A postbiotic ingredient improved stool quality in dogs with loose stools within 28 days, according to a peer-reviewed study published in the journal Pets.
The trial tested Superculture Pet Immune, a postbiotic developed by Kingdom, in colony-housed dogs that had consistently loose stools but no diagnosed gastrointestinal disease. Researchers used the Waltham Fecal Score, an industry-standard measurement tool, to assess stool consistency at baseline, Day 14 and Day 28.
At baseline, fecal scores in both the treatment and placebo groups fell in the range corresponding to "moist, beginning to lose form" on the Waltham scale. No significant change was observed in either group at Day 14. By Day 28, dogs in the treatment group showed a statistically significant improvement in stool consistency (median change = −0.25, p = 0.03), while the placebo group showed no corresponding change (p = 0.5).
Half of the dogs receiving Superculture Pet Immune showed improved fecal scores at Day 28, compared with 10% of dogs in the placebo group.
Gut microbiome improvement
The study noted improvement in stool quality was accompanied by broader shifts in gut microbiome composition. Sixteen bacterial taxa changed in abundance in the treatment group versus one in the placebo group. Taxa that increased in the treatment group included Allobaculum, Mediterraneibacter and Slackia, while Lactobacillus and Segatella decreased.
Fecal health biomarkers, including pH, dry matter content, short-chain fatty acids, calprotectin and dysbiosis index, remained within normal ranges in both groups throughout the study.
The researchers noted that the findings build on a prior publication linking the same ingredient to higher gut microbiome diversity and skin and coat benefits in dogs with elevated itching.
"When considered alongside prior work linking the same ingredient to higher Shannon diversity and skin/coat benefits in dogs with elevated itching, the present findings strengthen the idea that targeted postbiotics provide a practical strategy to support canine gut health," the authors wrote.
They noted that the findings were obtained under controlled research facility conditions and that replication across diverse settings would improve generalizability.
