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The mirror of your health is your skin. If you drink, it shows in your face; if you eat the wrong foods, you have pimples. If you take care of your food and you lead a healthy life, your skin will look wonderful.
— Sophia Loren
Personally, I am convinced that the diet has a major influence on the health of the skin and coat of ourselves and our dogs and cats.
Although skin problems are very common in dogs, little research has been done on this topic.
Leverett et al recently conducted a study to look at the difference in bacterial population of the skin in dogs that are on different diets: fresh or kibble.
Healthy dogs from owners were fed a fresh diet for 30 days and then a kibble of food for 30 days. There was a transition period of 4 days between the two diets. The fresh food consisted of a commercial fresh food in which the ingredients were steamed for 15 minutes at 100 degrees Celsius. The kibble was the lump that the dog was used to and therefore differed for the different dogs.
Treatment with antibiotics or fungal medications was not allowed during the study and three months before the study. The dogs were not allowed to receive anything other than this food and rewards were provided by the researchers to use during this period.
After every 30-day period, samples were taken from the skin and examined for bacteria. Samples were taken from the ear, between the toes of the forelimbs and from the groin.
The diversity of the bacteria was greater in dogs fed fresh food than in dogs given kibble. Fresh food increased the amount of Staphylococcus and reduced the amount of Porpyromonas and Corynebacterium.
Previous studies found differences between the skin microbiome of healthy dogs and dogs with atopy (allergy). The diversity of the microbiome was lower in dogs with atopy.
New research in humans has shown a relationship between the gut microbiome and skin condition. In this way, nutrition also affects the skin.
Although this is a small study with obvious limitations, it is an interesting study.
Do you have a dog with skin problems and does your dog get lumps? Then it is definitely worth transferring your dog to fresh food. In many cases, this improves skin complaints.
Reference
Leverett, K. et al (2022) Fresh food consumption increases microbiome diversity and promotes changes in bacteria compostion on the skin of pet dogs compared to dry foods. Animals, 12, 1881.
