07 Aug 2025
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Gut-health
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We’ve all seen THAT advert talking about the importance of keeping your gut in tip-top shape - with the need for prebiotics, probiotics and all that beneficial bacteria to keep things running smoothly. Caring for our gut is a crucial part of keeping ourselves healthy and living our best lives. So, why should it be any different for our dogs?
More and more dog owners are learning about the true importance of their dog’s gut health. But making it a core focus of your dog’s overall health goes way further than plain chicken, boiled rice and perfecting their poos.
Here at Pooch & Mutt, your dog’s health and well-being are at the top of our list, making sure your companion feels good on the inside, as well as the outside. And funnily enough, on the inside is where it all starts! To really make sure you’re doing everything you can to help your dog live their best life, we want to get you fully acquainted with your dog’s gut microbiome.
If, as a dog owner, you’re feeling slightly apprehensive about delving deeper into the science of your dog’s gut health, including their microbiome, microbiota and getting to know the bacteria that keeps your dog ticking - do not worry.
We’re here, alongside our resident Head of Microbiology Dr. Bushra Schuitemaker, to introduce you to your dog’s gut microbiome. We’ll go through what it is, what it does, and why it’s so important to your dog’s overall health and wellbeing.
Plus, we’ll investigate how it could be the answer to some everyday conditions that they just can’t seem to shake off.
It may be that ‘the microbiome’ is not a term you’re familiar with, especially when it comes to your dog’s health. Whilst it’s not something you can see all the time, it’s actually been developing since your dog was born - working hard to contribute to many areas of their overall health.
But what is it exactly? Picture this:
You’re on a dog walk through a lush forest. You look around to take in the essence of what makes up the forest: the soil, the plants, the foliage, and trees - all of which are interlinked, alive and thriving. And as you walk, the soil beneath your feet is feeding the trees you see around you.
This forest may be rich and full of trees of different species, varying in proportion. In this case, maybe Fir Trees have completely taken over the forest, with a few Oak Trees and a couple of Sycamores thrown into the mix.
Or, it could be that it’s a very balanced forest where there are lots of trees around, but only of the same species. So in this case, it’s just Fir Trees as far as the eye can see.
Or, maybe it’s the forest we’d all want to see - rich and balanced, where not one species has spread and completely taken over the forest, but instead there are lots of different trees that are thriving in proportion to one another.
As the soil works hard to feed this rich and balanced forest, the trees in turn release beneficial compounds that also keep the rest of nature thriving, such as oxygen, carbon dioxide and water.
So let’s apply this analogy to your dog and their gut health.
In this instance, the forest is their microbiome, and the trees are the little ecosystem of bacteria that live within your dog’s gut.
And just like the trees, the bacteria that live within the microbiome can be:
Rich and varied (lots of bacteria but of species that aren’t proportionate to each other)
Balanced (lots of bacteria of the same species)
Rich and balanced (the one which we strive for; lots of bacteria of different species that are proportionate to each other)
Similarly to how trees produce useful compounds, the bacteria in your dog’s gut do the same thing - releasing important compounds like acid and sugar, as well as crucial vitamins and neurotransmitters for your dog’s brain.
These are not only crucial for feeding other bacteria within the ecosystem, but also to help along the function of many other processes in the body - processes which impact aspects of your dog’s overall health and wellbeing.
So, in summary, your dog’s gut microbiome is a mini ecosystem of mostly bacteria. It’s made up of varying species, all of which perform various functions, roles and impact different parts of your dog’s body - both inside and out.
A healthy microbiome is rich and balanced, meaning bacteria are of varying species in equal proportion, and allow for efficient production of those crucial compounds - making for a very well-oiled machine. If this balance is knocked off course within the gut, it can be the source of a range of issues.
We say ‘gut’ microbiome, as many other parts of your dog’s body have their OWN microbiome - including skin, ears, eyes and mouth. But since the gut plays such a key role (including digestion, and absorbing and releasing nutrients that benefit areas all over the body - including the brain), the gut is a great place for us to start.
When learning about gut health and the status of your dog’s gut microbiome, you will also come across the term microbiota. Whilst the microbiome and microbiota are linked, they shouldn’t be used in conjunction with each other.
Microbiota refers to what the microbiome may consist of. If we apply our earlier forest analogy, the microbiome would be the forest, and the microbiota would be the trees.
