Differences of the intestinal microbiome between obese dogs and normal weight

Obesity is a multifactorial nutritional disorder highly prevalent in dogs, both in developed and underdeveloped countries. It is estimated that over 40% of the canine population suffers from this disease, which manifests itself in an increased risk of suffering from chronic osteoarticular, metabolic, and cardiovascular diseases. The intestinal microbiome in obese animals presents differences in the relative abundance of different phyla, changes that have been related to the ability to obtain energy from food via fermentation, and increasing the bioavailability of carbohydrates present in the diet. In our country, there are no investigations related to this topic, so the objective of this study was to compare the intestinal microbiome of obese and normal-weight adult dogs. Twenty clinically healthy dogs were studied: 10 obese and 10 normal weight, classified according to their body condition. DNA was extracted from a stool sample, followed by massive sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and bioinformatic analysis. The clinical study revealed statistically significant differences between the operational taxonomic units (O.T.U.) between both groups when analyzing major phyla: firmicutes and bacteroidetes. These results raise the need to continue research that relates to the metabolic pathways used by these microorganisms and how they are associated with obesity.