In dogs, as in humans, the aging process leads to an alteration of the gut microbiota and a decrease in the efficacy of the immune system. Profeed Advanced has been designed to support a balanced microbiota while sustaining the immune system through aging, said the partners.
The feed combines Tereos’ short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scFOS) with selected yeast fractions to tackle the gut microbiota and immune changes in elderly dogs.
Obtained from sugar beet sucrose, Tereos’ scFOS or Profeed is designed to encourage the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, while the yeast fractions act as postbiotics. “This results in a synergistic effect for a unique complementary feed – for which a patent is still pending.”
Manufactured at Tereos’ facility in Chevrieres, France, the collaborators said the feed comes in the form of a neutral-tasting powder that can be added to any wet or dry petfood by manufacturers. In terms of whether the product performs differently when applied in wet and dry pet food applications, a spokesperson told us that product form has no impact as long as the incorporation rate is respected.
The product is being launched in European pet food markets.
Supporting data
Asked for further data to show how Profeed Advanced stimulates and enhances the immune systems of senior and immuno-compromised dogs, the representative said a study by Wambacq et al, 2022, showed this new pre-and postbiotic mix can shape the gut microbiota composition and community structure of elderly dogs and that it can modulate total serum IgA and the CD4/CD8 T-cell ratio, known to increase and decrease with age respectively.
