Excessive scratching   |   Excessive licking   |   Ear infections   |   Head shaking   |   Corn-chip-smelling paws   |   Hot spots   |   Tear/fur staining   |   Dark, rust-red hair between toes   |   Skin lesions   |   Loose stools   |   Diarrhea   |   Vomiting   |   Bloody stools   |   Gas   |   Bloating   |   Smelly/greasy hair (seborrhea)   |   Indigestion   |   Speckles on underbelly   |   Excessive shedding

It’s not a pretty picture, and despite what the vet says, or how many times she’s cured your dog’s ear infection (hint, hint: multiple times?), the problems all stem from one thing: THE WRONG FOOD.

Samantha Henson is a vet turned award-winning pet nutritionist. She has helped tens of thousands of dogs regain long-term health by maintaining a “gut” focus. Her formulations and work have been featured on FOX News and Forbes, and she won Pet Food Innovator of the Year in 2018.

Sam’s take? Dog food companies are generally producing the cheapest food possible for the largest margins possible, and ignoring the fundamental nutritional needs of our dogs. Dogs don’t need ultra-processed carbs, they need nutrient-dense food. Yet ingredients that work actively against health are some of the first ingredients listed on most of America’s dog food bags.

There is a major problem here, and it’s not just bloating or excessive licking. The deeper problem is on the insides of your dog, and it begins with the food we’re putting in his mouth.

When your dog is fed the wrong food for too long, the good gut bacteria starve, and the bad thrive, largely in the form of yeast. All mammals have some yeast in their system, but chaos ensues when they’re allowed to take over. This is called candidiasis.

What comes next? Leaky Gut Syndrome.

Yeast cells can be wild creatures. They’re like tiny bugs with an exoskeleton made of chitin - the same substance a cockroach is made of. In a nuclear blast, you and your dog are gone, but his unhealthy gut biome lives on.

These yeast cells can actually change form from single-celled form into a multi-celled fungal form with hairy, root-like projections called rhizoids. These rhizoids then burrow their way into the intestinal wall and out the stomach lining, affecting the body's ability to absorb vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids.

Ever seen your dog lick or chew at his rib cage? He’s trying to get to the little cockroach bug burrowing out of his stomach lining. We’re sorry. It’s graphic, but true.

All this often leads to the dreaded leaky gut syndrome. Leaky gut syndrome allows bacteria, toxins, and food particles to pass through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream. From there, they cause things like inflammation, chronic low-grade infections, and allergic responses. The immune system then identifies those food proteins as "foreign invaders," and its attempt to fight back results in what we see as symptoms of a food allergy.

Your dog's food allergies, seasonal allergies, and even environmental allergies can all be caused by an imbalance in their gut microbiome. A healthy gut biome can change your dog’s (and your) life!

Throughout this 12-week Protocol you will learn a step-by-step process for healing your dog's gut microbiome, for good.

If you follow the steps outlined and are unsatisfied with the results, we'll happily refund you 100% the amount you paid.

We want you both to get the most out of the time you have together, for as long as possible. You will heal your dog of the above issues by helping him get the right food, then by changing the biological makeup of his gut microbiome.

Sounds very scientific, and that’s because it is. But it’s also very simple. Let’s dive into the breakdown of the program.

If you’ve already received a Gut Grade from our website quiz, we still need a bit more information to provide customized diet recommendations.

If you purchased your Starter Kit before taking the quiz on the WildBiome.dog homepage, take the Full Questionnaire for any dog that will be going through the Protocol.

When you’ve elected a new food (sent to you via email), place the order.

Disclaimer: We are not affiliated with any dog-food company we recommend. Although we’re not in control of deliveries of these orders, our clients usually receive their new dog food in 3-10 days.

When you receive your new food, carefully follow the Phase 1: Diet Transition instructions for switching to the new food.

If you jump right in by feeding more than what is recommended below, your dog may experience moderate to severe digestive issues.

1. Purchase your dog’s new food

2. Begin the 10-day food transition period using the diagram above and daily guidance below

Start by simply using the new food as a ‘treat.’ Allow your dog to get used to the idea of eating something new.

90% old food, 10% new food. Feed new food separately if it helps.

