All dog lovers know that those furry friends improve your quality of life. They cheer you up when you’re feeling down, keep you active, and help foster connections with your communities. But did you know that having a pup might also be good for your gut?
It’s hard to imagine, but research is showing that owning a pet could be beneficial for your gut microbiome, and thus your gastrointestinal health.
Clostridium difficile, or C. difficile, is usually a hospital-acquired and infection-causing pathogen that disrupts healthy bacteria in the colon. The infection, known as C. diff colitis, tends to occur when patients take antibiotics, which can kill good bacteria in the gut.
As many as 30 percent of patients initially treated for infections experience a recurrence, and the risk of subsequent recurrence only increases with each case, leading to an unpleasant cycle.
Laurel Redding, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, wondered if these recurrent cases might come from the animals we share our environment with.
“The idea going in was, if you…
