PetBiome Faecal Test Kit for Pets

Pet Biome's Story

In the past two decades, there has been a massive escalation in our understanding and appreciation of the microbiome and host physiology. The inhabitants of the gut contribute as many cells and many times more genes to the canine holobiont, influencing every action from digestion, metabolism to immunity, including the function of the brain. Imbalances or dysbiosis have been associated with multiple diseases or animals and humans, there is optimism that in human medicine at least this will allow for new therapies and treatments to be developed. The conclusion from human medicine is that the microbiome is complex, and progress is most likely to be driven by long-term data -collection through scientists working in the field.

Biome4Pets continues to grow its population data library of dogs, profiling dogs in health and disease using the bioinformatic database of the largest genomic sequencing company in the world (Illumina).

Since 2014 PetBiome have done thousands of samples from dogs around the globe. Each sample is processed through the IBERS genomic sequencing lab at Aberystwyth University. They are constantly striving to add to the type of testing we do, including Emerging Pathogens, Aspergillus, Viruses and the Mycobiome, all from one sample. They have access to AI which can rapidly convert data into gut dysbiosis profiles which are then compared against the database. PetBiome are here for the long term, it’s a fantastic time to be in microbiology, the tools and access to new science is mind-boggling, hope to take you with us on the journey

Pet Biome began researching the microbiome of dogs in 2013 as their parent company Phytorigins. They were fortunate to work with some of the leaders in the field based at Aberystwyth University.

At that time sequencing technology was in its infancy and they had to freeze the faecal samples immediately after collection which made commercialisation impossible due to the cost and difficulty of dry ice transportation.  To complete their first research projects they drove to collection points around the country in a refrigerated van, donated by the university. This enabled us to begin to gather the important data needed to not only identify the bacteria 'Who's in there' but to also make sense of the complex inter-relationships of the microbiome. 

The first presentation of that research was made by Gabi de la Fuente at the ESVCN a non-profit organisation relating to academic research in veterinary nutrition, comparative nutrition and nutrition-related diseases.

In 2018 and with the advent of 16s rRNA sequencing we were finally able to offer a service to pet owners. We were very excited to present our findings to vets initially and attended several animal veterinary exhibitions.

​Collaborative research projects with universities and veterinary hospitals/practices include.

• ​Inflammatory biomarkers in the oral microbiome – horses and dogs
• Obesity in Dogs - a 2-year Project with a national pet food company, several vet practices, and the microbiology team at Aberystwyth and Bangor Universities.   
• A four-year project on obesity biomarkers, and changes in gut bacteria in the gut-horses and dogs involving the leading team of gut microbiome researchers in the UK with Professor Jamie Newbold Kirsty Dougal and Gabi de la Fuente.  
• The Extraction of a novel compound to help reduce the effects of obesity including the reduction of inflammation in the gut.
• Assimilation of raw data from the genome and profile this against the complex internal microbial communities and the phenotype status of the dog (breed, health and age).

The Use of ML/AI: In the last 12 months we have developed and completed over fifty different gut microbiome profiles linking dysbiosis/imbalances with health conditions and diseases, we have achieved this by sequencing thousands of samples from affected and healthy dogs and using collaborative research with leading AI developers in the UK, Australia and Silicon Valley USA.