The Science Behind Fermented Plants for Pets

Canines in the wild prefer to prey on ruminant ungulates (grass-eating hoofed mammals with 4-chambered stomachs). It has been suggested that this preference is instinctual (or learned over eons) because the microbiota in the stomachs of ruminants are particularly effective at stimulating fermentation that produces volatile short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) like acetate, butyrate, propionate and other substances that facilitate metabolism and immunity in themselves and the carnivores that eat them. SCFAs are important sources of energy. They also stimulate the growth of intestinal epithelial cells that play important roles in the digestion of food, absorption of nutrients and protection from microbial infections, based on having properties that appear to inhibit the growth of pathogens. Acetate induces beneficial modulation to intestinal permeability, which reduces the damage done when a bacterial cell disintegrates and toxins are released. Butyrate helps prevent colitis by minimizing the oxidative damage to DNA and (by) inducing the death of cells that sustain DNA damage. Propionate is a substance key to facilitating metabolism (aka a microbial fermentation metabolite). All in all, ruminant ungulates are the healthiest meal a canine (or feline) can eat.

Paraphrased from "Canine gastrointestinal microbiome in health and disease" by Jan Suchodolski, Dr. med. vet., PhD, Dipl. ACVM, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University and Kenneth Simpson, BVM&S, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ECVIM-CA College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, New York State.

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