80% old food, 20% new food. Check your dog’s stool at least once/day. If it starts to head toward Diarrhea-Ville, ease up on the amount of new food for another day.

70% old food, 30% new food.

If your dog is tolerating the new food well, replace 50% of the old with thenew food. This can be as simple as swapping out an entire meal for the new food.

Gradually decrease old and add in new until the full switchover is complete. It may take a while for your dog's stool to look better but you should notice an increase in energy by now at the very least.

When you are finished transitioning your dog to new food (even if the 10 days are not over), fill out this form to let us know, and we’ll transfer you to Phase 2: Coconut Therapy.

*You will also receive the above form via email when it's pertinent.

If you’re having trouble in Phase 1, fill out this form, and we’ll be in touch.

Some dogs, because of young age, or a history of higher-quality food, are able to transition in only a few days without bloating, diarrhea or other issues. This is a good sign, and means we’ll have less work bringing his gut back to where it should be.

If your dog is older, or has typically eaten foods filled with yeast-producing ingredients, this transition can take an extra few days. You may even just have a pickier eater. This is totally normal - just take things a little slower and offer new food as stress-free treats throughout the day to acclimate to new tastes/textures.

If your dog gets diarrhea, drop the percentage of new food a bit, and increase new-food introduction at a slower rate moving forward. Pay attention to stool and make sure it doesn’t change dramatically one day to the next (i.e. bricks 🧱 to water 🚰) - it should be a slow transition.

Diarrhea:
If you're dog has more than 4 diarrhea-like poops in a row, we'll have you reach out to our nutritionists who can guide you through by clicking "Ask Our Team" on this page.

It's likely a food issue combined with a particularly stubborn digestive system, and we'll need to find a more appropriate diet solution. Do not start coconut oil before their stool has leveled out, as that will only make the problem worse.

Begging:
When your dog is clearly hungry (begging constantly, wants to eat 4+ times per day), start slowly, but you can add up to 20% more food. If your dog is hungry because we're feeding her the calories of a dog the weight she should be, add a bit more so she isn't begging, but still maintain the calorie restriction.

Persistent vomiting, lack of interest in food or other medical issues you think may be related to the new food: reach out to our nutritionists by clicking "Ask Our Team" on this page, and we'll be in touch.

No, not right away. It will take up to 10 days to fully transition your dog to his/her new food without uncomfortable side effects. Check here to read our food transition guide.

You have many options, all of which will have been carefully vetted by our team of pet nutritionists for your dog specifically. If you'd like to stick with kibble, we'd suggest a baked kibble - which has not been through the Maillard reaction - rather than an extruded kibble. If you'd like to go with a freeze-dryed or a fresh diet recommended by our pet nutritionists, you will likely see much more positive results. To see the FDA's current stance on grain-free diets visit our blog.

During the Protocol, we are trying to do anything we can to stop yeast overgrowth and subsequent bacterial imbalance. Yeast feeds on ingredients the canine gut turns into sugar (i.e. corn, wheat, rice, soy, sucralose, sugar, molasses), and we therefore try to avoid any grain while the Protocol is at therepeutic level.

However, there are some grains such as sprouted oats, certain types of barley, and quinoa that are much less inflammatory. If you really prefer to keep you pup on grains, our nutritionist can recommend a food that will be less inflammatory. FYI, here is the FDA's current position on a grain-free diet with regards to DCM.

You can split the cans and kibble in any fashion, as long as you hit the calorie target. FYI, wet is always better than dry.

Pet-safe bone broth can be added 1 TBS per 10 lbs of dog (1/4 cup per 40 lbs of dog) per day and is available at most independent pet stores in the freezer section.

Ultra Oil is to help the skin heal faster and help with inflammation reduction, especially during the detox period.

Add the Ultra Oil according to the weight of the dogs (directions found on the bottle).

If you're dog has more than 4 poops at 'Level 7' (diarrhea) we'll have you reach out to our nutritionists who can guide you through. It's likely a food issue combined with a particularly stubborn digestive system, and we'll need to find a more appropriate diet solution. Do not start coconut oil before their stool has leveled out, as that will only make the problem worse.

