Does Soil Affect a Dog's Microbiome?

Kenley Mitchell, a 5th grader at Sargent Elementary School, utilized microBIOMETER® in her science fair project titled Getting Dirty: Does Soil Affect a Dog’s Microbiome?. Kenley won first prize in her category and received the overall best project award for the San Luis Valley Regional in Alamosa, CO!

Project Abstract

For my project, I tested a dog's microbiome and compared it to the health of the dog’s soil. I also looked at the time the dog spends in the soil. I ran two samples. The first sample was a stool sample. The second sample was a soil sample. Both were taken at the same time. I tested dogs that are in the city vs. country dogs. I found out that farm dogs have a healthier microbiome, but city dogs have healthier soil. The farm dogs’ average microbial biomass in the soil is 221.0 ug C/g. The city dogs’ average microbial biomass in the soil is 273.4 ug C/g. Farm dogs average for F% is 20%. City dogs average for F% is 32%. Farm dogs average for B% is 80%. City dogs average for B% is 68%. The farm dogs were outside in the soil for longer periods of time. The farm dogs might be healthier due to spending more time in the soil.