Kefir is a traditional dairy product with multiple probiotic characteristics and has been used for centuries in people. A study was performed to determine if kefir would be beneficial to dogs.  Six healthy dogs were given kefir for two weeks.  The dogs’ gut microbiota was examined before starting the study and after the two weeks of kefir administration. The study suggests that the kefir administration successfully modified the gut microbiota without causing any clinically evident adverse effects and that kefir could be further developed as a novel probiotic food supplement for dogs.

Highlights of the study included:

• The relative abundance of the families Prevotellaceae, Selenomonadaceae, and Sutterellaceae increased significantly, whereas that of the families Clostridiaceae, Fusobacteriaceae, and Ruminococcaceae decreased significantly.

• The quantitative PCR assay showed that kefir consumption significantly increased the population of lactic acid bacteria and the lactic acid bacteria: Enterobacteriaceae ratio and significantly decreased the Firmicutes: Bacteroidetes ratio.

• Modulation of the intestinal microbiota of dogs by kefir as a functional dairy product.

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Modulation of the intestinal microbiota of dogs by kefir as a functional dairy product.