Want to find out more about the amazing effects of a healthy gut on your dog's overall health?
This is Dr Arielle's absolute favourite topic! She spoke at Vegfest in London amongst the plant-based health professionals as did you know that we share the same gut microbiome as our dogs?!
With this knowledge, it makes so much sense that we then see the same reduction in signs of chronic inflammation and auto-immune conditions in our dogs when both us and our dogs follow a nutritionally complete wholefood plant-based diet.
JUST SO MANY IMPORTANT GUT FRIENDLY FACTS TO SHARE (and they may even help you with your own gut health!!)
- What is the gut microbiome?
- Why a healthy gut microbiome is so important.
- How to keep the gut microbiome healthy.
- Behavioural signs in your dog which may suggest that their gut microbiome needs to be improved.
- How the gut microbiome affects the skin
- What are prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics and even biotic protein?!
It is common knowledge that when changing the diet of your dog, always try to do it slowly; reducing the previous diet-fed and slowly introducing the new food over a few weeks.
Dogs are opportunistic omnivores and actually, they are ‘scavengers’. Think of what they try to eat on walks while sniffing in the bushes! They should cope with changes in what they are fed really well, but sensitive breeds need it introduced slowly.
The reason for this is to allow your dog’s gut microbiome to adapt to the increase in fibre and natural plant-based whole foods in the diet.
What exactly IS the gut microbiome?
Your dog’s ‘microbiome’ in their gut is a balance of:
- Trillions of bacterial cells.
- Fungi.
- Viruses.
These number of these cells in your dog's gut is 10x higher than all the other cells in your dog’s body - a true wonder ‘microbiome’!
What we feed our dog has a direct impact on their gut health. A diversity of foods has the biggest positive effect.
If home cooking whole foods for your dog, aim to feed at least 30 different plants a week. (The same goes for us). Please see our 4 home cook recipes that we have on this website that have exactly that - 30 vibrant colours including nuts, seeds, pulses, whole grains, fruits, spices, herbs and colourful vegetables for your dog!
What is the difference between prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics?
Prebiotics
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Prebiotic fibre is not digested until later in the digestion process.
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Prebiotics are like the 'fertiliser' for the probiotics to help them thrive.
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Brown rice, the skin of apples, cabbage, beans, and many others are examples.
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Prebiotic fibre goes through the small intestine undigested.
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It is fermented when it reaches the large colon.
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Most commercial vegan foods have the addition of prebiotics such as inulin (chicory root), yukka, pineapple stems and some like Give A Dog A Bean and Jumping Jack, even have the addition of papaya and psyllium husks - wonderful natural prebiotics to act as 'fertiliser' for the probiotics.
These prebiotics feed beneficial bacteria colonies (including probiotic bacteria). They help to increase the number of desirable bacteria (the good guys!) in your dog’s digestive system. These desirable bacteria are associated with better health and reduced disease risk.
A diet high in processed foods containing sugar or too many prebiotics can also feed harmful gut bacteria. It is important to feed the right amount.
When home-cooking, we encourage the addition of boiled, steamed or roasted cauliflower, cabbage, celery, kale, carrots and asparagus. These vegetables are important prebiotics and are beneficial to our dog’s gut health.
(Remember that our dogs cannot eat onions, chives or leeks! These are good prebiotics for us but not for our dogs)
Raw fed dogs also have signs of dysbiosis ie too many of the harmful bacteria in the gut! (Al-Shawaqfeh et al, 2017)
What exactly are Probiotics?
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Probiotics are live beneficial bacteria that enhance the gut health of your dog.
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They are naturally created by the process of fermentation in certain foods, or by the addition of probiotics to the diet.
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Tempeh (fermented soybeans) is the easiest and healthiest natural probiotic you can give to your dog - rich too in protein and dogs LOVE tempeh! (we hide Ruff's tablets in tempeh!!)
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JUST BE KIND Supplement contains probiotics, so it must NOT be heated but added to cooled cooked food.
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Other sources include plant-based and enriched yoghurts that can be found in Sainsbury as shown below
And now what are Postbiotics!?
These good gut bacteria or probiotics that we mention, just want to thrive, grow and multiply, and they also produce their own 'metabolites' or food called short chain fatty acids.These enhance the gut barrier by forming a protective layer that lets the 'good guys' in ie proteins, antioxidants, important vitamins, while at the same time it stops the entry of the free radicals, cancer cells, viruses, harmful bacteria etc.
70% of your dog’s immunity is regulated by gut flora! Some of the gut bacteria such as Lactobacillus reuteri, produce a 'food' called reuterin that is a potent antibacterial metabolite!
Read much more about postbiotics by clicking on the image below.
The easiest and most satisfying way to supply your dog with postbiotics ie the valuable 'food' of the good gut bacteria; is to treat your dog with our Marshmallow Bites or Shroom Paws homemade treats!!!
Both delicious treats contain the addition of these postbiotics to enhance the health of your dog; and with shiitake mushroom and turkey tail mushroom being high in beta glycans that the good bacteria just LOVE to feed on, these treats are very important for your dog's digestion!
With our Marshmallow Bites, we have included marshmallow root and slippery elm that both enhance the gut health of your dog too, so invaluable for dogs with gut issues!
(Try our HAPPY GUT HAPPY MUTT PACKAGE that includes a pack of Shroom Paws and a pack of Marshmallow Bites)
What exactly is Biotic Protein and why do we want to give it to our dogs?
