A Question About Epimmune and Probiotics - Can You Help?

From an Ace Canine Customer.

I have a question about Epimmune. I think there’s a lot of confusion for dog owners about probiotics and what’s needed. Epimmune says it’s a superbiotic so can I check if it’s everything my dogs would need long-term in the way of pre-, pro- and post-biotics, without giving them anything else? I don’t even understand all the differences.

That's a great question, and I completely understand why it's confusing. The terms prebiotic, probiotic and postbiotic are used a lot now, but they're rarely explained in a way that makes it clear how they work together.

Around 80% of a dog's immune system is influenced by the beneficial bacteria living in the gut. These bacteria produce a wide range of beneficial compounds that help regulate normal immune function throughout the body. The aim of feeding biotics is to support those bacteria and the compounds they naturally produce.

The three types of biotics each have a different role:

Prebiotics are simply items of food that cannot be digested by your dog. Because of this, they pass into the gut undigested, where bacteria can utilise them as fuel for themselves to ensure they thrive and grow. Prebiotics are a common foodstuff but not usually found in sufficient quantity in a dog’s diet to give optimum health.

Probiotics are live bacteria added to your dog’s feed. Although many of these bacteria are killed in the stomach, many do make it through to enhance the microbiome in the gut further down the digestive tract. Here, they produce metabolites (a large range of complex compounds) which are used by the immune system to maintain good health around the body. Naturally, the resident bacteria are already doing this.

Postbiotics are the metabolites produced by the gut bacteria: when fed separately they add to the existing metabolites being produced by the resident bacteria and boost the immune system even further.

Epimmune has been formulated with all of this in mind. It contains probiotics together with EpiCor®, one of the leading postbiotics. We describe it as a superbiotic because it not only supports the beneficial bacteria already living in the gut but also provides a consistent source of beneficial compounds that help support normal immune function. This means you're not relying solely on the bacteria to produce enough of those compounds themselves.

Current evidence suggests that the most effective approach is to support the existing gut bacteria and provide the beneficial compounds they produce. Research hasn't shown any additional benefit from adding extra probiotic or postbiotic supplements when a product has already been formulated to provide balanced biotic support.

So, in answer to your question, yes – Epimmune is designed to provide the biotic support your dogs need, and there's no need to add separate pre-, pro- or post-biotic supplements alongside it. The ingredients have been carefully selected to complement one another, providing comprehensive gut and immune support in a single product.

I hope that helps explain the differences a little more clearly. As always, if there's anything else you'd like to ask, please don't hesitate. We're always happy to help.