Prebiotic Products. "Digestion" vs. "Gentle Digest"

Hi, have any of you tried a prebiotic called DIGESTION by Organic Pet Superfood? I have seen this pop up at a number of boutique pet stores that also sell Gentle Digest. I wondered if any of you thought one product was better than the other. The other supplements they sell are: Immunity, Skin Coat and Joints.

Organic Pet Superfood - Digestion

Price: $29.00

We activate your pet’s natural immune defenses to help them enjoy healthier, happier, more pain-free lives.

Packed with thousands of natural enzymes, antioxidants and immune-modulating compounds, DIGESTION gives your pet essentials like soluble fiber for improved digestion and enhanced wellness. Our unique blend of powerful organic mushrooms contains naturally occurring B-vitamins to help convert food to energy for everyday activity and fighting disease. And DIGESTION improves digestive efficiency while combating gas, loose stools and bad breath. Give your pet’s diet the support it needs with DIGESTION in every meal.*

Recommended Uses:
— Therapy for pets with symptoms of gastrointestinal disturbances, including gas, bad breath, loose stools or constipation
— Preventative for highly active pets needing efficient nutrient processing and for pets prone to digestive imbalances
— Use alone or in conjunction with our IMMUNITY formula

VITAMINS B1, B12, C + D · POLYSACCHARIDES · TRITERPENES · NATURAL ENZYMES · PREBIOTICS · DIETARY FIBER
100% ORGANIC · POWDER ( 60 GRAMS )

Serving Size / ¼ teaspoon (.5 grams) per 25lbs. GREAT VALUE! (2 month supply for an average sized 50lb. dog)

Instructions / Place on dry or wet food once per day (for lame or diseased pets, double dosage for first 7 days).

Ingredients / Contains Only: Organic Maitake, Organic Shitake, Organic Lion’s Mane, Organic Beech, Organic Turkey Tail, Organic Oyster.

Favorite

0 members favorited this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle on July 24, 2013 at 6:47am

This product is not a probiotic. It contains no beneficial bacteria at all, none. There is no evidence that any of the ingredients it does contain would do anything positive for a dog's digestive system, either.

The whole point of a probiotic is to replace the good bacteria in the gut that is necessary for proper digestion and stool formation.This product won't do that.

The language of the advertising is also very misleading. Nothing here is going to "activate your pet's natural defenses", and you wouldn't want it to anyway. Most immune-mediated diseases are caused by an overactive immune system that certainly doesn't need any stimulation. However, in most cases where we recommend a probiotic, the main point is to increase the good flora in the gut that may have been destroyed by antibiotics or a disease process. This product, as I mentioned, contains NONE.

In contrast, the active ingredient in Gentle Digest is Bacillus Coagulans.

Bacillus coagulans is a type of bacteria. It is used similarly to lactobacillus and other probiotics as "beneficial" bacteria.

And Gentle Digest is far from the best or most effective probiotic out there. It's just one that is readily available, reasonably priced, and gentle enough for most dogs. For serious cases of GI disease and bacterial imblanaces, you need something with a lot more strains and numbers of beneficial bacteria.

But Gentle Digest is still a much, much better choice than the Digestion product.