The gut microbiome of companion animals significantly influences their health, behavior, and welfare, with dietary and environmental factors playing key roles.
Companion animal microbiome health is an emerging welfare frontier linking diet, environment, stress, and systemic health in ways that are only beginning to be understood. The gut-brain axis means microbiome disruption from antibiotic use, dietary monotony, or chronic stress can manifest as behavioral and emotional changes in addition to digestive problems. Feeding diverse, fiber-rich diets and minimizing unnecessary antibiotic use supports microbiome health and by extension overall companion animal welfare.