Beyond Probiotics: Rethinking Pet Health from the Microbiome Up

By Bianca Kapteyn

The conversation around sentient animal wellness is undergoing a fundamental change shift. While probiotics have long been the go-to for digestive and immune support, Ravi Sheth suggests this traditional approach only scratches the surface of modern pet health.

As co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Kingdom, Sheth is part of a growing movement shifting the focus towards postbiotics–the bioactive compounds produced by microbes that may ultimately hold the key to more targeted, measurable health outcomes for our companions.

Rather than adding more bacteria into the system, Sheth and his team are focused on what those microbes do–and how to influence biological processes at their source. The result is a new class of microbiome-based ingredients designed not just to support health, but to deliver observable results for pet parents. Kingdom is approaching pet health from the ground up–designing ingredients specifically for the biological needs of dogs and cats.

In our conversation, Sheth breaks down the science behind Superculture® ingredients, the limitations of probiotics, and why the future of pet health may be less about what we add–and more about what we activate.

Rethinking Probiotics CC: What problem were you trying to solve when you started Kingdom? 

Ravi Sheth: When we started the business in 2019, Kendall Dabaghi and I were focused on using natural microorganisms to impact food and consumer products. We didn’t initially set out to make pet ingredients.

We both came out of research at Columbia and were interested in the microbiome and how it connects to nutrition and health. But as we began working with a range of companies—including those in the pet space—we saw a clear gap: there weren’t many clinically backed, scientifically validated ingredients addressing the specific outcomes pet parents are looking for.

What Are Postbiotics Really? CC: What are probiotics missing from a biological standpoint? 

RS: There are three main types of “biotics”: prebiotics (nutrients),  probiotics, (live microorganisms),  and postbiotics (the metabolites and compounds those microorganisms produce).

“Probiotics deliver the organism itself. Postbiotics deliver the beneficial compounds those microorganisms produce.”

In many cases, probiotics  don’t persist in the gut–they pass through without establishing themselves. That makes their effects less consistent. Postbiotics, on the other hand, allow you to deliver those beneficial compounds directly.  You’re not relying on the microbe to produce them—you’re delivering the functional output where it’s needed.

There are also practical challenges; probiotics can be unstable in heat or moisture, making it difficult to ensure consistent efficacy over a product’s shelf life.

From Lab to Bowl CC: What’s happening inside a dog’s body when we see issues like bad breath or oral health problems?

RS: The oral microbiome is a good example. Just like in humans, dogs have a complex ecosystem of microorganisms in their mouths. These microbes accumulate on the teeth, form biofilms and can eventually calcify into tartar.

This is a  fundamentally a microbiome-driven process. With our oral health ingredient, we designed it to act directly on that environment–shifting what those microbes produce to reduce odour-causing compounds.  Instead of masking the symptom, you’re actually influencing the underlying biology.

“We’ve focused on addressing the biological process at the source, rather than masking the symptom.”

We’ve demonstrated this in multiple clinical studies, including double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, showing measurable improvements in bad breath in dogs.

Built From the Ground Up CC: What differentiates your approach from others in the ingredient space? 

 “Many ingredient companies take products developed for humans or livestock and try to reposition them for pets. What we’ve done is start from the ground up–thinking about what’s unique about cats and dogs, and designing solutions specifically for them.”

The Future of Pet Health CC: How do you see pet health evolving over the next 5–10 years?

RS: I think we’re going to see a shift from broad marketing claims to real, measurable performance.

Pet parents are spending more—not just on food, but on supplements and targeted health products. But one of the biggest complaints is that those products don’t always deliver noticeable results.

Pet parents are spending money on products, but often not seeing noticeable results.

Going forward, there will be more emphasis on clinically demonstrated benefits—things that are specific, measurable, and observable in day-to-day life, whether that’s skin health, digestion, or other common concerns.

CC: You’re not a consumer brand—you power other brands. Is that a strategic advantage?

RS: For us, it allows us to stay deeply focused on the science.

Most of our team is made up of scientists working on microbial discovery, building our biobank, and developing and validating new ingredients. That’s our core competency.

By supplying ingredients to other brands, we can concentrate on developing clinically backed technology and pushing the science forward, rather than splitting focus across branding and consumer marketing.

A Kingdom of Microbial Health CC:  What inspired the name “Kingdom?”

” The name is a nod to biological taxonomy, where ‘kingdom’ is one of the broadest classifications of life, including the microorganisms that our entire company focuses on. It also felt like a natural fit for what we were building a ‘kingdom of health’ powered by microbial science.”

As microbiome research continues to evolve, the question may no longer be whether probiotics have a place in pet health–but whether they go far enough.