When your dog is clearly hungry (begging constantly, wants to eat 4x per day) absolutely add more food. Start slowly, but you can add up to 20% more food. If your dog is hungry because we're feeding her the calories of a dog the weight she should be, add a bit more so she isn't begging, but still maintain the calorie restriction.

By switching to the right food, excess yeast is already starving and dying off. Nice work! Time to accelerate that die off using MCT-3 Oil. Its fatty acids kill the excess yeast and other bad bacteria without harming the good.

You will receive customized instructions for your dog according to weight, new food type, and calorie needs. 

Keep a close eye on your email inbox where you will receive them.

Follow these instructions carefully. Giving too much too soon can bring on greasy stools or diarrhea, fatigue, mental exhaustion, and body aches.

If you miss a day of feeding MCT-3 Oil, just make sure to jump right back in the next day where you left off.

We’ll also be lowering your dog's daily calories by the calorie amount you feed them in MCT-3 Oil so as to not overfeed by exceeding the recommended daily caloric intake.

Dogs with active yeast overgrowth may need even more, so reach out via by clicking "Ask Our Team" on this page (to the left on a laptop, at the top on mobile) if you don’t notice any changes after a week.

For best results, divide your doses throughout the day and provide extra fluids (like pet-safe bone broth) and water to help flush toxins from the body.

When you are finished with your Coconut Therapy phase, fill out this form to let us know, and we’ll transfer you to Phase 3: Bacteria Repopulation.

If you’re having issues during Phase 2, fill out this form, and we’ll be in touch.

The Herxheimer Reaction (aka, Yeast Die Off) in dogs is similar to Keto Flu in humans. It’s a few-day to a few-week period during which the body is making a major internal adjustment, and may be uncomfortable.

Billions of bacteria, yeast cells and fungi are dying inside your dog’s body. When they do, their physical remains produce toxins and can overwhelm the organs responsible for eliminating them from the body (lungs, skin, kidneys, liver, colon, and lymph nodes).

During this process, symptoms such as itching or skin breakouts, increased shedding, itchy ears, fatigue, and strange looking stools may present themselves with inreased intensity.

THIS IS NORMAL.

Your dog is NOT reacting poorly to the new food or MCT-3 Oil - these are signs that the detox is actually working.

Large breeds may not even notice a big change during Phase 2 or early Phase 3. For everyone else, it will be tough watching your pup suffer for days or possibly even weeks at a time.

As sad as this is, by the end of it, you’ll be left with a new dog who feels really good on the inside. And now it’s time to rebuild his gut.

Certain symptoms should be taken more seriously as possible roadblocks to Protocol progress. If you encounter any of these symptoms use the "Ask Our Team" button on this page.

- Hunched back (walking around as though they're about to 🤮 )
- Repeated vomiting (typically several times within a few hours)
- Pain or distention of the abdomen (dog appears uncomfortable or bloated)
- Diarrhea that doesn't subside.
- Sudden Loss of appetite.
- Fever
- Hives (see below)

If the dogs gets hives all over his body after eating coconut oil the first 1-3 times then he is most likely allergic and should reach our for an alternative.

Dogs should be seen by a veterinarian if pancreatitis is suspected.

This period is when owners are mostly likely to take their (momentarily suffering) dog to the vet who will likely diagnose the dog with an ear infection or something similar and put the dog on an antibiotic.

An antibiotic destroys all kinds of gut bacteria, meaning we’ll need to start the whole process over from Phase 1. We recommend avoiding antibiotics if at all possible during this Protocol (or during any other part of this gut-health journey for that matter).

If your vet is encouraging an antibiotic, look to our FAQ page (Herxheimer section) to find questions you can ask of your vet before simply accepting the antibiotic.

The first step is to pay even closer attention. Are his symptoms becoming magnified? That's a good sign. Is he getting more lethargic or itchy? Good signs. If none of this is happening, try increasing the coconut oil dosage by 10-20% per day, and watch for magnified symptoms.

There are 40 calories per tsp of coconut oil. If your dog's dosage today is 3 tsp, you'll need to drop 120 calories of food. Calories from food are listed on their nutrition label as "kcal/cup" or "kcal/oz". If the food shows 480kcals/cup then they need to drop 1/4 cup per day to account for the oil. Does that make sense?

