Mr. Darcy is a dashing dachshund-beagle-terrier mix dog who lives in New York City. When he started having bloody diarrhea on the sidewalk every day, it was a nightmare for poor Mr. Darcy and his family as well. His veterinarian couldn’t figure out what was wrong. He became lethargic. His people were worried. But luckily Mr. Darcy got help from the people who know all about gut health and digestive disorders in pets.

In dogs and cats, diarrhea is an extremely common occurrence. But did you know that many diarrhea cases are caused by a bacterial pathogen called Clostridium difficile (which is commonly called C diff for short)? If you take your sick pet to the veterinarian with a report of frequent diarrhea, your vet will likely run a test on their stool that looks for the presence of particular bacterial pathogens, including Clostridium difficile. If C diff is detected in your pet’s stool, it’s very likely the culprit for causing their diarrhea.

Itch, itch...scratch, scratch and repeat—persistent dog scratching can consume your dog’s life, along with causing your pet to feel miserable. Since pesky itching affects many dogs and their pet parents we asked Dr. Michael Sterns of 4Paws Mobile Veterinary Services in Mountain View, California to offer some of his thoughts regarding how to help itchy dogs. Many people don’t realize that allergies are just as common in our pets as they are in us. A common skin disorder in dogs that causes itchy skin is atopic dermatitis. In fact, it is the second most common allergic skin disease in dogs.

Did you know that vitamin B12 (also called cobalamin) is crucial for your cat’s health? But if your cat suffers from a chronic digestive disorder like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or pancreatitis, their body may have trouble absorbing or retaining enough of this nutrient. In a sick cat, symptoms such as lethargy, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation may be partly due to B12 deficiency.

Halloween is almost here—many of us enjoy this haunting holiday but our pets often find it truly scary. The things that make Halloween fun for us humans like frightening sounds or trick-or-treaters at the door in costumes may overwhelm our furry companions. And some elements of Halloween can pose safety risks for our pets. Below we’ve provided a few tips to help your pet have a safe, spook and stress-free Halloween.

Before joining the AnimalBiome team, Kirsten Copren ran a biotech lab focused on cancer genomics at UCSF, trained hard-working teams of scientists, and way-back when was an organismal biologist studying insect genetics. We asked her about her background, her work at AnimalBiome, and of course her pets.

Though they can come with negative side effects, antibiotics can be a crucial tool for helping your dog or cat fight off dangerous infections. Fortunately, there are ways that you can support your pet, during and after antibiotic treatment, to help them and move towards improved health. We’ve gathered a few important tips that any pet parent can use to help support their furbaby.

Brushing your pet’s teeth may seem a bit over the top to many of us. But there is growing evidence that for dogs and cats, just as for humans, oral health is directly related to digestive health. In this article, we’ll cover the oral microbiome, the link between oral health and gut health, and how to keep your pet’s mouth healthy.

You may have seen news reports warning that a diet containing peas, lentils, or potatoes may increase your dog’s risk of a heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). We spoke with veterinarian Dr. Aubrey Tauer about this issue to learn what you can do to protect your dog from this deadly disease.

Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) is a gastrointestinal disorder that can affect cats. While it’s reported to occur in only 2% of cats, it may be much more common than we think and a recent veterinary study suggests that more than 40% of all cats may be affected. Symptoms in cats are subtle and can be easily overlooked, making it hard to diagnose this silent killer.