Preliminary Analysis of Intestinal Microbiota in Golden Retrievers Prone to Dilated Cardiomyopathy Due to Taurine Deficiency

Taurine plays a key role in cardiovascular and gastrointestinal health in dogs and may be deficient in some predisposed breeds despite consuming complete petfood. This study aimed to explore potential associations between serum taurine concentration and gut microbiota composition in clinically healthy Golden Retrievers, a breed predisposed to taurine deficiency-associated dilated cardiomyopathy. Eleven adult dogs, which were fed the same extruded commercial diet and living in the same kennel, underwent a nutritional evaluation, fecal analysis, and measurement of serum concentrations of taurine, folates, and vitamin B12. Taurine levels were below reference values in eight out of eleven dogs, and 50% of the tested dogs showed reduced serum folate. Microbiota analysis based on 16S rRNA sequencing revealed subtle compositional shifts in dogs with lower taurine levels, including a depletion of mucus-associated Deferribacterota and an enrichment of bile-sensitive taxa such as Lactobacillus and Streptococcus. While alpha and beta diversity metrics did not differ significantly between groups, unweighted UniFrac indicated a trend toward separation. These findings suggest that hypotaurinemia in Golden Retrievers may be associated with specific alterations in the gut microbiota, potentially reflecting subclinical dysbiosis. Further studies integrating metabolomic profiling are needed to clarify the functional implications of these microbial changes on taurine metabolism.