Probiotics and Prebiotics in Dog Food
At Lucy Pet, like in human health, we believe that Prebiotics are an important contributing factor to the health of dogs and cats. Dogs and cats that eat dog food or cat food containing prebiotics have higher levels of bacteria, particularly Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli. Fiber and prebiotics also improve regularity and stool quality. The most common examples of prebiotics in dog food and cat food are chicory root extract, inulin, oligofructose, and fructooligosaccharides (FOS), but Lucy Pet uses a variety of prebiotics in our trademark P.B.F. blend.
Lucy Pet P.B.F. Prebiotic Balanced Fiber™ uses advanced technology and goes far beyond other dog foods & cat foods that may be using prebiotics today.
Prebiotics: A non-digestible food ingredient that supports a favorable environment for bacteria and cells in the gut wall of the digestive tract. Enables growth & activity of bacteria that populate the gastrointestinal tract.
Probiotics: A dietary supplement containing live bacteria that adds to the bacteria normally present in the gastrointestinal tract.
| Prebiotics | Probiotics |
|---|---|
| Food for the live organism | A live organism |
| Not affected by temperature, acidity, time | Die due to temperature, acidity, time |
| Reaches the large intestine/hindgut. | Uses up” in the stomach and small intestine |
| Food like whole grains, seeds, and legumes such as beans, lentils, and peas | It requires excess levels to survive. Few remain alive (if any) to be beneficial by the time the consumer uses the food. |
Why don’t we use Probiotics in our dog food & cat food?
Probiotics used in most dog foods and cat foods will not survive time, & temperature exposure nor have concentrations high enough to survive acidity & digestion to provide any real benefit.
Don’t all dog foods & cat foods already contain fiber?
Yes, all dog foods and cat foods foods contain fiber because many natural ingredients contain some fiber. BUT not all fibers are created equally in terms of health benefits they provide to pets. Fibers can be either insoluble or soluble, viscous or non-viscous, fermentable or unfermentable.
Most prebiotics are fibers, but not all fibers are prebiotics.
Lucy Pet Foods fiber portfolio contains ingredients such as flaxseed, chickpeas, chicory root, pumpkin, miscanthus grass fiber, etc. These provide a very rich fiber profile that the microbiota in the gut can metabolize.
We know that the gut microbiota is key to the health of the animal, and the more diverse the fiber system used in their dog food or cat food, the more diverse the gut microbiota. Microbial diversity is one very important feature of a healthy gut.Â
