Good Bugs. Good Girl.
Happy New Year! My new year's resolution for Ruby is all about improving her microbiome so let’s talk about good gut bugs. I became interested in the microbiome because there have been a number of times Ruby would get extremely sick and have diarrhea. Her recovery would take longer than a healthy dog would take even with veterinarian help such as antibiotics, anti-diarrhea medication, and food changes. Ruby has had a pattern of going through a diarrhea episode at least once or twice a year. Sometimes there would also be vomiting. I always seek help from her vet but these episodes have become expensive, time-consuming, as well as just draining for Ruby to go through.
Rather than being reactive and treating symptoms, I started to look for answers for why this was happening. Why does Ruby get so sick compared to other dogs? Why does it take her so much longer to recover? I came across a company called AnimalBiome and I started to learn all about the importance of gut bacteria for your pet’s overall health. This is a hot topic for humans as well. More and more research is coming out about the importance of gut health for people. I started to focus this information on Ruby and want to explore why she has experienced such chronic digestive issues.
According to animalbiome.com, the importance of a balanced microbiome helps your pet maintain a healthy weight. Weight is something that I've struggled with Ruby. Ruby is on phenobarbital which increases appetite but despite watching her diet and going on 2 or 3 walks a day, she still tends to carry a little extra weight. It’s an interesting possibility that an imbalance of bacteria in her gut could potentially be also contributing to her easily gaining weight.
The importance of a microbiome can affect how well your dog absorbs nutrients. When Ruby got really sick this summer her veterinarian ran some additional blood tests which identified that she was not absorbing all of the nutrients that she needed, most specifically vitamin B12. She was put on a daily B12 supplement to help her levels return to normal. This information motivated me to figure out if there was an underlying problem with her gut bacteria and if there was something I could do to ensure she absorbs all the nutrients she needs to be healthy. Since Ruby has epilepsy, I really need to make sure she is getting all of the necessary nutrients to maintain a healthy body and brain.
The microbiome can also affect your dog's mood. Animalbiome specially notes that when a dog’s microbiome is out of balance they can experience behavior issues such as anxiety. I do describe Ruby as an anxious dog so this was something that also points in the direction that there might be an underlying issue that could be contributing to her having more of an anxious personality.
Finally, the microbiome also can affect a dog’s skin or coat issues, allergies, as well as simply affect their longevity and immune system. I know all of us with dogs with epilepsy want to do whatever we can to ensure our epi dogs live a happy and long healthy life.
So, who knows. Maybe the microbiome is just another piece of the puzzle. I’ll keep you posted on our bug journey!