When your dog is clearly hungry (begging constantly, wants to eat 4x per day) absolutely add more food. Start slowly, but you can add up to 20% more food.

This is a sign of detox, and you should celebrate a little. The coconut oil is doing it's job! You can rub a bit of coconut oil right on the dry skin to soothe the discomfort a bit.

Congratulations, it IS working! One of the biggest signs of detox is ear infections. You can use Zymox ear solution but don't cave to antibiotics which will set us back at ground zero. Don't clean the ears before using Zymox.

Natural Company Paw Soother Balm - get the tin, not the stick. Or you can get Vetericyn, which can be used anywhere, not just the paws, in case their face folds are getting red, itchy, yeasty, etc.

When your dog is clearly hungry (begging constantly, wants to eat 4x per day) absolutely add more food. Start slowly, but you can add up to 20% more food.

NO ALLERGY SHOT!! If your dog is very yeasty (not typical, but can happen after many years of kibble every day) there can be some residual purge/detox. Bathing him with an antimicrobial rinse can help a lot (this one is also good). You can also rub coconut oil all over his body (be careful with your leather couch).

Here are a few statements/questions to keep in your back pocket the next time you're at the vet:

1. I'm concerned about the impact steroids/antibiotics will have on my dog's gut health. I've been working hard to build up the good bacteria in his gut, and I don't want to disrupt that balance."

2. "Are there any other options for treating my dog's condition that don't involve steroids/antibiotics?"

3. "I'm willing to try other treatments, even if they take longer, if it means that I can avoid giving my dog steroids/antibiotics."

Be straight with your vet. Don't mince words, and let them know you have some understanding of the importance of the gut microbiome. Opt for long-term health over short-term solutions, and don't be afraid to push back.

Two scoops a day, that's it.

Now that you've eliminated the excess yeast cells (the cockroach-like bugs, which are dead now, phew!), you'll spend the next 8 weeks repopulating that gut with billions of diverse and healthy bacteria.

DT-Synbiotic 1 is perfectly formulated to bring a dog’s gut microbiome back to its wild and natural state.

Add two scoops of DT-Synbiotic 1 to the last meal of the day - preferably within a couple hours of bedtime. If your dog only eats once/day, and it’s not at night, put the powder into a scoop of Greek yogurt and slap that into a bowl like the snack it is.

The scoop found in your Starter Kit corresponds with your dog's size as seen in the chart above. We've kept the scoop half the size it should be, because when you move from the DTS1 in your Starter Kit to your first Gut Resilience refill pack, you'll only need one scoop per day from then on.

Each recommended amount is catered specifically to your dog's weight and size, so please measure carefully as this stuff is quite powerful.

DTS1 is a premium, therapeutic-grade prebiotic/probiotic/enzyme blend with 10 billion colony-forming units (CFU’s) in each ¼ tsp. In the future, we'll ease back to maintenance-level dosage, but for the next couple months, let's give these good bacteria every chance of becoming the dominant populations.

Probiotics are the billions of good bacteria inside your gut. They’re in your dog’s gut, too (or they’re about to be).

You’ll see a lot of probiotic supplements for dogs out there. There are a couple of problems with most:

1. All the probiotics in the world won’t help if the gut is overwhelmed by excess yeast.

2. A dog’s stomach is like a toxic wasteland to gentle probiotics. Most probiotics come in “chew” form which a dog’s system destroys before it even has time to be effective.

After working with thousands of dogs, our head nutritionist, Samantha Henson, carefully curated a blend for dogs dealing with yeast overgrowth: DT-Synbiotic 1.

The “DT” in our Synbiotic stands for “Daily Therapeutic,” as this blend provides a therapeutic level of colony forming units (CFU's) - 10 billion per ¼ tsp.

A “Synbiotic” is a blend of prebiotics, probiotics, and digestive enzymes that, when allowed to flourish in the gut microbiome, are capable of completely restoring the gut flora to its natural and wild state.

Our blend is certified shelf stable (meaning it will make it to the colon), and we wouldn’t think of having you waste money on it until first fixing the yeast problem.

