Dietary Consultation + PetBiome Analytical Testing

About PetBiome

PetBiome is a dedicated laboratory service (the first in Europe) providing a real-time analysis of the microbial community in the gut of your pet using the latest gene technology. (Dog microbiome testing). The millions of reads of bacteria are then organised into an easy to understand report format. Highlighted in the report are imbalances and nutritional deficiencies that may affect the health and vitality of your pet together with advice on how to rebalance the microbiome. The Canine Nutritionist then works with you to help you understand the results of your dog’s analytical testing.

What is the microbiome?

Animals are 90% microbes. Over 100 trillion of them in fact. The majority of your dog’s microbes live in its gut. Particularly in the large intestine. The microbiome is the sum total of all the microbes, thecbacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses that live on and inside your dog’s body. The number of genes in all the microbes in one microbiome is 200 times the number of genes in your dog’s genome. Astonishingly, the microbiome may weigh as much as five pounds!

The bacteria in the microbiome helps your dog digest its food, regulate its immune system, and protect it against other bacteria that cause disease. It also helps produce vitamins including vitamin B12, thiamine and riboflavin together with vitamin K which is required for blood coagulation.

The PetBiome report

Your dog’s biome is a community of micro-organisms. It consists of a mixture of good bacteria, bad bacteria (bacteria which is linked to disease), and not so bad bacteria. Bacteria that doesn’t do any harm but does not contribute to good nutrition either. This community is influenced by many factors including the breed of your dog, its age and the food it eats. Although a high percentage of bacteria contribute towards your dog’s health, some are pathogenic and if there is an overgrowth of these bad bacteria, they can have harmful effects.

It’s important to maintain the right balance between the beneficial and pathogenic bacteria. The balance can alter through stress, the use of medication and with a change in diet. Some imbalances may show as gastrointestinal discomfort and other imbalance show as allergies, diarrhoea or poor gastrointestinal health.

That is why, once your dog’s detailed dog microbiome testing is complete, the Canine Nutritionist will work with you to formulate a bespoke feeding plan unique to your dog.