Dysbiosis in Dogs (Leaky Gut)

Bernie’s Perfect Poop can help relieve the symptoms of dysbiosis in dogs

Photo of Bernie's Perfect Poop grass bits up close.
Dysbiosis in dogs is also called Leaky Gut. The reasons your dog may suffer from dysbiosis or leaky gut are usually because they have some dietary issues or because of medicines like antibiotics or NSAIDS taking their gut out of balance. This is different from a typical upset tummy, though the symptoms (diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, gas, etc.) are similar. Bernie’s Perfect Poop can help relieve dysbiosis symptoms in dogs and help bring your dog’s gut health back in balance.

One of the most important things you can do to help relieve the symptoms of leaky gut in dogs is to make sure they’re getting enough fiber. Not just any fiber, that is…high quality fiber like the Miscanthus grass found in Bernie’s Perfect Poop. Not only will a premium fiber supplement help absorb water from your dog’s digestive tract to make his poops less runny (bulked up stool), but it will also help the lining of his intestines to be better barriers for crossover into your dog’s body. Combined with flaxseed and dried pumpkin, Perfect Poop can positively contribute to better nutrient absorption as well as relieve the symptoms of dog dysbiosis and let your dog’s gut lining settle down and rebalance.
Bernie’s Perfect Poop also combines prebiotics and probiotics to balance your dog’s gut microbiome. When your dog is suffering from leaky gut symptoms, ensuring good dog gut health is key. Good dog gut health will keep your dog’s intestinal lining balanced and allow it to absorb nutrients as it should. When there is an overabundance of harmful bacteria growing, your dog’s immune system is compromised. Quality pre- and probiotics like those found in Perfect Poo encourage optimal dog gut health. Research shows the presence of quality pre- and probiotics can ensure a flourishing microbiome. An added bonus of Miscanthus grass as the main fiber in Perfect Poop is that it has Xylooligosaccharides (XOS). The XOS prebiotic in Miscanthus grass has been clinically proven to add beneficial bacteria (and prohibit the growth of bad bacteria) in the gut. A healthy gut means less irritation and inflammation, as well as better immunity. Better immune health gut health means less dysbiosis in dogs.
Digestive enzymes also help soothe the symptoms of leaky gut in dogs because they break down the foods your dog eats more efficiently. Your dog’s immune system is wired to react to some proteins as invaders—and that can even mean proteins from foods. This is why so many dogs suffer from food intolerances or allergies; their immune system simply views the parts of undigested food as an invader and not a helper. Supplemental Digestive enzymes will begin to break your dog’s food down as soon as they eat it, and that means he’ll absorb all the nutrients he should. It also means that more food is broken into the amino acids your dog’s gut will find helpful, and they won’t break the gut barrier and get into the blood. When your dog’s gut is already inflamed as is often the case in canine dysbiosis, poor nutrient absorption and breaking of the gut barrier already occur. Digestive enzymes can help prevent both.
When your dog suffers from a leaky gut, it’s serious for their overall health. It’s also serious for symptom treatment, as it’s not just uncomfortable for them but for you as well. Bernie’s Perfect Poop is the premier 4-in-1 combination of fiber, prebiotics, probiotics, and enzymes to balance your dog’s microbiome and supplement to give them the best dog gut health they can have. When your dog has good gut health, his entire digestive process is healthier, and dog dysbiosis symptoms lessen or even disappear.

Learn more about Bernie's

4.4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 16,055+ reviews

What other pet parents say

Was not prepared to leave a review but…THIS STUFF WORKS. Our poor Gunner had the worst time when it came to potty breaks. The vet said he had dysbisis and recommended a probiotics. We tried 3 or 4 before giving Bernie’s a shot. It didn’t actually work the first time but we worked with their support guy (Tim?) and we gave it another shot and now my St Bernard is making Perfect Poops! Thanks Bernie! – Monica T.

What does dysbiosis look like in dogs and what are the symptoms of canine leaky gut?

Canine Dysbiosis is also called leaky gut in dogs. To keep it simple, dysbiosis is when yeast, allergens and bacteria escape from your dog’s gut (where the digestive process and his microbiome contain and battle them) and go into his bloodstream.

