Gut bacteria changes in dogs with itchy skin after meat-free diet

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To achieve clinical recovery in canine atopic dermatitis affected pet dogs via alteration of the gut microbiome, following a meat and egg exclusion diet for 60 days. METHODS: 24 atopic dermatitis-affected pet dogs, all fed poultry meat and egg, and another 48 apparently healthy controls fed both poultry meat and egg (n = 24) or vegetable diet (24) were included in the study. The study was undertaken in the Bhubaneswar Smart City, Odisha, India, from July to December 2023. Fecal samples were collected at 2 points for DNA analysis, ie, on day 0 and day 60 of the change from a meat/egg-based diet to a vegetable-based diet. Extracted DNA samples were pooled category-wise and subjected to the gut microbiome analysis in the Nanopore sequencer targeting the 16S rRNA gene. Burrows-Wheeler Transform, Ferragina-Manzini index, and Krona charts were used for taxonomical classification and visualization of relative abundances of bacterial species within the metagenome. Alpha- and beta-diversity analyses were performed. RESULTS: Atopic pets at day 0 showed elevation in the gut microbiome population with an adequate concentration of pathogens like Escherichia coli and Clostridiodes difficile with lower amounts of the beneficial bacteria like Lactobacillus sp, while the pets at 60 days after dietary intervention showed a significant decline in bacterial species like E coli and C difficile with higher amount of Lactobacillus sp. Both control groups showed variations of microbiome between them as well as from the atopic pets. CONCLUSIONS: We found a close association of poultry meat/egg diet with gut microbiome population and atopic symptoms as well in dogs, and elimination of such diet could be helpful in clinical recovery. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Dietary intervention with the exclusion of potential allergens from poultry meat and egg sources can be an effective approach for the management of canine atopic dermatitis.