As part of a complete and balanced diet, certain pet food ingredients may provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Examples of these functional ingredients include blueberries and spinach (sources of antioxidants) and flax seeds and fish oil (which contain omega fatty acids). Probiotics are another functional ingredient found in some pet food formulas that help support your pet’s digestive and immune systems and can help your cat or dog maintain an active lifestyle.
What are probiotics?
Cats and dogs have “good” and “bad” bacteria in their digestive systems, just like humans. Probiotics are live microorganisms, such as bacteria or yeast, that are similar to the beneficial or “good” bacteria naturally found in your pet’s gastrointestinal (GI) tract. When probiotics are given in adequate amounts, the beneficial microbes introduced to the gastrointestinal tract can have beneficial effects on your pet’s health.
The role of the gut microbiota
To understand how probiotics help keep your pet healthy, let’s look at the role of microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract of cats and dogs. The digestive system is home to a vibrant population of (mostly) bacteria, as well as viruses, fungi, protozoa, and archaea, collectively referred to as the gut microbiota. The gut microbiota helps digest food, produces nutrients (eg, vitamins), defends against pathogenic organisms and boosts the immune system.
It only makes sense that a healthy digestive system breaks down food and distributes nutrients efficiently. However, the digestive system is also an important part of a healthy immune system, as approximately 70% of your pet’s immune system is located in the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, supporting digestive health also supports immune health – and healthy digestive and immune systems are essential to your pet’s overall health.
Probiotics can help maintain a healthy balance in the gastrointestinal tract by helping other beneficial bacteria compete with disease-causing bacteria for nutrients and intestinal binding sites, as well as helping the immune system fight off microbes. pathogens.
Diamond Proprietary Probiotic Blends
The probiotics used in Diamond Pet Foods were developed specifically for use with our dry dog and cat foods to help your pet digest food more efficiently. Every Diamond, Diamond Naturals, Diamond Naturals Grain-Free*, Diamond CARE and Diamond Pro89 Dry Dog Formula is enriched with K9 Strain Probiotics, and every Diamond and Diamond Naturals Dry Cat Formula, and Diamond CARE Weight Management Formula for adult cats. , is enriched with Viable probiotics.
Strain K9 and Viable Probiotics are species-specific probiotics developed from probiotic strains already present in the canine and feline gastrointestinal tracts. Each strain of probiotics is purified and guaranteed to be free of harmful pathogens or other contaminants.
To get the most benefit from probiotics, the bacteria must be viable, alive and able to multiply. Because probiotics are added to our kibble after the cooking process, the beneficial bacteria are guaranteed to be live, active cultures and at a concentration of 80 million CFU per pound.
If you’re wondering about an ingredient in a Diamond brand dog or cat food and why it’s there, be sure to check out our Ingredient Glossary or contact a Product Specialist here.
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*The facility where this food is manufactured also manufactures foods that may contain other ingredients, such as grains. Traces of these other ingredients may be present.
