An animal's gut already hosts a vast resident microbial community, and one of the most reliable ways to support it is simply to feed it well. Prebiotics are defined fibres and carbohydrates — fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), inulin, and yeast-derived mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS) among the best known — that pass through the host's digestion intact and become fuel or functional material for beneficial microbes in the hindgut.
How the main prebiotics differ
- FOS and inulin (typically from chicory) are classic fermentable prebiotics: preferred fuel for beneficial bacteria, whose fermentation produces the short-chain fatty acids that nourish the gut lining itself.
- MOS (from yeast cell wall) works differently — less as food, more as a decoy surface that undesirable bacteria bind to instead of the gut wall, and as a support to local gut defences. Its research base is strongest in poultry, pigs and calves.
- Beta-glucans, also yeast-derived, are studied for their interaction with the gut's immune tissue.
A stable animal, unlike a human, cannot diversify its own diet on advice — its gut microbiota eats what the ration provides. That is what makes deliberate prebiotic inclusion meaningful, and it is why prebiotics feature across our companion, equine and agricultural gut formulations.
Prebiotic + probiotic: the synbiotic logic
Prebiotics and probiotics solve different halves of the same problem, and combining them — a synbiotic — is standard practice in our gut formulations: the organism arrives with its food supply. Prebiotics also bring a practical virtue probiotics lack: they are not alive, so they hold their potency through processing and shelf life without special protection, making them dependable inclusions in chews, powders and premixes alike.
One formulation caution: fermentable fibre is dose-sensitive. Too much, introduced too fast, ferments too enthusiastically — a particular consideration in the horse's voluminous hindgut. Inclusion levels and feeding instructions respect the species' digestive architecture.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a prebiotic and a probiotic?
A probiotic is a live beneficial organism added to the gut; a prebiotic is a specialised fibre that feeds the beneficial organisms already there. Many gut formulations combine the two.
Which animals benefit from prebiotics?
Dogs and cats (digestive balance and stool quality), horses (hindgut support during stress and feed changes), and production animals — where MOS and related yeast fractions are established tools in poultry, pig and calf nutrition.
Are prebiotics safe?
Defined prebiotic fibres are well tolerated at formulated levels. Because they are fermentable, dose and gradual introduction matter — especially in horses — which is why label feeding rates exist and should be followed.