The 2024 review by Carina Sacoor and colleagues in Veterinary Medicine International outlines a growing concern in veterinary behavior: canine anxiety disorders and their overlooked biological basis. While these disorders seriously impact both the dog’s and owner’s quality of life, including risks of abandonment or euthanasia, they often remain underdiagnosed and undertreated.
The authors emphasize the vital role of the gut-brain axis (GBA) in modulating canine behavior, particularly through the intestinal microbiota. Dogs host diverse microbial communities that maintain intestinal health and interact with the nervous system via metabolic, immune, endocrine, and neural pathways. When these microbial communities are disturbed—a condition called dysbiosis—the result may be heightened anxiety and other behavioral dysfunctions.
Though most of the current knowledge stems from rodent and human models, parallels in dogs are becoming evident. The review notes the therapeutic potential of prebiotics and probiotics, which have shown success in reducing anxiety symptoms in non-canine models. These microbiome-modifying strategies are considered promising tools for future applications in canine behavior treatment.
However, the authors stress a significant research gap in veterinary medicine. Few controlled studies have examined the gut-brain axis in the context of canine behavioral disorders, particularly regarding anxiety. They call for robust clinical trials to validate microbial-based treatments and identify specific microbial profiles associated with anxious behavior in dogs.
Ultimately, Sacoor et al. argue that innovative bacterial therapeutics could transform how veterinary medicine addresses anxiety, shifting the focus from symptomatic management to targeted biological interventions rooted in microbiome science.
Source: Carina Sacoor, J. D. Marugg, N. R. Lima, N. Empadinhas, and L. Montezinho. “Gut-Brain Axis Impact on Canine Anxiety Disorders: New Challenges for Behavioral Veterinary Medicine.” Veterinary Medicine International, Volume 2024, Published 2024-01-23.
