These three words get used a lot, and mixed up almost as often. They’re not interchangeable, and the difference genuinely matters when you’re choosing a supplement for your dog. Here’s the simple way to think about it.
The garden analogy
Imagine your dog’s gut as a garden full of helpful bacteria.
- Prebiotics are the fertiliser. They’re fibres your dog can’t digest, but the good bacteria can. They feed and encourage the helpful population already living there.
- Probiotics are new plants. They’re live beneficial bacteria you add to the garden to boost the population directly.
- Postbiotics are the harvest. They’re the beneficial compounds all that bacterial activity produces (the actual benefits), ready for your dog to absorb.
A good gut supplement supports all three. That’s exactly how we built PawStrong Gut & Immune.
Why all three?
Plenty of supplements include just one (usually a probiotic) and leave it at that. But live bacteria work best when they’re fed (prebiotics), and a postbiotic delivers benefits directly regardless of what’s happening with the live cultures. Combining all three means you’re supporting the gut from every angle, every day. Paired with omega-3 from Incromega® fish oil, that’s a genuinely complete approach to gut and immune health.
What’s in PawStrong Gut & Immune
Prebiotics
The food
- Fructo-oligosaccharides (GOFOS): a well-established prebiotic fibre that feeds beneficial gut bacteria
- Psyllium husk: supports healthy gut movement and feeds some beneficial bacteria
- Toasted pumpkin seed: not a classic prebiotic, but its fibre and natural polyphenols have mild prebiotic-like effects
Probiotics
The workers
- Bacillus velezensis: a live, spore-forming strain. The spore form matters, it’s hardy enough to survive storage and the journey through the digestive system to where it’s useful
Postbiotics
The results
- EpiCor®: a leading postbiotic made from fermented yeast, delivering beneficial metabolites straight to your dog’s gut. What is EpiCor? →
