With the increasing humanization of pets, pet owners are more and more looking for ways to improve their pet’s health as they do for themselves. Many of them are now turning to probiotics to enhance overall health or address specific health concerns such as digestion, immune system, skin health, and more.
On May 2, 2023, during the Petfood Forum (held annually in Kansas City, Missouri, USA), Lidiia Alaverdova, head of global marketing for ANH and the global pet portfolio for Chr. Hansen, shared independent research on millennial pet owners’ perceptions of probiotics for their pets in the U.S. and China.
The study found that 27% of pet owners are using probiotics, with the majority being millennials. These younger pet owners tend to be more invested in their pet’s health, spending more money on food and the well-being of their pets, and visiting the veterinarian regularly.
“Beyond overall health, there are many other benefits associated with probiotics,” said Alaverdova.
The top three motivators for pet owners to give probiotics to their pets are digestive health (61%), immune health (59%), and healthy aging (58%). Other motivators include urinary health (53%), skin health (52%), oral/dental health (50%), stress and anxiety (47%), allergies (45%), healthy development (45%), and weight control (44%).
“We also asked them to rank different ingredients in terms of their association with the overall health and well-being of pets,” said Alaverdova. “We simply provided a list of ingredients and asked people to choose which ones they associated more with being better connected to overall health and well-being.”
Both users and non-users of probiotics ranked probiotics among the top five ingredients. For users, or individuals who had purchased a probiotic in the past 12 months, probiotics ranked first with 78%. For non-users, probiotics were the fourth ingredient of interest with 26%.
Proactive Health
Most pet owners were proactive in finding the right probiotic product for their pets.
“Was it a coincidence that pet owners found a product with probiotics?” said Alaverdova. “Apparently not, 86% of them said they had actively sought out a probiotic or a pet food containing probiotics.”
Veterinarian recommendations remain a key part of pet owners’ decisions to use probiotics for specific issues and for well-being, but some pet owners do their own research online. For well-being, some pet owners are willing to try recommendations from friends.
Types of Probiotics Pet Owners Are Using and Length of Use
The study found that pet owners used an average of 2.1 probiotic products. Among product types, pet food containing probiotics is purchased most often, but 91% of users supplement with another probiotic product.
Treats/snacks with probiotics accounted for 58%, probiotic supplements as a topper accounted for 44%, and probiotic daily supplements given directly to the pet accounted for 41%.
Regarding the length of use, most pet owners use probiotics for one to two years (58%), while 26% use them for a year or less, and 16% for three or more years.
Pet foods containing probiotics had the highest frequency of use. Supplements given as a topper or directly to pets were either given daily or “from time to time.”
