What is Microbiome Testing?

AnimalBiome has built the world’s largest database of cat and dog microbiome samples. They have collected and analyzed more than 30,000 fecal samples from domestic cats and dogs so far. Using those, they’ve assembled a group of samples that meet our criteria for healthy pets.

By studying those healthy samples, they were able to build a profile of the specific bacterial taxa (groups) we could expect to find in the gut microbiome of a healthy dog. We identified a “healthy reference set” consisting of 17 taxa that make up the core microbiome of dogs.

When AnimalBiome receives your pet’s sample, they extract DNA from all the bacteria. A fecal sample about the size of a pea contains roughly one billion bacterial cells. Using DNA sequencing and powerful analytic software, they can identify all the types of bacteria living in your pet’s gut. 

Then, they compare your dog’s results to our large and growing database of healthy pets to determine how closely the types and amounts of bacteria in your pet’s gut match that healthy reference set. We can detect any bacterial imbalances, identify any key groups that are missing, and flag any harmful bacteria that may be causing troublesome symptoms, like diarrhea or itchy skin.

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