Gut microbiota development in the growing dog: A dynamic process influenced by maternal, environmental and host factors

Abstract

Microorganisms of the gastrointestinal tract play a crucial role in the health, metabolism and development of their host by modulating vital functions such as digestion, production of key metabolites or stimulation of the immune system. This review aims to provide an overview on the current knowledge of factors shaping the gut microbiota of young dogs. The composition of the gut microbiota is modulated by many intrinsic (i.e., age, physiology, pathology) and extrinsic factors (i.e., nutrition, environment, medication) which can cause both beneficial and harmful effects depending on the nature of the changes. The composition of the gut microbiota is quickly evolving during the early development of the dog, and some crucial bacteria, mostly anaerobic, progressively colonize the gut before the puppy reaches adulthood. Those bacterial communities are of paramount importance for the host health, with disturbance in their composition potentially leading to altered metabolic states such as acute diarrhea or inflammatory bowel disease. While many studies focused on the microbiota of young children, there is still a lack of knowledge concerning the development of gut microbiota in puppies. Understanding this early evolution is becoming a key aspect to improve dogs' short and long-term health and wellbeing.

Effects of microalgae as dietary supplement on palatability, digestibility, fecal metabolites, and microbiota in healthy dogs

“…In our study, Turicibacter genus average abundances prevailed in all diets, including the reference. However, as is shown in the Supplementary Figure S1 , feces microbiome varied between different dogs, and despite the average dominance, the Turicibacter genus was not the most abundant one in some dogs, supporting interindividual variability ( 112 ) between even adult dogs. Relatively high abundances of the Turicibacter genus in the reference diet compared to the other studies ( 113 , 114 ) suggest that in our study either housing conditions or targeted 16S rRNA region (V1–V2) were responsible for the Turicibacter dominance.…”

Antimicrobial Peptides Relieve Transportation Stress in Ragdoll Cats by Regulating the Gut Microbiota

“…Previous studies found that Bacteroides are positively correlated with the disease activity index, and Bacteroidetes are associated with intestinal inflammation [ 40 , 41 ]. Proteobacteria include many pathogenic bacteria, such as E. coli , Salmonella and Campylobacter , which have been associated with dysbiosis and inflammatory disorders [ 42 , 43 ]. Fusobacteria was reported to be linked with colon cancer [ 44 ].…”

Age-associated changes in intestinal health biomarkers in dogs

“…Moreover, Ziese and Suchodolski ( 12 ) associated shifts in the canine fecal microbiota with certain pathologies. Garrigues et al ( 13 ) recently reviewed the development of the gut microbiota during the early stages of canine life, supporting observed changes in bacterial communities from day 2 of age to up to 52 weeks. On day 2 after birth, gut microbiota richness increases, and from day 2 to 21, Bacillota predominance is substituted by a codominance of Bacillota, Bacteroidota, and Fusobacteriota ( 14 ).…”