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Allergies in dogs are common and can present as itchiness and long and constant bouts of licking and biting of paws. Allergy tests and drugs can help manage the condition, with short-term relief but often the symptoms return, and sometimes the dog is even worse off than before because the tests and remedies fail to address the underlying cause.
Many allergies can be traced back to the microbiome, that complex community of bacteria, viruses, and fungi that live inside the gastrointestinal tract and on the outside of the body (ear, mouth, flanks, paws). This unique ecosystem, different for each dog plays a vital part in health and vitality with links to the immune/endocrine system, digestion, and metabolism.
A stabilised, healthy microbial community can help prevent and manage allergies by improving the immune response and promoting a healthy gut. A loss of biodiversity in the microbiome has been linked to allergy-like symptoms.
The microbial population within the biome can be in one of three states.
Dog Allergy Test versus A Stable Microbiome
The dog has a stable core community of bacteria within the gastrointestinal tract where a high percentage of fermentation takes place. The definition of a stable microbiome is an equal or higher ratio of the two important phyla of bacteria breaking down the short-chain fatty acids to provide energy and immune support. A balanced biome provides resilience against diseases. There may be other parts of this report that highlight a need for biome improvements, a common problem is a loss of diversity, but when the biome is balanced, increasing diversity is relatively easy to achieve. Follow the recommendations given within the different sections to improve the ability of the microbial population to provide important nutrients for the host.
Imbalanced Biome
The core members of the microbiome are present but percentages of each are at the wrong levels described as dysbiosis. There is an increased opportunity for inflammation and infection to develop and the imbalance may be reflective of diseases elsewhere in the body such as allergies, food sensitivities, IBD, colitis etc. Dogs with this type of microbiome are sensitive to changes in management and diet.
An Imbalanced and Missing Part of the Biome
Imbalanced The core members of the microbiome are present but percentages of each are at the wrong levels described as dysbiosis. There is an increased opportunity for inflammation and infection to develop and the imbalance may be reflective of disease in the gut or elsewhere in the body such as allergies, food sensitivities, IIBS etc. Dogs with this type of microbiome are sensitive to changes in management and diet. Missing There are specialized bacteria responsible for protecting the host against invading pathogens, environmental pollutants, and environmental bacteria. Others are linked to energy production and the endocrine system. These bacteria are either extremely low or missing altogether. Causes can be the use of long- term medication such as NSAID’s, omeprazole or antibiotics, processed food, eutrophication (high mineral supplements) and some anthelmintics. It is possible to repopulate the gut with good gut bacteria though for some dog’s recovery can take some time.
The core members of the microbiome are present but percentages of each are at the wrong levels described as dysbiosis. There is an increased opportunity for inflammation and infection to develop and the imbalance may be reflective of diseases elsewhere in the body such as allergies, food sensitivities, IBD, colitis etc. Dogs with this type of microbiome are sensitive to changes in management and diet.
Changes in the microbiome described above can be the trigger for an allergy to develop, also changes may occur as the dog ages or it’s diet or environment alters in some way.
Testing the microbiome will identify thousands of members of the microbial population of bacteria in your dog’s gut this is crucially linked to overall health and vitality but is also linked to allergies and other diseases. The Petbiome test will provide you with recommendations and insights on how to rebalance the microbiome through the addition of phytonutrients and dietary changes.
Conclusion
Allergy testing and drugs may relieve the symptoms of allergies in the short term but is unlikely to get to the root cause.
The PetBiome microbiome analysis will identify bacteria linked to allergies whilst being able to recommend dietary changes and additions to help rebalance the microbial community.
As the microbial community is linked directly to overall health having a healthy microbiome will not only get rid of allergies but will also have a long-lasting effect on health status.