Prebiotics are food components that have a positive influence on the gut flora. A lot of bacteria are present in the intestinal tract: these are called ‘gut flora”. These bacteria may be beneficial, health promoting bacteria or pathogenic bacteria which have the potential to cause disease.
Prebiotics are carbohydrates which are not digested by the dog or cat. These prebiotics arrive undigested in the intestines and, there, they influence the bacteria population in the gut.
Some prebiotics such as FOS (fructo-oligosaccharides) act as a food source for the good bacteria (lactobacils and bifido bacteria) while they cannot be used by the pathogenic bacteria. By adding FOS to the diet, the growth of good bacteria is stimulated while bad bacteria are suppressed.
