Ask Bill: Prebiotics

Q: I keep seeing Iams television ads promoting prebiotics for a healthy inside. What is it?

A: Pre and probiotics are important ingredients in pet food and have been for years. In fact, prebiotics and probiotics have been found in Happy Tails quality pet food for a long time. Prebiotics aid in digestion by promoting the growth of "good" bacteria. Chicory root, the best prebiotic, can be found in many of our foods including Nature's Logic, Innova/Evo/California Natural, Nature's Variety, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul, and Premium Edge. And while it's a good idea to include prebiotics, foods that add both pre and probiotics (Lactobacillus, acidophilus, bifidobacterium, etc) are going to give the most digestive health benefits as they work together to make a healthy environment for "good" bacteria. Iams foods contain no probiotics to speak of, so the likely effect of the including synthetic prebiotics may be limited. Keep in mind that all the pre and probiotics in the world will not make a poor quality food healthy, or make up for a lack of quality ingredients. The presence of prebiotcis is not going to counteract the lack of nutrition or unhealthy ingredients such as corn, wheat, soy or by-products. To learn more about pet food ingredients, those to look for and those to avoid, check our Ingredient Definitions List.