{"id":27188,"date":"2026-04-12T13:46:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T11:46:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mylabrador.it\/?p=27188"},"modified":"2026-04-12T14:47:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T12:47:23","slug":"epilepsy-gut-dogs-microbiome-epileptic-seizures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mylabrador.it\/en\/health-care-labrador\/epilepsy-gut-dogs-microbiome-epileptic-seizures\/","title":{"rendered":"Epilepsy and the gut in dogs: microbiome and epileptic seizures"},"content":{"rendered":"

If your dog suffers from epilepsy, you have probably already heard about antiepileptic medications, neurological check-ups, and the occasional anxious moment in the vet’s waiting room. What you may not have been told yet is that your dog’s gut could be playing a role<\/strong> in all of this. This is not speculation: it is the subject of a growing line of research, with a peer-reviewed study published in 2025 in Research in Veterinary Science<\/em> (The fecal metabolome and microbiome are altered in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy compared to healthy dogs<\/a><\/strong>) that adds concrete data to what was already suspected.<\/p>\n

What is the microbiome and why does it affect canine epilepsy<\/h2>\n

The gut microbiome<\/a><\/strong> is the community of billions of bacteria, viruses and fungi that live in your dog’s digestive tract.<\/p>\n

It is not an inert mass: it interacts with the immune system, metabolism and, in an increasingly well-documented way, with the brain.<\/p>\n

Dogs with epilepsy frequently show dysbiosis<\/strong> \u2014 an imbalance in the composition of this microbial community compared to that of healthy dogs.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The interesting point is not just that the difference exists, but that it may not be a simple consequence of the disease: it could actually be contributing to it.<\/p>\n

Bacteria, neurotransmitters and the seizure threshold<\/h3>\n

Gut bacteria produce and influence neurotransmitters such as GABA<\/strong> and serotonin<\/strong>. GABA in particular is the brain’s primary inhibitory neurotransmitter: when it functions properly, it dampens neural excitability.<\/p>\n

When the microbiome is disrupted, this regulation can lose efficiency. Added to this is inflammation. A dysbiotic gut tends to release pro-inflammatory molecules into the bloodstream that reach the central nervous system.<\/p>\n

Chronic inflammation lowers the seizure threshold: the brain becomes more reactive, easier to “ignite”.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Beneficial bacteria also produce short-chain fatty acids<\/strong> (butyrate, propionate, acetate) that have documented neuroprotective effects.<\/p>\n

They protect the blood-brain barrier, stabilise nerve transmission and reduce neuroinflammation.<\/p>\n

When those bacteria decline, so does this protection.<\/p>\n

The 2025 study: probiotics may reduce seizure frequency<\/h2>\n

The study published in Research in Veterinary Science<\/em> in 2025 analysed the effect of probiotic supplementation<\/a><\/strong> in dogs with epilepsy.<\/p>\n

The result: dogs receiving probiotics showed a statistically lower seizure frequency compared to the control group.<\/p>\n

This is not the first study to suggest this link, but it is one of the most recent and methodologically robust.<\/p>\n

The researchers also observed that multi-strain Lactobacillus blends<\/strong> tend to produce better results than single strains.<\/p>\n

The hypothesised reason is that they act on multiple points of the gut-brain axis<\/a><\/strong> simultaneously \u2014 a synergistic effect that a single bacterium alone cannot replicate.<\/p>\n

What is meant by the gut-brain axis?<\/h3>\n

The gut-brain axis is not a metaphor: it is a real network of nervous, hormonal and immune connections linking the gastrointestinal tract to the central nervous system.<\/p>\n

The vagus nerve is the main pathway, but not the only one. Signals travel in both directions: the brain influences the gut (anyone who has experienced digestive issues during stress knows this well) and the gut influences the brain.<\/p>\n

In epileptic dogs, this bidirectional channel can become a problem: a dysbiotic gut sends the wrong signals to an already vulnerable nervous system.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ketogenic diet and microbiome: an approach still under study<\/h2>\n

Ketogenic diets \u2014 high in fat and protein, low in carbohydrates \u2014 have been used for decades in human paediatric epilepsy with documented results.<\/p>\n

In dogs, research is still preliminary, but available data suggest that these diets modify the microbiome in a way that is favourable to seizure control.<\/p>\n

The mechanism could be twofold<\/strong>: on one hand, the ketone bodies produced by lipid metabolism have a direct effect on neuronal stabilisation; on the other, the diet selects a different gut bacterial composition<\/a><\/strong>, with possible benefits for inflammation and neurotransmitter production.<\/p>\n

A word of caution, however: a ketogenic diet for a dog cannot be improvised \u2014 it requires precise veterinary formulation and careful monitoring, especially in animals already on drug therapy.<\/p>\n

What does all this mean in practice<\/h2>\n

Gut-targeted therapies do not replace antiepileptic medications.<\/p>\n

No study has yet demonstrated that probiotics alone can adequately control canine epilepsy.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What does emerge, however, is that the gut microbiome may be an additional point of intervention<\/strong>, integratable into the overall management of the disease.<\/p>\n

In practice this means:<\/p>\n