Inside your dog, microbiota refers to the community of microorganisms living in a specific environment, which in this case, is their gut.
When it comes to functioning at full capacity and feeling their best, your dog’s gut microbiome is the powerhouse.
The microbiome houses its little ecosystem of different bacteria, all of which work individually to contribute towards harmony in nearly every part of your dog’s body.
You might hear the term ‘bacteria’ and immediately associate it with ‘germs’ and negative connotations, but there’s so much more to bacteria than that!
Whilst harmful bacteria do exist, dogs and humans alike need beneficial bacteria to keep the body functioning as it should. So, what are the bacteria in your dog’s microbiome working so hard to do?
As previously discussed, the microbiota found within your dog’s gut microbiome is predominantly releasing acids and sugars, which in turn are crucial for other key processes in the body. Some of the other things bacteria produce and use include:
Neurotransmitters. These are the ‘carrier pigeons’ that help transmit signals to different nerve cells, telling your dog’s body how it’s feeling. Dopamine is a well-known example of a neurotransmitter, and is responsible for feelings of happiness, pleasure and helps your dog with their memory (key for training!).
Cytokines. These are molecules which play a key part in your dog’s immune system, telling their body that something’s wrong and to send in the troops to sort it out. These are involved in processes such as repairing physical damage to bodily tissue, and fighting infection.
Hormones. Just like in humans, hormones are chemical compounds that impact the way your dog feels and acts, and are triggered by a variety of bodily processes, including reproduction. For instance, those released during reproduction include testosterone, oestrogen and progesterone.
Since your dog’s gut microbiome plays such a key role within your dog’s body, it’s no surprise that it impacts so many aspects of their overall health and wellbeing. We’ve briefly touched on what exactly the microbiome helps to produce and use within the body, but what other parts and processes does this, and the balance of their gut microbiome diversity, directly affect?
Digestion. As previously mentioned, an unbalanced microbiome directly impacts digestion, nutrition absorption, stool quality and breath odour.
The Immune System. The gut microbiome is known to make up the main foundation of your dog’s immune system - meaning the balance of bacteria directly impacts the development of their immune system, how well it fights off harmful bacteria and diseases, and how well their body responds.
It also impacts allergies and intolerances, not only in their development but as a catalyst for associated symptoms too.
Skin & Coat. With such a connection to the immune system and therefore allergies and intolerances, an unbalanced gut microbiome can also be linked to conditions with your dog’s skin and coat, including skin irritation and hair loss.
Joints & Mobility. An imbalance within the gut microbiome (dysbiosis) can lead to gut inflammation, which can then spread and impact the rest of the body, including muscles, joints, tissues and tendons. This indicates that an unbalanced gut microbiome can also contribute to some joint and mobility issues.
Brain Function & Behaviour. Since the bacteria found within the microbiome are responsible for the creation of hormones and neurotransmitters, the status of your dog’s gut microbiome can also be directly linked to their brain function. This includes behaviour and associated issues, such as stress, anxiety, nervousness and reactivity.
Oral Health. Due to its connection to their immune system, a dog’s gut microbiome helps fight off bacteria that can lead to things such as periodontal disease and bad breath. An unbalanced microbiome means their body will struggle to keep their mouth healthy, highlighting the link to overall oral health.
In examples of very healthy dogs, they begin life with relatively high microbiome diversity.
Your dog’s initial microbiome is built up from birth and can be affected by many external and internal factors during their younger life. It’s been found that the better start in life a puppy has, the better the opportunity for their microbiome to develop as it should.
Some factors during their early life stages, that help develop or impact their microbiome diversity, can include:
The delivery method and birthing process. Whether a puppy was born naturally or via caesarean section can impact the development of their microbiome.
Those being birthed naturally often have a healthier start for their microbiome due to the beneficial bacteria gained during a vaginal birth. Those delivered via caesarean section, whether it be an emergency or due to the breed (like French Bulldogs) - miss out on this opportunity. This, in turn, impacts the development of their microbiome.
A traumatic pregnancy and birth can also impact a puppy’s microbiome. The stress from the mother can shift the balance of harmful and beneficial bacteria in their microbiome, which in turn can impact that of their litter.
If a puppy is abandoned not long after birth, and they miss out on beneficial bacteria gained from their mother’s milk, or time spent with their mother and litter, then this will also lead to them starting life with low and impacted microbiome diversity.
