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Ingredient file // Other

Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product Dehydrated

A dried ferment without a proven gut payoff

This dried fermentation material comes from an Enterococcus faecium culture and includes the spent medium. Makers use it in foods sold for gut support, but the ingredient name gives no live dose, and dog trials have not tested this exact dried product.

What it is
Material from an Enterococcus faecium culture, dried with both the fermentation solids and liquid.
Made from
Enterococcus faecium and nutrient medium
Main job
Dried fermentation material
Typical amount
Not published
Watch for
Gut claims without a specified active ingredient
Not the same as
A guaranteed live probiotic

Straight answer

Is Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product Dehydrated safe for dogs?

Ask what supports the gut claim

Read this as dried fermentation material. Its place on an ingredient list does not reveal a probiotic dose or predict diarrhea relief. If the bag promises gut benefits, look for a named live strain with a viable cell guarantee, or evidence for a specified fermentation compound. Judge the food by its complete nutrition.

Why it is in the food
Dried fermentation material

Our read // In our catalog

In 1 of every 169 foods we track

Share of foods that list it

<1%

19 of the 3,204 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 2 brands. All dry dog food.

Each square is 1% of the catalog

Where it sits on the label

Median position 28. In the top five of 0 foods, so it is usually a minor ingredient.

Top five List position, heaviest first

Above the salt

0%

Usually listed after the salt, which caps it at roughly 1% of the recipe in 100% of foods.

Price per lb

Foods with it $3.31
All foods $3.25

Median of the cheapest bag price across 6 priced foods, about level with the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.

Who leans on it

79%

of the foods that list it are from AvoDerm. 2 brands use it in total.

What it is

How it is made

Feed makers grow a selected Enterococcus faecium strain in nutrient medium to produce fermentation substances or metabolites. Drying the culture's solids and liquid together gives a dry ingredient that blends into feed.5,6

  1. 01 // Source Culture and medium A selected strain grows in nutrient medium supplied for fermentation.
  2. 02 // Process Fermented The growing culture produces microbial material and fermentation substances.
  3. 03 // Process Dried together Both the solid and liquid portions are dried, rather than separating out a purified compound.
  4. 04 // Output Dried ferment The food maker receives dried culture material; the ingredient name specifies neither a strain nor an active dose.

What is in it

Composition, as fed

1

% min protein

The protein guarantee on one commercial blend that contains this ferment. Nobody buys it for nutrition, and no source analyzes the ferment alone.

Crude protein, blend minimum 1%10
Crude fat, blend minimum 1%10
Crude fiber, blend maximum 30%10
Moisture, blend maximum 6%10

These are label guarantees for a whole blend, as fed, which also holds rice mill by-product and calcium carbonate. They are not measurements of this ingredient. Canada leaves its guarantees to each supplier.5,10

Why it is in the bag

What the manufacturer gets

  1. 01

    Adds fermentation material

    The dried ingredient carries culture solids and spent medium into a recipe. Its name does not identify a particular metabolite or tell an owner how much is present.5,6

  2. 02

    Supports gut marketing

    A brand lists it alongside other fermentation products and describes the blend as probiotic support. That association does not show this specific dried material improves a dog's digestion.5,9

  3. 03

    Ships in dry blends

    A supplier includes it in a dry feed blend sold in bags and bulk quantities. No opened source gives a standalone price or production volume for this ingredient.10

How much No opened source gives a typical recipe percentage for this exact dried ingredient; live cell doses from trials are not an inclusion rate for it.4,5,6

Our read // The claims

What the evidence supports

Strong: controlled studies in dogs agree. Some: small or mixed dog data. Thin: mechanism or lab work only. None: nothing, or the evidence points the other way.

