The heart of every probiotic is the microbe. Other probiotics on the market select their bacteria because they are inexpensive or simply because they can withstand the process of forming the product into a tablet. We believe the microbe of choice must produce results and be compatible with the dog. K9 Thrive includes five strains of bacteria that were selected specially for the benefits they can provide your dog. The dog-specific bacteria was chosen because of its ability to be bile salt tolerant, ph stable and its storage viability. The bacteria in K9 Thrive are protected using a microencapsulation process which creates a physical barrier until the bacterium reaches the intestinal tract. In the gut the capsule breaks down and releases the bacteria. Delivering the bacteria alive and viable is the key for a probiotic to produce results. Seventy percent of the dogís immune system starts in the digestive tract. A healthy colony of good bacteria in the gut creates a situation called competitive exclusion where the bad bacteria have no room to gain a foothold on the intestinal wall. This minimizes the effect of the exposure of bad bacteria and viruses. You cannot avoid all bad bugs because dogs naturally expose themselves by drinking, eating, and sniffing everywhere they go. K9 Thrive gets a step ahead by giving your dog the ability to slough off the bad bugs so it doesn't cause an illness.