Biotic protein is protein made from one species of thriving bacteria called Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) as it was first discovered in the hot springs of Bath! This particular bacteria has a high nutrient density and an excellent digestibility in dogs and is grown in huge vats as it produces protein that is bioidentical to beef protein in amino acid profile!
Do you love the science? Read more here about the complete genome sequence of Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath)
Thanks to these outstanding properties, Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) was chosen as the main protein source for Dry Dog Food MicroBell. Dogs with food intolerances especially benefit from this gentle protein source, which is easy to digest and does not burden the gastrointestinal tract as it is high in Glutamic acid (as shown below) that soothes the gut lining.
Read more about remarkable biotic protein used in Microbell dry dog food below:
What about antibiotics - what effect do they have on our dog’s gut flora?
There are certain antibiotics given to dogs when they suffer from digestive complications and colitis (inflammation of the large bowel). They tend to be given an antibiotic called Metronidazole or tradename Metrobactin. These will destroy the gut bacteria. Its effects can last for up to 6 months. It is even more important to look after the gut microbiome of these dogs with healthy pre and probiotics.
We highly recommend using NUTRAVET Probiotic capsules if your dog has had a course of antibiotics.
Vets will normally prescribe Pro-kolin as a treatment to replace the gut bacteria and harden any diarrhoea. There is a cheaper option called Regutums.
Do we really share the same gut microbiome as our dogs?
Gut bacteria also produce brain chemicals, such as serotonin to cause peristalsis (contraction of the lumen of the gut), as well as additional molecules that control how the body of your dog changes food into energy. This has implications in overweight pets as shown below.
It was through a study by Luis Pedro Coelho, who found that dogs have a similar gut microbiome to humans.
Dr Coelho explains from his study on weight issues in dogs and the gut microbiome:
“These findings suggest that we could potentially use data from dogs to study the impact of diet on gut microbiome in humans, and humans could be a good model to study the nutrition of dogs.”
Wonderful - for once we could be used as the ‘guinea pigs’ for our dog’s nutrition as we all share the same gut microbiome!!
The gut bacteria is similar among families (including your family dog), and even differs in certain areas in the UK for example. It is thought that this is due to the water levels with higher levels of chlorination so one small tip is to use filtered water in your dog’s drinking bowl. We use a Brita filter as a family and in Ruff’s bowl.
Will feeding fresh food affect my dog's skin?
Yes! Studies have shown that feeding a fresh food diet with wholefood natural ingredients that stimulate a healthy gut microbiome WILL promote changes in the bacteria of your dog's skin compared to dogs on a dry food diet! This is SO important for dogs with allergic skin conditions.
Read the published paper here.
Read an assessment of the paper here as a pdf.
Will a healthy gut microbiome affect my dog’s behaviour?
There is a correlation between a healthy gut and a healthy mind. This has been shown in to be the case in humans, thanks to the gut-brain axis.
The gut-brain axis is the two-way biochemical signalling that takes place between the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract) and the central nervous system (CNS). We all know the feeling of having 'butterflies in our stomach' when we feel stressed? This is the gut-brain axis at work.
In our dogs, they have been shown to have less gut bacteria if left alone for long periods of time. This is due to stress in these pets that relays directly to the gut and affects their digestion and vice versa.
As mentioned above, these healthy gut bacteria produce brain chemicals, such as serotonin (the calming hormone). Low serotonin levels, from a lack of good gut bacteria, can be a cause of depression. We can see where the connection comes from.
An example of a behaviour change, once on a plant-based diet, is little Teddy. He used to eat a meat-based diet and he suffered from aggression-related concerns. His owner couldn’t walk him past the school near where they live as he was very fearful. He showed aggression towards other dogs that he saw in the park.
She transitioned him to homemade supplemented recipes that we advised using whole food ingredients. In her words:
“Teddy loves his home cooked food and is always looking for more. This way of feeding has changed so many things for Teddy - no more ear infections, much better gut health and such a difference in his behaviour. He now has friends that he meets in the park as he has lost all his fear. The best thing I could have done for him to change to his plant-based diet!”
She goes on to say that:
“I never realised that the food they eat can change their health and behaviour - how I wish I had known this with my last little dog!”As a vet, I will never forget a consultation where an owner brought in her lively German Shepherd and Rottweiler into my consulting room. It was chaos as they were big dogs and both so anxious. She told me how they were both raw fed and she couldn’t leave them alone at home as they ripped up the lino flooring of the kitchen.
They were destructive and ate everything. I was unable to change the way she fed them. I remember thinking of these poor anxious dogs being fed a high protein diet: that they probably craved the carbohydrates that they needed and a proper balance of nutrients to provide them with a healthy gut microbiome and (more of the calming hormone serotonin!)
Here’s an example of some very happy healthy plant-based dogs with so much healthy serotonin in their system from their very healthy gut flora!
Our own dog Ruff - so happy!
George who lives with the lovely Fr Terry - he couldn't be more relaxed!
Molly and Sid the rescue Greyhounds whose Mum is a nutritionist and she home cooks for them - delicious vibrant plant-based meals that Greyhounds thrive on!
And yet another happy rescue Greyhound June with her tummy full of healthy plant-based goodness and plenty of healthy good gut bacteria!!
(Try our HAPPY GUT HAPPY MUTT PACKAGE as modelled below by the gorgeous Hagen as it includes a pack of Shroom Paws and a pack of Marshmallow Bites, 900g Microbell, 6 trays Jumping Jack and 6 trays Give A Dog A Bean with a 25% discount!!)
"If nobody changes then nothing changes but if somebody changes, then everything changes"
- Dr Arielle and Ruff Plant Powered family dog