Get excited. Your dog is about to have the healthiest gut microbiome for miles. That is... until you share it with your neighbor's dog who probably needs it even more.

Easy as that. Two scoops each night for 8 weeks then, a wild biome. 

Soon you will have a dog as perky and spunky as nature intended him to be. His stools will be less frequent, small, and easy to pick up. There’ll be less itching, less licking, no ear infections, and no weird smell.

Now, we want to keep it that way. This is done by playing some defense:
- No sharing your pizza crust on pizza night
- No inflammatory dog biscuits from the drive-through
- No unnecessary antibiotics/steroids
- No redundant vaccinations
- No high-starch food in general

…and by playing some offense:

Move to the maintenance-level, Gut Resilience refill synbiotic, continuing to ensure the gut stays populated with the good stuff.

You and your dog should be busy playing fetch, sniffing friends (up to you whose job that is), and hiking mountains, not making monthly trips to the vet, cleaning your living-room carpet from another accident, and picking up the latest prescription from the pharmacy.

Now, you might start getting very excited. And you’re right to. You and pup have a few, diligent weeks between where you are now, and the life you dreamed of when you first picked up your bundle of fur and joy. So be excited - your new, healthy dog is on its way!

Congratulations, it IS working! One of the biggest signs of detox is ear infections. You can use Zymox ear solution but don't cave to antibiotics which will set us back at ground zero. Don't clean the ears before using Zymox.

When your dog is clearly hungry (begging constantly, wants to eat 4x per day) absolutely add more food. Start slowly, but you can add up to 20% more food.

As easy as it will be to revert back to chewy treats from aisle 6 once all this is over, just don’t. You’ve spent many hard weeks restructuring your dog’s gut microbiome. If you add back in all those tasty but yeast-producing treats, you can count on the yeast overgrowth making a comeback.

When a microbiome is filled with the right bacteria, those good bacteria crave good nutrients. Your dog can’t tell you how satisfied they are, but you should know, their gut is craving the right foods. Your dog may always beg for pizza crust during dinner, but don’t feel bad when their puppy eyes come out. Long-term happiness means so much more than today’s pizza crust (write that down for your next speech).

A slip up or birthday treat every now and again is okay (we're talking monthly/quarterly), but you'll want a daily, maintenance-level probiotic to keep your dog's gut healthy and wild.

This quote from our head nutritionist sums it up best: "My dogs don't go a day without a maintenance grade probiotic because if there is one thing I've learned over the years, it's that maintaining is so much easier than starting over on a gut that unknowingly fell back into dysbiosis...The world we live in isn't perfect and our dogs don't live in a bubble. Nor should they. Maintaining their gut microbiome is the easiest, most affordable form of preventative care that I can think of."

Yes! For veggies, stick to peppers, green beans, cucumber, broccoli, dark leafy greens, etc. Avoid sweeter, starchier veggies like carrots, sweet potatoes, and white potatoes. Onions and leeks are toxic, so NONE of those.

Bad gas can happen anytime there is a change happening in the gut. Moving from the therapeutic-grade dosage to the maintenance grade can cause a disturbance because the gut now has to populate more of its own bacteria. Basically, gas is a sign the gut is getting to work. When the body is used to digesting food easily via the help of digestive enzymes (in DTS1) and those are removed, it has to scramble to break down foods - particularly dry foods like kibble. Even our nutritionist-recommended kibble is far from perfect, and there can always be changes when bodies break down dry foods. Gas is much less common in dogs with raw, cooked, and wet food diets.

Sugars: Yeast feeds on sugars, so foods that are high in sugar can promote its growth. This includes table sugar, corn syrup, and other sweeteners.

Starches: Starches are also broken down into sugars by the body, so foods that are high in starch can also promote yeast growth. This includes bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes.

Yeast-containing foods: Some foods, such as bread dough, contain live yeast. If a dog eats these foods, the yeast can start to grow in their gut.

Antibiotics: Antibiotics can kill off beneficial bacteria in the gut, which can lead to an overgrowth of yeast.

Stress: Stress can also weaken the immune system, making it more difficult for the body to fight off yeast infections.