Diet-induced changes in fecal microbiota composition and diversity in dogs (Canis lupus familiaris): A comparative study of BARF-type and commercial diets

CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first one carried out in dogs from Colombia that seeks to identify changes in the intestinal microbiota concerning natural BARF type diet and commercial diet using a metabarcoding approach. Important differences were identified in terms of richness, diversity, and differentially enriched bacteria in each of the diets. The microbiota of dogs fed the BARF diet was characterized by higher richness and diversity compared to the commercial diet. However, it was identified that BARF-fed dogs can potentially acquire more opportunistic infections by pathogens of importance such as C. perfringens. Most of the taxa enriched in commercial diet-fed dogs are linked to carbohydrate metabolism, which may be directly related to diet composition.PMID:37356167 | DOI:10.1016/j.cimid.2023.102007
Source: Comparative immunology, microbiology and infectious diseases. - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Source Type: research