Gut microbe communities varied with age in companion dogs
An observational study analyzed baseline stool samples from 922 US companion dogs aged eight months to 18 years, finding gradual differences in gut microbes with age.
900 dogs, cohort study
Limit: Only baseline samples were analyzed, without tracking gut microbes as individual dogs aged
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Researchers studied 922 companion dogs aged eight months to 18 years in an observational analysis of gut microbes and age. The dogs lived with owners across the United States, and most were in good health according to their owners. The team analyzed microbial DNA in one stool sample per dog, alongside owner surveys and clinical laboratory tests.
Older dogs had less diverse gut microbial communities and different microbial patterns. These associations remained after accounting for health, sex, weight, breed size and technical factors. Diet, including commercial versus home-cooked food, and eating feces were also associated with microbial composition. The authors said the gradual age-related differences supported developing a population-level model to predict canine age from gut microbial patterns.
Why it matters
Companion dogs share environments, diets and healthcare practices with people, making them a model for aging research. The authors suggest this microbial map could inform veterinary medicine and research on aging across species.
Caveats
The analysis used only baseline samples, so it compared different dogs rather than tracking changes as individual dogs aged. Its observational design could not establish cause and effect.
The paper
Mapping the canine gut microbiome: insights from the Dog Aging Project
Tel Aviv University; Colorado State University
Nature Communications, May 19, 2026, Open access
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