Dried Bifidobacterium Animalis Fermentation Product

Dried Bifidobacterium animalis fermentation product is a dried culture of gut bacteria added to cat food as a probiotic. Bifidobacteria are among the normal residents of mammal intestines. Tufts veterinary nutritionists say there is not yet evidence that probiotics improve overall wellness in animals without illness. No specific risk for cats appears in the sources we checked. A cat with a medical condition should get advice from its veterinarian.

Source: sites.tufts.edu

It is added as a probiotic, on the idea that it supports the bacteria living in a cat's gut. Bifidobacterium does not form spores, so most of it would die in the heat of making kibble. Makers usually coat it onto the kibble after cooking. How much stays alive until the food is eaten is not printed on most labels.

They are two different species in the same genus of gut bacteria. The second word on the label names the species, and some labels go further and name a strain. Tufts veterinary nutritionists point out that probiotic results are often very strain specific, so a finding about one species or strain does not carry over to another.

Source: sites.tufts.edu

Not necessarily. Tufts veterinary nutritionists write that studies in different animal species have shown probiotic results are often very strain specific, so results from one product may not apply to another. A cat food that lists a probiotic by species name alone gives you limited information. Your veterinarian can point you to a tested product if your cat needs one.

Source: sites.tufts.edu

Pettings gives dried Bifidobacterium animalis fermentation product 4 out of 5 and lists it as a probiotic or enzyme ingredient. It appears on 7 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. The ingredient score reflects the ingredient alone, not the amount in any one recipe. Each food's page shows how it scores overall.