The canine gut microbiome influences health, behaviour, and wellbeing, with diet, antibiotic use, and early life experience shaping microbiome composition and welfare outcomes.
Key Facts
The canine gut contains trillions of bacteria that influence immune function
Antibiotic use causes significant disruption to microbiome diversity
Early life microbiome is shaped by birth method, mother's microbiome, and diet
Dietary fibre and fermented foods support healthy microbiome diversity
Dysbiosis is linked to inflammatory bowel disease, allergies, and behaviour problems
Welfare Considerations
Antibiotic-induced dysbiosis can trigger inflammatory gut conditions causing chronic welfare impairment. Diet quality directly affects microbiome diversity and by extension immune resilience. Probiotic and prebiotic supplementation during and after antibiotic treatment supports microbiome recovery.
What You Can Do
Use antibiotics in dogs only when genuinely necessary
Provide dietary diversity and fibre to support gut microbiome health
Discuss probiotic use with your vet after antibiotic treatment
Support veterinary research on canine gut microbiome and welfare