P&G Pet Care Gets Pre-Active About Pet Health

    
    New Prebiotic Formulas of Iams & Eukanuba Help Promote Pet Health from
    the Inside Out
    

TORONTO , Sept. 30 /CNW/ - As a leader in animal health, P&G Pet Care - the makers of Iams ProActive Health and Eukanuba Adult Maintenance - has introduced prebiotic pet food formulas to help maintain a four-legged family member's gastrointestinal health. Featuring the prebiotic FOS (fructooligosaccharides), these new formulas stimulate the balance of gut microflora (species of good bacteria) which in turn promotes a stronger immune system to help fight disease.

"There has been an explosion of new prebiotic and probiotic products in human nutrition and Canadian consumers are embracing these products to help promote their own digestive and overall health," says Dr. Sherry Sanderson BS, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, DACVN, animal nutrition expert and associate professor, University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. "With the introduction of the prebiotic formulas of Iams and Eukanuba, Canadian pet owners can now give their pets P&G's best possible diet for their nutritional needs and help build a strong foundation from the inside out."

    
    Understanding Pre- and Probiotics for Animal Health
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The key to choosing a prebiotic or probiotic is to first understand the difference between the two. Probiotics literally means "for life" and are beneficial bacteria that provide health benefits that go beyond basic nutrition. Prebiotics are not actually bacteria, but the fibre that helps feed the good bacteria and stimulate its growth. Working together, these two food components help create a balance of bacteria in an animal's intestines, which help promote a healthy digestive tract. With nearly 70 per cent of a dog's and cat's immune system located in the digestive tract, a healthy gut is key to strong defenses.

"Bacteria cells account for 95 per cent of overall cell life in the intestines, and the balance of the good and bad cells will vary for each species for a number of reasons, including age, breed, diet, geography, environment and stress - to name a few," says Dr. Sanderson . "Because of this, it's important for pet owners to proactively maintain the levels of good bacteria. One way to do this is through specially-formulated prebiotic pet food, like Iams or Eukanuba, which also offer the essential nutrients and balanced nutrition our pets need."

    
    Specialized Nutrition for Four-Legged Family Members
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More so now than ever before, pets are a large part of our communities. From pet-friendly hotels and public places, to luxury pet accessories and pet-specialty shops, our four-legged friends are getting the best of the best - and the same rule-of-thumb should apply to their diet. As a responsible pet parent, it's important to understand the dietary needs of a cat or dog to help ensure their best possible health.

Humans, dogs and cats have varying needs of the six main classes of nutrients: protein, fat, carbohydrate, minerals, vitamins and water. The optimal levels of each differ between each species and for dogs this can also vary from breed to breed. Choosing a pet food, like Iams or Eukanuba, formulated with the correct balance of nutrients and the added benefits of prebiotics, will help ensure four-legged family members are receiving the nutrition they need, while maintaining their gastrointestinal and immune system health.

"Most unbalanced diets occur when the owner, with good intentions, supplements a commercial diet with or feeds human food to their pet. This often does not provide balanced nutrition, especially concerning the micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals," says Dr. Sanderson . "Health concerns may occur especially when human food is fed long-term to a pet. For example, too much liver can lead to vitamin A toxicity or feeding excessive canned tuna can cause vitamin E deficiency - resulting in steatitis (an inflammation of fatty tissue in cats)."

For more information on pet nutrition and choosing a pet food with prebiotics, visit www.iams.com or www.eukanuba.com.

    
    About P&G Pet Care
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For more than 60 years, P&G Pet Care (NYSE:PG), the maker of Iams and Eukanuba, has enhanced the well-being of dogs and cats by providing world-class quality foods and pet-care products. To learn more about Eukanuba(R) and Iams(R) Dog & Cat Foods or general pet care and nutrition information, call the Iams Consumer Care Center at [phone].

    
    About Procter & Gamble
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Three billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers(R), Tide(R), Ariel(R), Always(R), Whisper(R), Pantene(R), Mach3(R), Bounty(R), Dawn(R), Gain(R), Pringles(R), Folgers(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Lenor(R), Iams(R), Crest(R), Oral-B(R), Actonel(R), Duracell(R), Olay(R), Head & Shoulders(R), Wella(R), Gillette(R), and Braun(R). The P&G community consists of 138,000 employees working in over 80 countries worldwide. Please visit www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

For further information: For media inquiries, or to arrange an interview with Dr. Sanderson, please contact: Ana Aujla, Optimum PR, [phone], [email protected]; Andrea Hynes, Optimum PR, [phone], [email protected]