Yes, it’s just as problematic as it sounds. That’s because if you’re not able to ensure those things stay in his gut and are battled appropriately, his overall health is compromised greatly. In fact, experts believe that the chronic inflammation leaky gut causes in your dog is also a precursor to several chronic illnesses they face. Illnesses like dementia, arthritis, diabetes, liver disease, inflammatory bowel diseases and even cancer.

In dogs, leaky gut or canine dysbiosis can look like a lot of things. Often, it looks like food intolerance or allergy and is accompanied by runny poops, noxious gas and abdominal discomfort. It also can look like arthritis or joint pain, especially in younger dogs. It may look like yeast infection or thyroid issues or other metabolic conditions affecting their liver, pancreas, gall bladders or kidneys. It can even (and often does) look like aggression or anxiety since the gut and the brain are so closely connected. Many health experts call the microbiome/gut the second brain because of the gut-brain connection, and when your dog’s gut is allowing things to break the barrier and get into his body and blood, it can cause him to behave differently.

Symptoms of canine dysbiosis include:

Itching/scratching
Abdominal pain
Constipation
Diarrhea
Bloating
Flatulence
Bloating and gas
Vomiting
Nausea
Lethargy
Lack of appetite
Weight loss
Joint Pain
Behavior issues
Thyroid issues
Liver/pancreas/kidney disorders

Causes of dysbiosis in dogs

When your dog eats, the food goes from his mouth through his digestive tract—to his stomach and then the small intestine and then large intestine/colon. We call this whole system the gut.

Your dog’s small intestine walls are covered with villi. Villi are little finger-like projections that come out to filter and protect your dog’s gut lining. Each of the villi has what is called microvilli covering them and together, they help your dog’s food be absorbed fully.

The interesting thing about your dog’s gut lining is that the microvilli are lined with epithelial cells (surface liners) and are a pretty flimsy barrier to be honest. But, that’s because it’s important your dog can easily absorb the nutrients from his food. Too thick a barrier and they can’t.

The problem is that too thin a barrier (or too inflamed a barrier in your dog’s gut) means that undigested bits of food can break that barrier and so can bacteria, virus and other foreign invaders that can disrupt your dog’s gut.

Your dog’s gut/microbiome has over 1000 different species of bacteria (as well as yeasts and parasites, but in lesser quantities). Most of these bacteria are considered good and beneficial because they help protect against bad bacteria that steal food from the good bacteria and camp out in colonies to drown good bacteria out. This good bacteria feeds on the same food you give your dog—especially the fiber your dog gets. Fiber feeds this good bacteria and the good bacteria helps produce enzymes for better digestion and short chain fatty acids for overall immunity health.

The bottom line is that good bacteria in the gut is important. And even bad bacteria in the gut is taken care of by the good bacteria. Your dog’s immune system keeps the bacteria in his gut because his immune cells do that hard work.

It’s when the gut is inflamed or irritated (or there are excess bad bacteria) that your dog’s immune cells and his gut duke it out. Whereas they’d normally work together to keep toxins, allergens and bad bacteria in the gut and out of his blood, when there’s irritation or excess bad bacteria, the gut is more permeable, or leaky, and they escape.

And that’s when your dog’s immune system really gears up and triggers the fleet to fight back, causing internal inflammation and symptoms in your dog’s body.

Causes of Leaky Gut or Dysbiosis in Dogs Include:	Can Perfect Poop Help?
Fiber deficiency	Yes
Digestive inflammation	Yes
Poor nutrient absorption	Yes
Poor digestion	Yes
Bacterial or viral Infection	Yes
Antibiotic use	Yes
Stress	Yes
Yeast overgrowth	Yes
Age	Yes

Illustration of Bernie sitting and smiling.

Warning: If your dog has dysbiosis

If you think your dog’s not healthy and he’s suffering from symptoms above, you want to talk to your vet and look into whether he’s dealing with Canine Dysbiosis. It can affect everything from his physical to his mental health and can lead to other, worse conditions too.

