of the gut and the rest of the body. It also means the processes which rely on the bacteria can no longer function properly. This results in a number of symptoms including diarrhoea, bad breath, joint issues, unwanted behaviour, smelly farts, hair and skin conditions, and many other digestive issues.

How does dysbiosis contribute to weight issues in dogs?

As previously mentioned, the gut microbiome is responsible for supporting the function of many of your dog’s vital processes within the body - many of which support their overall health and wellbeing. The function of their gut microbiome, and the bacteria that live within it, are directly linked to many of the processes that revolve around how your dog’s body manages their weight.

These include:

• How their food is digested
  
  
  
• Their metabolism, or how their body converts food into energy
  
  
  
• The overall health of their gut, including the permeability of the gut wall.
  
  A weak gut wall can also lead to ‘leaky gut syndrome’, where bacteria and toxins escape into the bloodstream, causing inflammation in the gut and around the body
  
  

• How their body absorbs beneficial nutrients, vitamins and minerals from the food they eat
  
  
  
• Their appetite

With that said, an unbalanced microbiome, or dysbiosis, means the aforementioned processes within the body cannot function as they should, as they’re without the proper bacteria that support them. With their appetite impacted, as well as their metabolism, digestion, and how their body absorbs nutrients, vitamins and minerals, - this contributes to weight struggles.

Plus, with such a link to gut health and digestion, dysbiosis can lead to or exacerbate gastrointestinal diseases and other health conditions like Cushing’s Disease and Diabetes. These also cause the aforementioned side effects and aligning symptoms (like diarrhoea and vomiting), which impact your dog’s weight.

But why exactly can an unbalanced gut microbiome cause weight struggles? Well, if we take a look at your dog’s microbiome under the microscope, two of the bacterial genus groups you should find are Alloprevotella and Blautia.

Blautia, in particular, is the second most common bacterium found in the gut microbiome and, like Alloprevotella, one of its main functions is helping to alleviate obesity and supporting overall weight management. If your dog is experiencing struggles with their weight, levels of this bacterium are likely low or non-existent.

To learn more about the bacteria that live within your dog's gut, check out our article: 'Dog owners: What you need to know about your dog’s gut microbiome'.

How do you know if dysbiosis is impacting your dog’s weight?

Dysbiosis is a potential contributing reason to why your dog may be struggling with their weight, and the only way to rule it out or find indications of it is with a Gut Health Test for your dog.

At Pooch & Mutt, our dog Gut Health Test involves sending off a sample of their poo for testing; this sample can give us a representative look at what bacteria are living in their microbiome.

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This, alongside information about their breed, medical history, lifestyle and environment, helps us provide you with a comprehensive outlook on their gut health and microbiome. From there, we identify a completely tailored approach to what they need in their diet, including everything from food to prebiotics, and probiotics to supplements, all of which help get everything back on track.

What other factors contribute to weight struggles in dogs?

Whilst dysbiosis can be the root cause of your dog’s weight struggles, other factors can also contribute.

Other causes of weight gain in dogs include:

• Lack of exercise can mean dogs aren’t burning enough calories, leading to weight gain

• Overfeeding. Feeding your dog more than they should for their size, age, and needs can lead to weight gain. Be sure to explore our feeding guidelines to get an idea of how much your dog should be eating each day.

• Too many treats, including fatty like crisps and bread. There is such a thing as too many dog treats, and it can easily be done, especially during training. Be sure to check out our , and always stick to only treats specifically made for dogs.

• Some medications can cause weight gain, including steroids.

• Genetics, as some dog breeds are more prone to gaining weight.

Other causes of weight loss in dogs:

• Parasites such as Round worms, Tape worms, Hookworms and Giardia in dogs can cause weight loss. Be sure to contact your vet if you find your dog experiencing unexpected weight loss.
  
  That said, Giardia can also lead to long-term gut health issues, even when initially treated.

• Periodontal disease and other oral health issues can make it difficult to eat, and can heavily impact their appetite.

• An unsuitable diet for their size, breed and needs - meaning they’re not eating enough.

• Cancer and other detrimental diseases. If your dog is rapidly losing weight for no particular reason, be sure to contact your vet for further advice.

How can you help your dog lose weight?

The first step in helping your dog is recognising that they need to lose weight, and then adapting their lifestyle accordingly.

Whilst maintaining their gut health, ensuring a rich and balanced microbiome and working with your vet to help the internal factors that cause weight gain are the first and most important step, there are other things you can do to get them back to a healthy weight for their breed.

These include:

• Increasing their level of exercise, while making sure it still aligns with the activity levels for their age, size, breed and needs. For example, overweight puppies can tire out quickly, so be sure to monitor their activity levels and give them plenty of breaks. An increased level of exercise can, in some cases, also increase microbial diversity.

• Keeping treats to a minimum will also help them shed some pounds, especially if you’re prone to giving in to puppy dog eyes and feeding them off your plate. Sticking to dog-friendly food and treats not only helps them stick to their ideal weight, but also eliminates any risk of feeding something toxic.

• Changing to a low-fat diet will help them get all the nutrients they need, while keeping them lean. Here at Pooch & Mutt, our Slim and Slender range means your dog can still eat well and get everything they need, whilst helping keep them lean.

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How can you help your dog gain weight?

The same can be said for helping your dog gain weight, in that finding the root cause is the first step - whether that’s conducting a Gut Health Test to rule out side effects from dysbiosis, or working with a vet.

But other things you can do to help your dog safely gain weight include:

• Adding healthy fats and supplements to their diet, like salmon oil and eggs.
  
  
• Keeping them calm and happy in their environment.
  
  
• Keeping them on a rich, high protein diet including chicken, beef and fish.

How do I know if my dog is the right weight?

Identifying whether your dog is under or overweight depends on both external and internal factors. You can tell whether your dog is under or overweight by looking at their body.

If their ribs can be clearly felt or are visible, or they have a tucked tummy, this may mean they’re underweight. On the other hand, if you struggle to feel their ribs or their tummy appears to be always rounded, then they could be overweight and on their way to obesity.

The main source of finding out whether your dog is under or overweight is considering their breed and size. The ideal weight for a Great Dane is of course going to be different to that of a Yorkshire Terrier.

To find out your dog’s ideal weight for their breed, consult your vet for advice. In the meantime, you can check out our feeding guidelines manual to get a good idea of what your dog’s ideal weight should be.

Your dog’s journey to an ideal weight is best started with a Gut Health Test. Not only can this rule out issues stemming from dysbiosis, but it can help effectively navigate their treatment plan, and what they need in their diet to be back on track towards their best selves. Find out more about Gut Health Tests for your dog. In the meantime, be sure to reach out to our expert Pooch & Mutt team who will be more than happy to help.