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The Connection Between Pets’ Gut Health and Mental Health

Posted October 03, 2024 by Ryan Guldenpfennig, DVM, R&D New Technologies Manager | Kemin Nutrisurance
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The focus on mental health and cognitive disorders has increased for both people and pets over the last few decades. Various researchers have focused on how cognitive decline occurs, the prevalence of anxiety, potential causes of anxieties, and numerous studies searching for any methods or materials that can help manage or reduce stress and anxiety.1 While board-certified veterinary behaviorists have been diagnosing and managing pets with anxiety and behavioral disorders for decades, pet owners often search for additional tools to help improve their pets’ well-being without pharmaceuticals – either on their own or with the guidance of a veterinarian.

What is Doggy Dementia?

Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD) is what is colloquially referred to as “Doggy Dementia.” The pathology of this is akin to that of Alzheimer's in people.2 In fact, dogs are often the preferred model for researching dementia development, prevention, and treatment for pre-clinical studies in humans. The recognition and prevalence of CCD has been on the rise as our pets continue to live longer lives. Early symptoms are commonly noted in pets starting at 8-9 years of age. Rates of CCD in pets has been reported in as much as 60% of dogs over the age of 11 years (Fast 2013).3

The range of anxiety disorders in pets span the spectrum of occasional and mild to debilitating. A recent study from Finland suggested that nearly ¾ of the dogs surveyed had some form of anxiety or behavioral disorder that required treatment (Salonen 2020). They may be associated with noise, storms, strangers, other animals, separation from a family member, availability of resources, travel, new locations, and/or changes to their environment. Factors that may contribute to the prevalence and severity of the disorders include genetics, maternal care, early-life experiences, traumatic experiences, and home/environmental factors such as training, exercise, enrichment, and diet.4

anxiety disorders info graphic

How does diet impact pets' mental health?

The phrase “you are what you eat” was thought to have originated in the 1800s (Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin; Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach writings). The correlation between what we eat and how we feel has been an interest of scientists for several hundred years, looking at the link between the intestines and the brain.5 The term “Gut-Brain Axis” refers to this link, describing the interactions between neurons in our brain and those in our digestive system. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in focus on research in this area. Relationships between what we eat, how the microbes in our digestive system respond to those foods, and what changes occur systemically are discovered with the aid of new technologies. This increased understanding between how we can affect our bodies and moods by “feeding” our microbiota helps drive the food industry to better health through nutrition. Nutrisurance shares that passion to advance this research in the pet food industry for the overall and mental health of our pets.

What is Kemin’s approach to improving intestinal health in pets?

Some of the food ingredients that have been associated with improved gut-brain health include soluble fibers, polyphenols, proteins, amino acids, probiotics and prebiotics.6 These are areas that the Kemin company has products related to and expertise/experience in. Our goal is to identify how our products may influence the mental health of our pets. We start by performing studies to see how these molecules interact with the microbes and the immune cells associated with our pet’s digestive system.

Another way to demonstrate our ability to improve the health and wellbeing of our pets is by preventing the formation of negative compounds that may be found in foods due to spoilage, deterioration, or oxidation. Once we identify what food compounds may either promote microbes or metabolites that are not beneficial to the pet, inhibit the function or growth of positive microbes, or trigger unwanted inflammatory responses, we can apply our technologies to prevent the formation of those compounds. This prevention or removal of unwanted compounds may improve the health of the pet.

How does our own mental wellbeing impact our pets?

The final aspect to pets’ mental wellbeing is with the human-animal bond. Pets can pick up on our stress, anxiety, and illnesses. And when we feel poorly, we may not be able to give our pets the attention they deserve. But when we have the assurance that the food we are providing them is good for their health, and they enjoy eating it, it can strengthen the bond with our pet.  We share the joy together - they enjoy the food we feed them, and we feel good about feeding them good food.

Ryan Guldenpfennig headshot
Ryan Guldenpfennig, DVM, R&D New Technologies Manager | Kemin Nutrisurance

Ryan started his career as a practicing small animal veterinarian. Since joining Kemin in 2013, Ryan’s role within R&D has grown from clinical trial design to developing new palatant, protein, and functional ingredient projects. His current focuses are on scouting for new technologies of interest for Kemin and growing the intestinal health portfolio for dogs and cats.   

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References

1.      Lewandowska-Pietruszka, Z., Figlerowicz, M., & Mazur-Melewska, K. (2022). The History of the Intestinal Microbiota and the Gut-Brain Axis. Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland), 11(12), 1540. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11121540

2.      Prpar Mihevc, S., & Majdič, G. (2019). Canine Cognitive Dysfunction and Alzheimer's Disease - Two Facets of the Same Disease?. Frontiers in neuroscience, 13, 604. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2019.00604

3.      Fast, R., Schütt, T., Toft, N., Møller, A., & Berendt, M. (2013). An observational study with long-term follow-up of canine cognitive dysfunction: Clinical characteristics, survival, and risk factors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 27(2), 345-351. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.12109

4.      Katriina Tiira, Sini Sulkama, Hannes Lohi, Prevalence, comorbidity, and behavioral variation in canine anxiety, Journal of Veterinary Behavior, Volume 16, 2016, Pages 36-44, ISSN 1558-7878, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2016.06.008. 

5.      Miller I. (2018). The gut-brain axis: historical reflections. Microbial ecology in health and disease, 29(1), 1542921. https://doi.org/10.1080/16512235.2018.1542921

6.      Sacoor, C., Marugg, J. D., Lima, N. R., Empadinhas, N., & Montezinho, L. (2024). Gut-brain axis impact on canine anxiety disorders: New challenges for behavioral veterinary medicine. Veterinary Medicine International. https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/2856759