Time spent with their mother. When getting a new puppy, it’s always advised they should be no younger than 8 weeks old when coming away from their mother, and home to you. Not only is this vital for their development, but it’s crucial for puppies to get all the nutrients and beneficial bacteria they need from their mother - before they go to their new home.
Not only do puppies gain important bacteria from their mother within the birth canal, but also from drinking her milk and spending time with her in the birthing environment. Bacteria from the mother are transmitted to her litter and contribute to building a rich and balanced microbiome.
Their mother’s milk. Puppies receive plenty of beneficial bacteria during their lactation period, particularly from the colostrum found in their mother’s milk.
Just like in human babies, colostrum is vital for developing puppies outside the womb. It contains heaps of natural antibodies, prebiotics and other beneficial bacteria that help make for a well-balanced microbiome. This helps build their immune system and supports great gut health, amongst other parts of their overall development.
Their breed. The breed of your dog also plays a part in their microbiome diversity. Due to their genetics, dogs of a certain breed are born with more or less bacterial diversity, which in turn impacts their initial microbiome.
As they grow and develop, this can impact many aspects, including their skin health, digestive health and behaviour. This can explain why many dogs have characteristics that are down to their breed alone.
Antibiotics. If your puppy begins life on antibiotics, because of an illness or infection at the beginning of their life, this can also cause havoc with their microbiome.
Whilst antibiotics will strip away harmful bacteria, they’ll also eradicate any naturally transmitted beneficial bacteria and prebiotics that the puppy gained from their mother and the birthing process.
If the balance of bacteria within the puppy’s microbiome starts unbalanced, then this can affect them all throughout their life, particularly without intervention.
When maintaining your dog’s gut health, prevention and continued maintenance is key.
Ensuring your dog has the best possible start in life means they begin with a rich and balanced microbiome. This, in turn, sets the foundation of their life, as it helps them fight off infection and disease, digest their food, and absorb all those beneficial nutrients that help them grow into happy, healthy dogs.
Even if a puppy has the perfect start to life and their initial microbiome diversity is how it should be, as they grow, they’ll still experience a natural decline.
This is because not only is their microbiome diversity impacted by natural, internal factors (such as their mother and their breed), but external and environmental factors too. This includes the environment in which they grow, the area in which they live , their diet, and their overall lifestyle. This is what makes investigation into their gut health, with or without symptoms, crucial for your dog’s overall wellbeing.
As your dog reaches their senior years (7 years old+), they’ll again experience a natural decline.
As you can see from our deep dive into what your dog’s gut microbiome is - the key role it plays in your dog’s overall health and wellbeing means it shouldn’t be ignored.
Just like your dog, their gut microbiome should be cared for, monitored, and given what it needs to thrive. After all, a rich, balanced and healthy gut microbiome helps make for a happy and healthy pooch!
So many aspects of your dog’s health are influenced by their gut microbiome, telling us that many of the common, yet detrimental, symptoms your dog may be experiencing can be linked. This includes dodgy poos, itchy skin, hair loss, stiff joints, and bad breath - all of which can come down to their microbiome being thrown off balance.
So, it’s our job as dog owners to get it back on course and help cut out those repeated trips to the vet (which let’s face it, can be very costly).
Symptoms, or no symptoms - so many internal and external factors can impact the balance of your dog’s microbiome; whether that’s their start in life, their breed, the environment in which they live, or their age. There’s just no guessing the health of your dog’s gut microbiome.
07 Aug 2025
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Gut-health
Vet Explains: Why and how should we be exploring our dog's gut health?
This all tells us that getting to know your dog’s gut microbiome means truly getting to know your dog. Not only does it help alleviate discomfort and get them feeling better, but it also allows you, as a dog owner, to give your pooch EXACTLY what they need. It cuts out the guesswork and gives a clear indication of what is best for your dog, not just dogs in general.
To get a good picture of the diversity status of your dog’s gut microbiome, a dog gut health test is the way to go!
Not only will this provide a breakdown on the diversity of your dog’s gut microbiome, or lack thereof, but where the focus should be when it comes to their diet and supplement intake, to help get things back on track. This will help you tailor a diet strictly to their needs, and their needs only. A gut health test for your dog is the first step towards an all-around happy and healthy pooch.
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