Recently, it was discovered that the urine from healthy dogs hosts its own unique microbiome, known as the urobiome. These microbial organisms play important roles in maintaining urinary system health and preventing disease. While the gut microbiome is heavily influenced by diet, it remained unknown how nutritional features impact the urobiome.
Examining Dietary Impacts on the Urobiome
The purpose of a recent study was to determine how dietary features alter the urobiome’s composition in clinically healthy dogs. Specifically, the researchers examined how nutrient intake (protein, fat, and crude fiber), commercial diet brands, and dietary diversity (the number of unique food sources consumed each day) affected the abundance and diversity of bacteria present in the canine urobiome.
Key Findings
The researchers discovered that both commercial diet brands and dietary diversity were associated with distinct shifts in the composition of the urobiome. Interestingly, the protein, fat, and crude fiber contents had no statistically significant effect on the alpha (diversity within a sample) or beta (diversity between samples) diversity of the urobiome. However, the beta diversity values differed between dogs fed one commercial diet brand compared to dogs consuming any other brand. The beta diversity values also differed between dogs consuming more diverse daily diets (3 or more unique food sources) compared to those consuming less diverse diets (less than 3 unique food sources).
Importance and Implications
This pilot study provides important foundational evidence that dietary features might impact the urobiome’s composition in healthy adult dogs. Given the emerging evidence that the urobiome affects urinary tract health, the relationship between diet and urinary microbes has potential clinical relevance and could lead to the development of diet-based, clinical interventions for urobiome health.
Future Directions
Moving forward, dietary data should be collected and incorporated into urobiome analyses when possible. Prospective, controlled, cross-over feeding trials are recommended to better define the relationships between the diet and urobiome. By continuing to explore this connection, veterinarians may be able to leverage dietary strategies to promote urobiome health and prevent urinary tract issues in canine patients.
