Only a few people entirely understand the difference between pre and probiotics, or even what they do. Let’s break down these popular gut health buzzwords, explain why they matter, and how to get them into your pet!
What is the Microbiome?
Our GI tract, specifically our intestinal tract, is loaded with bacteria of all types. This community of bacteria is known as the microbiome. The microbiome consists of many organisms, primarily bacteria, as well as yeast, viruses, and fungi. For optimal health, this community must stay balanced (good and bad bacteria need to live together) and plentiful.
Probiotics: The Essential “Good” Bacteria
Think of probiotics as the flowers that grow in your gut and make you happy and healthy. These good bacteria/microorganisms (hence the word “pro”) keep your immune system, inflammatory response, and nervous system in good shape.
Benefits of Probiotics for Pets
Probiotics are responsible for many functions within the gut; they can affect our energy output, pathogen resistance, inflammatory response, histamine and neurotransmitter release, and even brain and liver damage. Simply put- they keep harmful bacteria in check and keep us from getting sick and inflamed.
Probiotics like S. Boulaardi can release compounds that destroy harmful bacteria within the gut. Thus, not only does their population balance the good and the bad by sheer population, but they also control harmful bacteria and other pathogens/viruses by actively releasing compounds to eradicate them. They are the most critical factor in determining health and illness.
When the microbiome becomes imbalanced, whether by antibiotic usage, chronic stress, or poor diet, among many other contributing factors, many health factors can decline; in fact, all mental illness is tied to some sort of gut dysfunction. For good reason—our gut is our primary manufacturer of feel-good neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine!
Probiotic Supplements for Pets
Probiotic supplements are a good way to replenish these bacteria, but they only go so far (and shouldn’t be given forever).
Maintaining a healthy diet, sleep cycle, and stress response are vital to helping good bacteria stay plentiful in the gut. Taking a probiotic is a good idea for most people and pets, but diversity is critical, so don’t worry so much about potency.
Look for products with multiple strains of healthy bacteria, and try to use whole food sources like raw goat’s milk, fermented foods, or our favorite- mushrooms! Switching up your whole food sources of probiotics will ensure you don’t overdo it with any particular strain and allow your gut to flourish naturally.
Prebiotics: Essential Fuel for Probiotics
However, probiotics cannot survive without food, so let’s talk about the soil for the flowers in your gut- prebiotics. Prebiotics are the precursor to probiotics; think of them as the healthy soil your flowers (probiotics) need to grow and flourish in. Like many soil types of varying quality, the same goes for the kinds of prebiotics on the market.
The most common type of prebiotic you’ll see in most pet supplements is FOS, fructooligosaccharide. As the first part of the name suggests, this is a sugar-based prebiotic. It’s cheap and serves a purpose.
Healthier Prebiotics for Pets
However, for our pets, who have no biological need for sugars and carbs, it can be negatively associated with inflammation. For this reason, we suggest steering clear of this type of prebiotic. Better sources include Larch Arabinoglactin, Inulin, or Jeruselum Artichoke.
However, we believe one source of prebiotics stands above them all– MUSHROOMS!
How Mushrooms Help Balance the Microbiome
Mushrooms are well known for their medicinal properties, like beta-glucans. But research continually shows that mushrooms have an even more fascinating effect- naturally balancing the gut microbiome!
We want the body to adjust and maintain a healthy bacterial balance, and mushrooms are the key to this delicate problem. Since mushrooms act as a prebiotic fiber through nondigestible polysaccharides, they are the best soil to grow all the good flowers our pets’ microbiome needs!
Not only that, but mushrooms also have antimicrobial properties, meaning they help eliminate harmful bacteria that may be increasing in the gut, potentially leading to adverse health outcomes. They are continually being researched and even considered as therapies for resistant infections in both people and pets!
By letting mushrooms do the work, we don’t have to supplement constantly with probiotic supplements. Many supplements are incredibly potent and can lead to digestive upset like gas and bloating.
Mushrooms like Lion’s Mane contain both pro and prebiotics at levels anybody can tolerate. Lion’s Mane also can prevent the growth of very harmful bacteria like H. Pylori, which can cause ulcers in pets and people.
In addition to helping grow healthy bacteria at normal levels, mushrooms like Chaga can aid in nutrient absorption. It is a critical addition for our pets, who often struggle with these issues due to chronic gut damage from poor diets like kibble.
When the gut is chronically damaged, this is known as a “Leaky Gut.” Mushrooms like Turkey Tail and Shiitake are researched and shown to treat leaky gut symptoms effectively and gently.
Supporting Your Pet’s Digestive Health with MycoDog Digest
All these mushrooms can be found in one easy-to-administer product, Digest by MycoDog. This formula was meticulously created for our cats and dogs with gut issues, as it has the essential mushrooms to support overall gut health.
Additionally, Digest includes Astragalus, Ashwagandha, and Rhodiola. Astragalus supports immune factors, liver function, inflammatory response, and intestinal barrier improvement. It also acts as a support for probiotics to flourish, similar to prebiotics.
Ashwagandha is there to support a healthy stress response (by balancing stress hormone release and reuptake), fight fungi like candida, ease IBS symptoms, as well as helping to maintain and repair the gut lining to create a strong intestinal barrier.
Finally, Rhodiola, a mood and cognition enhancer, is added to help enhance the function of digestive enzymes, repair dysbiosis, and create a more substantial intestinal barrier.
This powerful yet gentle synergistic combination is the ultimate tool in building a robust and healthy gut through real substances found in nature. Proper health comes from whole foods, not isolated chemicals in a lab.
Supporting Gut Health Naturally with Medicinal Mushrooms
Supporting your pet’s gut health doesn’t have to be complicated. With the natural power of mushrooms as both prebiotics and probiotics, you’re giving your pet a gentle, effective way to nurture their microbiome, strengthen their immune system, and improve nutrient absorption.
By choosing whole-food sources like medicinal mushrooms, you’re helping your pet thrive from the inside out—promoting a balanced, resilient gut and overall well-being. For a convenient, natural solution, MycoDog Digest combines powerful mushrooms and adaptogens to offer complete gut support, so your pet can enjoy the best of nature’s medicine every day.
