Behavioral dysfunction in dogs is a major social concern, as it can jeopardize animal safety and the human-dog relationship. Currently available therapies, based on behavioral approaches, environmental management, and neurochemical manipulation through nutrition, supplements, drugs, and pheromones, are the mainstays of available treatments.
One exploratory study, all-Italian, from 2025 sought to investigate the potential connection between gut microbiota and microbiome of dogs suffering from generalized fear (n = 8), compared with healthy subjects (n = 8), all of whom lived in different households.
Along with the triggering stimulus (human, animal, place, smell, auditory stimuli, objects), dogs may experience stressful conditions in multiple environments or unique situations, which more often than not result in generalized fear.
This dysfunctional behavior may be associated with genetic predisposition, environmental factors, traumatic experiences and medical conditions.
Growing evidence, in humans and animals, points to the importance of the gut-brain axis in modulating brain physiology and behavior.
Evaluation of the fecal microbiota showed a differential abundance of taxa related to the phyla Proteobacteria and Firmicutes in the fear-infected dogs compared with control dogs. In addition, serum metabolomics analysis showed significant alterations of GABA and glutamate neurotransmission-associated molecules in the patients, as well as bile acid metabolism.
The data showed for the first time that fear and anxiety may be linked to significant dysregulation of both gastrointestinal microbiota and blood metabolic homeostasis in family dogs with generalized fear.
Reference
Sacchettino L, Costanzo M, Veneruso I, D’Argenio V, Mayer M, Napolitano F, et al. (2025) Altered microbiome and metabolome profiling in fearful companion dogs: An exploratory study. PLoS ONE 20(1): e0315374. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0315374
