Progress, Potential, and Possibilities Podcast / Show · Ira Pastor

How Microbiome Data is Transforming Veterinary Medicine | Dr. Bushra Schuitemaker, Ph.D. - Head of Microbiology, Pooch & Mutt - Head of Science and Research, BIOME9

April 9, 2026·52 min·3 clips

The Kids and Canine Foundation in Canada treated osteosarcoma simultaneously in dogs and pediatric patients and compressed drug development from 15 years to 5 years.

The conversation begins with translation. The host frames Dr. Bushra Schuitemaker's work in microbiology, zoology, animal nutrition, Biome 9, and Pooch & Mutt as a way to turn lab findings into pet-health decisions. The workflow gets a clear walk-through. Schuitemaker describes taking DNA from a sample, amplifying the 16S rRNA gene, and using that bacterial signal to identify which species are present in a dog's gut. This part is more concrete than it might sound. Because the gene comes from bacteria, the test can focus on microbial makeup and pick up organisms that may be tied to disease. Then the data needs something to stand against. Biome 9 builds healthy reference groups from working dogs, including guide dogs and police dogs, because their medical histories and veterinary checks are well documented. That gives the comparison some weight. Samples from dogs with diagnosed conditions such as irritable bowel disease or dermatitis can then be checked against the healthy group to look for patterns that matter. Sometimes a single marker gets attention. Schuitemaker names Ruminococcus narvis as a biomarker seen in dogs and humans with IBD, but she also makes clear that many conditions are messier than one bacteria. That mess becomes a scoring system. Certain combinations of bacteria, at certain levels, can feed into a marker system that gives vets and dog owners a score out of 100. The practical point stays in view. The goal is not to catalogue microbes for its own sake, but to make microbiome science useful for pets who may need better care. The host gives Schuitemaker room to explain the technical steps, then brings the discussion back to what a vet or owner can do with the result. Her roles at Biome 9 and Pooch & Mutt also put the science close to both testing and animal health products. The episode lands on a simple idea: once canine microbiome patterns can be measured, compared, and modeled, vets get another layer of evidence beyond symptoms alone.

As heard by us

A grounded look at how microbiome science is being turned into veterinary tools.

The episode treats veterinary microbiome science as a practical piece of work, not a lab demo. Dr. Bushra Shatmaker walks through DNA extraction, 16S rRNA analysis, and the scoring systems meant to help vets and dog owners read skin, coat, gut, and related health signals.

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Why you'd press play

Press play for a clear guide to canine gut microbiome testing and what it can actually tell vets.

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