Probiotics and Pet Food
October 23, 2019
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Probiotics seem to be a growing trend in the market and I tend to see them advertised on TV or even at my local grocery store. They tend to be in many foods we eat today including yogurt, milk and cheese. You can even take a daily probiotic supplement to help promote gut health. We spend a lot of time, effort and money to keep our own digestive systems happy, but what about our pets? Probiotics are now entering the pet food market as well. However, what really are probiotics and how can they help our pets?
What are probiotics?
Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when consumed in adequate amounts, can have a health
benefit to your pet. Some probiotics work by balancing levels of the bacteria in the pet’s intestines,
helping to promote digestive health.
What is a microbiome and why is a balanced microflora important for pets?
A pet’s intestinal bacteria composition is called its microflora and their home or community is called the microbiome. Each pet has a unique microflora that is made up of different bacteria. When a probiotic is consumed in adequate amounts, this can help balance the bacteria in the intestines, which promotes digestive health.
What is the difference between a probiotic and a prebiotic?
Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when consumed in adequate amounts, have a health benefit to the pet.
Prebiotics are dietary fibers that serve as a food source for probiotics.
An easy way to remember this is probiotics are live microorganisms that support digestive health and prebiotics are the food source for probiotics
There are products with multiple strains of probiotics. Is consuming more strains better?
Different strains of probiotics have different effects, and may not always be complementary, even to thepoint of working against one another.
Multiple strains of microorganisms in a product does not mean the product is more effective than a
product that contains one strain.
How to choose the right probiotic for your pet.
The probiotic found in select Pro Plan dry products is also found in human food and beverage products. It is a robust and stable probiotic, which can survive the Purina pet food manufacturing process and it does not require refrigeration. This is important because, for a pet to realize the benefits of probiotics, they must be alive when fed.
There are many probiotic products available for animal and human use, but in order to be effective, a probiotic must remain live and viable until the time of consumption. Different probiotic strains can have different health benefits. They are also highly sensitive and even something like the manufacturing process can affect their efficacy. When looking on a bag of food you may see the amount of the live bacteria followed by CFU. CFU stands for Colony Forming Units and it is unit a measurement to estimate the amount of live viable bacteria.
Are there any live probiotics in pet food on the market?
Select dry Purina® Pro Plan® Savor® formulas deliver guaranteed live probiotics to support digestive health.
Incorporating probiotics into your pet’s daily diet can help promote a stable microflora and help support a pet’s digestive health. Supporting digestive health can help support your pets overall wellbeing.
Why Pro Plan®?
Pro Plan® stands for advanced nutrition. Everything we do has a singular focus - creating nutrition that helps bring out the very best in your dog. Our formulas are backed by science and research from a team of over 500 global pet experts including pet nutrition experts, veterinarians, behaviourists, and immunologists. Every high-quality ingredient is carefully chosen for a specific purpose.
Nutrition that Performs®
Year after year exceptional dogs are fueled by our food
11 of the last 12 Westminster Best in Show Champions were fed Pro Plan®†
In Canada in 2018, 7 of the top 10 conformation dogs were fed Pro Plan®
†Handlers or owners of these champions may have received PRO PLAN Food as Purina ambassadors.
The opinions expressed by authors on the Canadian Kennel Club Blog and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of the Canadian Kennel Club or any of its employees.
Les opinions et les commentaires exprimés dans le blogue du Club Canin Canadien sont ceux des auteurs et ils ne reflètent pas les opinions du Club Canin Canadien ni de ses employés.
Stacy Lynn Morley
Stacy Lynn Morley studied Animal Biology at the University of Guelph. Finding her passion for pet nutrition at Nestle Purina, Stacy Lynn decided to pursue her Masters of Animal Nutrition, returning to the University that she loved. She has presented her masters research at various American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition Symposiums throughout the United States.
Having worked for Nestle Purina since June 2008, Stacy Lynn is currently the Nutritional Communications Manager for Nestle Purina where she shares her knowledge of pet nutrition with her colleagues, breeders and pet owners. She has also made various media appearances such as on CP24, The Social and Global TV. Stacy Lynn also has a cuddly Lagotto Romagnolo named Hudson.