Perspectives on functional foods for improvement of canine health and treatment of diseases

The canine pet care industry is steadily growing because of increasing number of households with dogs as principal companions. Canine owners strive to sustain well-being of pets by providing proper care and diet. Like humans, canine health is influenced by diet and gastrointestinal (GI) microbiome. The GI microbiome is a metabolically dynamic organ that is linked to canine health because of its role in nutrient digestion and absorption. Canine foods are normally formulated to contain basic nutrients, but recently, pet diets have been modified to include functional foods that target improvement of gut microbiome health (probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and postbiotics) and/or provision of essential nutrients (polyunsaturated fatty acids, phytonutrients). Although several studies have confirmed the positive impact of supplements on chronic enteropathies, allergies, etc, recent canine health and gut microbiome research has only focused on characterization of symptoms caused by diseases. Less research has been devoted to providing insight into effects of functional foods on canine gut microbiome and overall health. Understanding how functional foods improve canine health through GI micro biome may reveal opportunities for the enhancement of overall canine health and resilience. Thus, in this paper, we focus on the impact of functional foods on the GI microbiome and its ultimate effect on overall health and well-being of the canine host.