Have you ever wondered why a raw food diet can be so beneficial for your pet and how Smack Pet Food provides the same benefits? A large part of it comes down to the way raw food supports a healthy gut microbiome. Your pet’s gastrointestinal tract is home to a diverse ecosystem of microorganisms called their gut microbiome. These tiny tenants include bacteria, fungi, archaea, and more, all of which interact with and influence most of the functions of your pet’s body (1). Maintaining the right balance of these organisms can be highly beneficial for your pet, and that’s where raw food comes in. 

Raw ingredients contain more of the beneficial bacteria and naturally occurring digestive enzymes normally found in food (2). This in turn helps your pet maintain a more diverse, healthy microbiome for far-reaching benefits that affect nearly everything they do. Here’s how it works: 

Gut microbiome assists in digestion 

It’s no surprise that a healthy gut can more easily absorb nutrients, and microbiome plays an essential role that function. Microorganisms in your pet’s digestive tract help break down the nutrients in food, converting them into forms that are easier for your pet’s body to use. This is especially true for molecules your pet’s body would otherwise struggle to digest. As an example, an imbalanced microbiome can contribute to the malabsorption of omega-3 fatty acids, resulting in a dull coat and itchy skin. While a dog might be getting plenty of omega-3s in their diet, their body cannot fully utilize those nutrients if their gut microbiome is not in a healthy balance. (3) 

A healthy gut starts with a healthy diet, and pets can disrupt their gut microbiome when they eat things they shouldn’t. Getting into garbage, table scraps, and even a high-carb diet can create issues for your pet and necessitate steps like using a probiotic to restore balance. Pawrents should keep an eye on what their pets eat and avoid giving them table scraps to prevent gut issues. 

Gut microbiome trains the immune system 

Your pet’s microbiome contains bacteria and viruses that teach their immune system how to fight off threats, control inflammation, and regulate immune responses. It helps their immune system differentiate between harmful pathogens and harmless proteins in food while also producing anti-inflammatory compounds (2). If a pet’s gut microbiome is disrupted, their immune system can overreact to normally harmless proteins, developing antibodies and resulting in a new dietary allergy. 

Pawrents should be mindful of their pet's dietary sensitivities and take steps like rotational feeding to minimize the risk of their pet developing new allergies. This is especially important when considering gut microbiome as allergic reactions can disrupt the gut biome and lead to issues like diarrhea, vomiting, and excessive gas. 

Gut microbiome affects signals to and from the brain 

Your pet’s gut and brain are connected by a vast network of nerves called the gut-brain axis and their gut microbiome influences their nervous system through this network (4). Some microorganisms produce or help produce neurotransmitters and other chemicals that can affect mood and behaviour. An imbalanced gut microbiome can even contribute to anxiety, depression, or aggression (4)! 

This gut-brain axis is a two-way connection. High levels of stress or anxiety can disrupt gut health, leading to digestive issues and systemic inflammation (5). Make sure your pet gets plenty of exercise, has a quiet place to relax, and has a consistent daily routine to help minimize their stress for a healthy gut. 

These examples illustrate only a thin slice of all the ways gut microbiome can impact your pet’s quality of life. While this can be a lot to manage, Smack Pet Food is carefully formulated to help support your pet’s gut health (along with their complete nutritional needs!). 

Smack is formulated based on the biologically appropriate raw food diet. Our recipes primarily consist of raw meats, prepared bone-in with organs. This provides the benefits of both raw food and a high-meat diet, both of which have been linked to more diverse, healthy gut microbiomes (2,5). Smack takes these benefits a step further with our gentle dehydration process. 

Unlike harsh baking used to make kibble or the extreme temperatures of freeze-drying, we gently dehydrate our ingredients. This removes moisture and kills harmful pathogens while preserving the beneficial bacteria and enzymes mentioned earlier, resulting in a safe, shelf-stable food with the same benefits as a raw diet. 

Try Smack today with our Meal Variety Packs for dogs or cats for a selection of delicious recipes sure to agree with your pet’s gut and taste buds!  . 

1. Yang Q, Wu Z. Gut Probiotics and Health of Dogs and Cats: Benefits, Applications, and Underlying Mechanisms. Microorganisms. 2023 Sep 29;11(10):2452. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11102452. PMID: 37894110; PMCID: PMC10609632.
2. Pilla, R., & Suchodolski, J. S. (2020). The Role of the Canine Gut Microbiome and Metabolome in Health and Gastrointestinal Disease. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 6, 502799.
3. Wernimont SM, Radosevich J, Jackson MI, Ephraim E, Badri DV, MacLeay JM, Jewell DE, Suchodolski JS. The Effects of Nutrition on the Gastrointestinal Microbiome of Cats and Dogs: Impact on Health and Disease. Front Microbiol. 2020 Jun 25;11:1266. 
4. Jordan E Rindels, Brett R Loman, Gut microbiome – the key to our pets’ health and happiness?, Animal Frontiers, Volume 14, Issue 3, June 2024, Pages 46–53.
5. Karl, J.P., Hatch, A.M., et al. (2018). Effects of Psychological, Environmental and Physical Stressors on the Gut Microbiota. Front Microbiol. 9: p. 2013.