A Healthy and Happy Dog Starts With a Healthy Gut

Millions of dogs and cats suffer from chronic digestive disorders including my boy Seven. So when I heard about a company that's doing something about the problem, I had to find out more. According to AnimalBiome, gut bacteria known as microbiome are vital to your pet’s health. From chronic digestive disorders to mental health, the microbiome affects almost every aspect of your pet’s health and happiness.

The microbiome explained

All animals on earth have unique collections of thousands of different types of microbes in their digestive tracts, collectively termed the gut microbiome. Bacteria in the microbiome are crucial for digestion and for obtaining nutrients from the food they eat. When these gut bacteria are out of balance, digestive disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease can occur. Beyond digestion, gut bacteria impact a broad spectrum of biological functions and have roles in developing allergies, diabetes, and even anxiety.

When the bacteria in your dog or cat’s gut are out of balance, the microbiome can trigger intestinal inflammatory responses. This inflammation left untreated will lead to chronic illnesses. In Seven's case, he suffers from loose stools on a good day and major diarrhea on a bad one. He's had this issue since I adopted him when he was only ten months old. It scared me from the get-go. I've been down the road of stomach issues in the past. My beloved Puli Baldwin suffered from Pancreatitis. I spent thousands of dollars to make him feel better and in the end, he died from Pancreatic Cancer.

Since I became Seven's guardian, I've been treating his gut with medications along with white rice and pumpkin but nothing seems to cure him. So when I read about AnmalBiome and the possibility of curing Seven's gut, I jumped at the chance.

It's easy. Just sign up on the AnimalBiome website and they'll send you a kit. All you have to do is follow the directions and send back your pet's stool samples. AnimalBiome will run tests and give you comparison tools to see how your pet’s gut bacteria rank among benchmark healthy and sick pets.

As the company learns more about the different types of bacteria in your companion’s microbiome, they will keep you informed of the latest research. The mission of this AnimalBiome is to use science to improve the lives of pets. The company applies what they learn from your dog or cat’s sample to identify and develop solutions to digestive disorders.

In my case, the company did find some issues in Seven's gut and suggested I add Psyllium husk powder to his food. He can have one teaspoon in the morning and a second at night but I've had to start slow to give him adequate time for his system to get accustomed to it. Its only been a few days but I already notice a difference in his poops and that makes me, and Seven very happy! Woof!