If you've ever felt dizzy navigating the endless options in the pet food aisle, you're not alone. Many brands tout claims about enhancing "mental sharpness" or ensuring "digestive health". But how do we determine what's genuinely beneficial for our furry companions?
At DIG Labs, we too were puzzled by these promises, particularly regarding probiotics in dog food. Especially since, despite choosing kibble that claimed to have probiotics, our own pups still faced digestive troubles. We stumbled upon a research study by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association. They tested nineteen commercial pet foods that professed to contain probiotics. And guess what? The findings were both revealing and concerning.
Understanding the importance of probiotics, which are vital microorganisms found in both dogs' and our gastrointestinal systems, is essential. These probiotics play a critical role in boosting immunity, aiding digestion, and even warding off viruses. Often, when a pup faces digestive disorders - whether from infections, aging, or even emotional stress like moving homes - probiotics come to the rescue.
However, a significant revelation from the study was that many of these probiotic claims in commercial pet food are dubious. Out of nineteen products tested, none had all the microorganisms they claimed to include. Only ten genuinely had any of the probiotics listed.
Worse yet, five had none related to what they advertised, and some even had misspellings in their ingredient lists! Plus, the most commonly found probiotic in these foods, enterococcus faecium, raises eyebrows due to its potential antibiotic resistance gene transfer.
Given that these probiotics aren't regulated and that their distribution lacks consistent quality control, we pet parents must be vigilant. It's disheartening to realize many dog foods don't deliver their promises.