More information about dysbiosis in dog

When your dog suffers from Canine Dysbiosis, it can have a host of symptoms that can lead to greater, more chronic conditions. Getting the gut back in balance is the number one thing you want to do to help relieve symptoms and help strengthen overall immunity.

Fiber may help improve your dog’s dysbiosis symptoms.

The best and easiest way to help get your dog’s gut back in balance is to supplement with high-quality fiber. It’s this fiber that feeds the probiotics in your dog’s gut, and those probiotics are the good bacteria that help his microbiome thrive and keep the gut lining doing its job. When you increase your dog’s fiber intake with quality fiber, you’ll also help increase the nutrient absorption he’ll get as well. It’ll keep his food moving through the digestive tract at the appropriate speed for optimal breakdown and absorption, and help prevent inflammation.
When your dog’s intestinal lining is inflamed, the digestive process is disturbed, and a high-quality fiber may help balance it. It will help with consistency and efficiency in the digestive process. Being able to move food through appropriately will help reduce irritation as well, and keep his gut lining as it should be.

Perfect Poop is just the right combination of insoluble and soluble fiber. Miscanthus grass, pumpkin and flaxseed to help aid your dog’s digestion.

Miscanthus grass is a healthier alternative to other cheap fiber fillers you may find in some other supplements. It’s an all-natural, non-GMO, grain-free, gluten-free fiber that is sustainably grown. It’s grown without herbicides or pesticides and is good for the planet and for our dogs. As some health experts believe pesticides and herbicides (glyphosate particularly) can contribute to leaky gut problems, clean ingredients are even more important.

Prebiotics and Probiotics may help leaky gut in dogs

Pre- and probiotics are the main contributors to your dog’s healthy gut. Prebiotics and probiotics balance out your dog’s digestive tract bacteria and microbiome. They help ensure your dog’s microbiome is balanced, and keep inflammation at a minimum.
Miscanthus grass’s bonus as the main fiber in Perfect Poop is that it has Xylooligosaccharides (XOS). The XOS prebiotic in Miscanthus grass has been clinically proven to add beneficial bacteria (and prohibit the growth of bad bacteria) in the gut. Combined with Inulin, your dog’s gut will have all the beneficial bacteria it will need to keep gut lining irritation at a minimum and your dog’s intestinal walls healthy.

Inulin acts as a fertilizer to feed the good bacteria in your dog’s lower digestive tract. It’s super resilient and can make it all the way through the large intestines unscathed—unlike many other prebiotics in some supplements. Because of its strength and resiliency, it is able to protect the lining of your dog’s gut better and more efficiently.

The probiotics found in Perfect Poop (Bacillus Subtilis and Bacillus Coagulans), add spore-forming bacteria to your dog’s gut. This will help your dog’s gut to become a place for thriving helpful bacteria, and that bacteria will crowd out the harmful bacteria that add to the inflammation of your dog’s gut. Without this inflammation, your dog’s gut is less permeable and vulnerable to invaders.
When the good bacteria in your dog’s gut get the proper nutrition, they multiply and create a healthy environment. This healthy environment is prime for optimal overall immunity for your dog too. Pre- and probiotics can strengthen their immune system and help them battle other conditions.

Enzymes may help your dog’s dysbiosis.

Enzymes in Bernie’s Perfect Poop will help your dog’s digestive tract break food down better. They begin working to break food down as your dog eats every bite, and that will mean less irritation in your dog’s digestive tract as he’s digesting the food you give him. It also means less chance that those undigested, unbroken down proteins will break your dog’s gut barrier and be recognized as an invader to his system. This is the aspect of dysbiosis that causes so much chaos in your dog’s body. Additionally, digestive enzymes breaking down the food you give will help maximize nutrient absorption. When he can get all the nutrients he’s supposed to for food, he can fuel his body better. Every cell in his body will be strengthened and this keeps his gut health in its best shape.

Other ways to help

Feed quality foods that include good fiber
Consider removing dairy
Consider extra exercise so he’s not bored or stressed

Additional reading

Related terms

Canine leaky gut
Canine dysbiosis
Intestinal permeability
Canine intestinal permeability
Gut rot
Gut rot in dogs
Small intestinal dysbiosis