Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Daily oral probiotics and postbiotics change dog skin bacteria
By Grant, Letitia et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2025·Dermatology for Animals, Australia·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: The effect of daily oral probiotic and postbiotic supplementation on the canine skin microbiota: Insights from culture-dependent and long-read 16S rRNA gene sequencing methods.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Twelve healthy golden retrievers were given a daily oral probiotic and postbiotic supplement for 30 to 90 days to see how it affected their skin health. After the treatment, researchers found that the number of harmful bacteria decreased, and there was an increase in beneficial bacteria on their skin. This suggests that the supplement may help improve skin health and reduce the risk of skin infections in dogs. If you're concerned about your dog's skin, discussing probiotic options with your vet could be beneficial.
People also search for: dog skin infection treatment · probiotics for dog skin health · golden retriever skin problems
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The effects of oral daily probiotic/postbiotic supplementation (ODPPS) on the skin microbiota of dogs have not been investigated previously. OBJECTIVES: This prospective analytical cohort study describes the effect of ODPPS on the canine skin microbiota after 30-90 days of supplementation using culture-based and full-length 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. ANIMALS: Twelve client-owned golden retrievers free of dermatological disease, living in the same environment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Skin (axillae and inguinal) swab samples were collected on Day (D)0. All dogs commenced ODPPS, and skin swab samples were taken from the same sites on D30 and D90. Swabs were cultured on sheep blood agar at 37°C for 24 h and bacterial colonies identified. DNA was extracted to obtain full-length 16S ribosomal RNA gene for microbiota profiling. RESULTS: Culture-dependent methods demonstrated reduced Staphylococcus pseudintermedius prevalence in inguinal tissue following ODPPS (p = 0.05). In the axillae, microbiota compositional differences were demonstrated at D90 compared to D0. A notable increase in beneficial skin-associated bacteria was observed in the axillae at D90 compared to D0, including Dubosiella newyorkensis (false discovery rate [FDR] p = 0.02) and Lactobacillus acidophilus (FDR p = 0.02). Higher bacterial genera diversity was observed on D90 of ODPPS. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the canine skin microbiota using advanced long-read sequencing. The findings suggest that ODPPS could be a promising strategy for improving skin health by modulating the microbiota and reducing the risk of skin infections.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40432426/