Beneficial effects of probiotics on dysbiosis of gut microbiota induced by antibiotic treatment in healthy dogs

Abstract

The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in maintaining host health. While numerous studies have explored the impact of antibiotics on the gut microbiota in humans, limited research has examined how antibiotics affect the gut microbiome in dogs. This study investigated the effects of antibiotic treatment on the gut microbiota of dogs and assessed whether probiotic supplementation could prevent antibiotic-induced dysbiosis. Fourteen healthy young dogs undergoing castration were included in the study. All dogs received a single injection of cefovecin immediately after surgery. The probiotics group (7 dogs) was given a probiotic complex daily starting on the day of surgery and continuing for two weeks, while the non-probiotics group (7 dogs) received no supplementation. Fecal samples were collected on the day of surgery and two weeks later during the follow-up visit for suture removal for microbiome analysis. In microbial diversity analysis, alpha-diversity was significantly higher in the probiotic-supplemented group compared to the non-probiotics group (p < 0.05). beta-diversity analysis revealed significant differences in microbial community composition in the non-probiotics group after antibiotic treatment (p < 0.05), while no significant differences were observed in the probiotics group. Relative abundance analysis indicated that Clostridioides, a marker of antibiotic-induced dysbiosis, significantly increased in dogs without probiotics after antibiotic treatment (p < 0.05). In contrast, Butyricicoccus, a butyrate-producing bacterium with gut health benefits, was significantly enriched in the probiotics group (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that probiotic supplementation supports healthier gut microbiome recovery following antibiotic treatment and highlights its potential to enhance gut microbiota restoration and mitigate gut dysbiosis caused by antibiotics.