  1. Brands say

    It prevents diarrhea in dogs

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    A shelter trial found less diarrhea with a live synbiotic, while a trial involving 419 treated puppies and 412 controls found no preventive benefit. Neither tested this dried fermentation product, so neither supports a prevention claim for it.1,2,5

  2. Brands say

    It shortens diarrhea once it starts

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    A randomized trial reported median diarrhea lasting 32 hours with a multi-ingredient paste versus 47 hours with placebo. The paste contained a live strain and other ingredients; its result cannot be assigned to this dried ferment.3,5

  3. Brands say

    It strengthens a dog's immune defenses

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    EFSA reported higher IgA immune markers in studies of a named live strain, including a trial with 16 puppies. Those markers did not measure resistance to illness, and the studies did not test this dried ingredient.4,5

  4. Owners say

    The ingredient name guarantees live good bacteria

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    Canada's definition for this exact ingredient says it is not a source of viable cells. AAFCO's definition for fermentation products guarantees cell count only where applicable, and FDA discusses a specific viable-count guarantee as one possible approach to label accuracy, not as a rule this ingredient must meet. The name alone promises no live cells.5,6,7

Straight answers

What owners ask

  1. Q01

    Is it just filler?

    No

    It is dried culture material intended for use in feed, rather than an ingredient chosen for bulk. That gives it a defined purpose, but no dog study shows that this exact product delivers a health benefit.5,6

  2. Q02

    Does it contain live bacteria?

    Not assured

    Do not read a live culture promise into this name. Canada's definition says the dried product is not a source of viable cells, and AAFCO guarantees a cell count only where applicable, so a viable count is not automatic.5,6

  3. Q03

    Will it settle loose stools?

    Unproven

    Dog trials tested live synbiotics or a multi-ingredient paste, with mixed results. None tested this exact dried ferment in kibble. Treat a stool claim for this ingredient as unproven.1,2,3,5

Who uses it

Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps

Top brands, by foods that list it

  1. AvoDerm 15 / 25
  2. Pinnacle 4 / 6

Foods that list it / all the brand's recipes we track.

Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it

  1. Mixed Tocopherols 100%
  2. Avocado 79%
  3. Dried Tomato Pomace 79%
  4. Peas 74%
  5. Pea Flour 74%
  6. Chicken Fat 74%
  7. Natural Flavor 68%
  8. Garbanzo Beans 58%
  9. Flax Seed 58%
  10. Chicken Meal 32%
  11. Canola Oil 26%
  12. Brown Rice 26%

On the shelf

Foods that list Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product Dehydrated

19 foods in our catalog list it, highest on the label first.

Show 13 more

On labels as

Other names for this

Manufacturers do not all use the same wording. These all mean the same thing.

Dehydrated Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product

Sources

What we read

Checked October 1, 2026.

  1. 1 Efficacy of a Probiotic-Prebiotic Supplement on Incidence of Diarrhea in a Dog Shelter: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2017 // Journal
  2. 2 Randomised controlled trial finds no evidence that a synbiotic improves health in assistance dog puppies Veterinary Record, 2026 // Journal
  3. 3 Efficacy of an orally administered anti-diarrheal probiotic paste (Pro-Kolin Advanced) in dogs with acute diarrhea: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical study Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2019 // Journal
  4. 4 Scientific Opinion on the safety and efficacy of Cylactin® (Enterococcus faecium) as a feed additive for cats and dogs EFSA Journal, 2013 // Regulator
  5. 5 Canadian Feed Ingredients Table (CFIT) Canadian Food Inspection Agency, n.d. // Government
  6. 6 Official Names and Definitions of Feed Ingredients AAFCO, 2025 // Regulator
  7. 7 CPG Sec. 689.100 Direct-Fed Microbial Products U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 1995 // Government
  8. 8 Diarrhea or Vomiting VCA Animal Hospitals Urgent Care, n.d. // Industry
  9. 9 ANNAMAET IMPACT Annamaet Pet Foods, n.d. // Industry
  10. 10 Primary Product Options PrimaLac, n.d. // Industry
An ingredient on its own tells you very little. What matters is how much of it there is and where it sits in the list. That is why we weigh the top five rather than reacting to any single name further down. Back to the wiki

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