What are probiotics and prebiotics in dog food?
Probiotics – Promoting Healthy Gut and Microbiome in Dogs
Before discussing the effect probiotics (and prebiotics) have on our dogs’ health, it is important to understand how the gut-brain axis influences dog health.
The gut is now being referred to as the ‘second brain’ by scientists. Hidden in the walls of the digestive system, this “brain in your gut” is revolutionising medicine’s understanding of the links between your dog’s digestion, mood and overall health and wellbeing.
Scientists call this the enteric nervous system (ENS). The ENS is two thin layers of more than 100 million nerve cells lining your dog’s gastrointestinal tract from oesophagus to rectum.
The gut-brain interaction is understood to affect immune health and chronic conditions including IBD (irritable bowel disorder, epilepsy, cancers and much more).
Scientists are increasingly focused on the gut-brain interaction and how probiotics can be used to effect change in the gut microbiota with significant health benefits for our dogs.
What are probiotics?
Probiotics are live microorganisms that research shows provides health benefits when consumed by both dogs and their humans. They can be found in yoghurt and other fermented foods, dietary supplements, and beauty products.
Probiotics are defined as a living organism, often bacteria, derived from the intestine, fermented dairy or plants as well as from soil, which are used to promote digestive and overall health.
Probiotics are often used to treat pets with inflammatory digestive diseases, to counteract stress related stomach disorders, and to treat diarrhoea.
Probiotics can also be helpful in reducing gut disorders resulting from switching diets or after antibiotic treatment.
Bonza, a plant-based, vegan dog food, with probiotics and prebiotics, selected a soil-based probiotic, Bacillus subtilis, as our preferred probiotic option for the reasons that follow.
Calsporin® – Bacillus subtilis C-3102 is a spore-forming bacterium found in soils that is used as a probiotic for humans and animals including our dogs.
It was approved for use in dog food in 2017 after extensive research into its safety and efficacy by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
The Papp et al study, published in 2016, found that that a well-formulated dog food supplemented with Bacillus subtilis C-3102 may optimally support faecal and coat quality.
Research published in Animal Feed Science and Technology in 2020 found dietary supplementation with Bacillus subtilis C-3102 increased gut bacterial diversity, improved the abundance of bacteria considered beneficial for gut health and improved the faecal score (consistency and firmness) and reduced the faecal odour and ammonia.
A study, published in Cambridge University Press in 2019 showed dog food supplemented with the Calsporin®, probiotic for dogs, improved faecal quality, enhanced fat and carbohydrate digestibility, and contributed to the gut health of dogs by reducing gut ammonia and increasing beneficial SCFA (short chain fatty acid) content.
Probiotics are highly heat sensitive and start to degrade at temperatures above 48.88889 °C. Most dry dog foods are subjected to temperatures in excess of 105°C meaning little if any survival of probiotics in the food after processing.
Research on survivability of probiotics subjected to heat processing shows that Calsporin, a spore-forming probiotic for dogs, was unaffected and the EU-commission concludes that it is heat stable to a temperature of 90°C, and viable for more than one year in petfood.
Bonza is processed at a temperature of 70°C or less using a cold-extrusion process, further helping preserve the integrity and efficacy of the probiotic included in your dog’s food to optimise the benefits its provides to your dog’s very best digestive health and microbiome.
Bonza is a plant-based, vegan dog food with probiotics and prebiotics formulated to support your dog’s gut health and promote a diverse microbiome to foster overall immune health and wellbeing for your dog throughout their lives.
What are prebiotics?
Prebiotics – Pathway to a Healthy Gut and Digestion:
Both prebiotics and probiotics are important for your dog’s health. However, they play different roles:
- Prebiotics: These substances come from types of carbohydrates (mostly fibre) that dogs can’t digest. The beneficial bacteria in your dog’s gut eat this fibre.
- Probiotics: These are live bacteria found in certain foods or supplements. They can provide numerous health benefits for your dog as discussed above.
Prebiotics work in harmony with probiotics to support healthy guts and good digestion. This in turn supports the immune system and general health.
Prebiotics, whether delivered by food or supplements, reach the gut intact and provide a feeding ground for probiotics, the good bacteria. Without them, probiotics are not as effective, which is why supplements for both humans and dogs are often combination supplements – called synbiotics.
Bonza contains both probiotics and prebiotics to support maximum efficacy and impact on your dog’s microbiota.
The gut bacteria, collectively referred to as the gut flora or gut microbiota, perform many important functions in the body. The good bacteria in your dog’s digestive tract help protect them from harmful bacteria and fungi. They also send signals to their immune system and help regulate inflammation (1, 2).
Additionally, some of your dog’s gut bacteria form vitamin K and short-chain fatty acids. Short-chain fatty acids are the main nutrient source of the cells lining the colon. They promote a strong gut barrier that helps keep out harmful substances, viruses and bacteria. This also reduces inflammation and may reduce the risk of cancer (3).
Prebiotics are types of fibre found in plant-based foods including vegetables, fruits and legumes. These types of fibre are not digestible by dogs, but their good gut bacteria can digest and use them.
Foods that are high in prebiotic fibre include:
- Legumes (chickpeas), beans (fava beans) and peas
- Oats
- Bananas
- Berries
- Jerusalem artichokes
- Chicory Root
- Asparagus
- Dandelion greens
- Garlic
- Leeks (do not feed to dogs as they can be toxic)
- Onions (do not feed to dogs as they can be toxic)
- Yucca schidigera
One of the things your dog’s good gut bacteria do with prebiotic fibre is turn it into a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) called butyrate. Butyrate has been extensively studied and has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects inside the colon (15). Butyrate may also influence gene expression, block the growth of cancerous cells and help provide fuel to healthy cells so that they can grow and divide normally.
Bonza plant-based, vegan dog food has been formulated by Canine Veterinary Nutritionists to include a variety of ingredients with well researched prebiotic fibres to support your dog’s healthiest gut microbiome.
The best probiotic vegan dog food should also contain sources of quality prebiotics.
The number one thing we can do for our dogs is giving them food that enables their body and mind to flourish.
Much like us, the healthier your dog’s lifestyle, the more likely they’ll be able to fight off any disease or infection. Often the food we feed our dogs is not doing them justice. It’s filled with artificial flavours, low-quality protein sources, and not enough fibre.
Bonza is a Veterinary nutritionist-developed dry vegan dog food that is a varied protein, high fibre source of complete and balanced natural nutrition for your dog.
Bonza is a dry dog food formulated to deliver the optimum balance of probiotics and prebiotic fibres, which together with PhytoPlus®, a proprietary blend of superfoods, super herbs and botanicals, is designed to support your dog living its longest, healthiest life all the while reducing the environmental harm to the planet of feeding them.
