What Are Prebiotics?
A good way to explain prebiotics is by thinking of them as fertilisers in our gardens, to help feed and grow all of your dog's good gut bacteria. By adding a prebiotic to your dog's diet, you can feed and help their gut bacteria grow strong to benefit their overall microbiome. Did you know that 70% of your dog's immunity is governed by those gut bacteria? It is so important to keep them healthy.
Many plant foods contain different types of prebiotics in the form of fibre that good gut bacteria thrive on. Apples, asparagus, bananas, berries, tomatoes, soaked seeds, legumes, green vegetables and wholegrains are some examples.
Prebiotics can also be manufactured artificially and added into foods or supplements as inulin which is a sweet white powder added to most dog foods.
My favourite prebiotic to add to your dog's food if they suffer from digestive issues such as soft faeces, diarrhoea, or anal gland issues, is pure psyllium husks that are easy to purchase from BuyWholeFoodsOnline
I confess to taking some everyday for my own health - I have a tsp in a glass of soya or oat milk each morning and really like the taste. Psyllium can be mixed into your dog's food each day - 1 tbsp for large dogs and a tsp for small dogs, or add to plant-based milk that they can lap. It goes quite gloopy very quickly.
What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics are extra gut bacteria that can be added to your dog's diet if they have had a course of antibiotics or cortisone for example that damages their normal healthy gut bacteria. Dogs fed raw food diets are shown to have what is called a dysbiosis where they may end up eating too much of the harmful bacteria present in raw food.
Probiotics are normally added in as a supplement with a paste if your dog has been on antibiotics or suffers from diarrhoea. Regutums is an example of a paste to keep in your cupboard for times when your dog may need some probiotic help.
A very simple probiotic to give to your dog, is tempeh which is fermented edamame beans and besides being so full of natural probiotics, it is also very high in protein for your dog which is why they really love it! We tend to need to marinade and bake our tempeh as it has quite a acquired taste, but dogs seem to love it just the way it is!
Our Just Be Kind Supplement contains both pre and probiotics when you choose to home cook.
