Emerging research on the gut-brain axis in companion animals suggests that microbiome health may significantly influence behavioral wellbeing, opening new avenues for welfare improvement.
The discovery that gut microbiota influence brain function and behavior opens new dimensions in companion animal welfare. Anxiety, fearfulness, and aggression in dogs and cats may have partial roots in microbiome composition, and interventions that improve gut health may have downstream benefits for behavioral wellbeing. This research is young and caution is warranted against overclaiming, but it represents a potentially important avenue for addressing behavioral welfare problems that have proven resistant to conventional training and medication approaches. Supporting this research area could yield meaningful welfare benefits.