The gut-brain axis in companion animals links microbiome health to behaviour and psychological wellbeing, opening new avenues for welfare-focused management.
Microbiome-behaviour connections in companion animals offer new explanatory frameworks for welfare problems previously viewed as purely behavioural or neurological. Chronic anxiety in dogs alters gut microbiome composition, and this altered composition may in turn amplify anxious responses - creating a cycle that microbiome-targeted interventions can potentially interrupt. This is an area of rapid development where evidence is preliminary but promising. Welfare implications include attention to gut health as part of managing behavioural welfare problems and avoidance of unnecessary antibiotic use that disrupts the microbiome.