Pet food and supplements brands face many challenges. They need to continuously keep up with the pace of innovation and expectations of a new generation of millennial pet owners, who look for natural, safe, effective and sustainable solutions. Today, 24% of pet owners in the U.S. turn to probiotics to support healthy digestion, immunity, and overall well-being of their pets, as dogs and cats are facing new challenges of living longer than before. With increased pet ownership over the last year, the market is rising sharply, increasing the need of pet health and nutrition producers to differentiate.

Leading global bioscience company Chr. Hansen is ideally positioned to help pet food and supplements manufacturers develop premium products, based on its long history of harnessing the power of good bacteria to help a wide range of industry sectors, including animal and human health.

Targeting the pet food and pet supplements industry in the United States, Chr. Hansen has launched a line up of three live probiotics each covering the needs related to a specific life stage of dogs and cats:

Crucial to pets’ normal health – and a possible gamechanger

“The microbiome of the pet’s digestive tract influences a wide range of important systems including digestion, immunity and behavior. By adding probiotics, live bacteria that positively interact with the microbiome and the pet’s digestive tract, we can support normal health and well-being of pets,” said Lidiia Alaverdova, a veterinarian herself and senior global product manager for Pet Health & Nutrition at Chr. Hansen.

She explained, “Pets make our world complete and impact our lives in so many ways, and pet owners wish to return the favor by increasingly treating their cats and dogs like members of their family. Probiotics for pets could be a gamechanger for brands in terms of differentiating and taking their premium pet food to the next level.”

Thirty percent of pet owners are looking to use more probiotics for their pets in the nearest future.

Chr. Hansen’s ambition is to use its science and innovation to develop high quality microbiome solutions and to share its passion and knowledge of the microbial world with veterinary professionals, pet care brands and pet owners, enabling them to make the right choices, Alaverdova said, hinting at the fact that properties of the individual microbial strain matter, as do the formulation and final application when it comes to delivering live microorganisms in the adequate amounts to ensure a beneficial effect on the host.

“At Chr. Hansen Pet Health & Nutrition, our purpose is to grow a better world for pets, naturally. So, when our partners and customers make a strategic choice to integrate microbial solutions, our goal is to help them achieve excellence in their pet probiotics play. That is why their products and our solutions make a winning team.”