You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Chicory is now being added to some commercial pet foods amidst claims of health benefits that it provides - but what is chicory ?

Chicory is a blue-flowered plant that is cultivated as a vegetable for 2 main reasons :

• It's leaves are used in salads
• It's roots when roasted and dried are used as a coffee substitute

Overall the plant is about 80% digestible, and raw chicory stem and leaves have the following analysis ** :

* Chicory contains inulin as part of it's carbohydrate content - which is a form of dietary fibre and is not digested by a dogs or cats digestive system-  so the available energy is calculated at 32% of the total carbohydrate content of the vegetable.

Chicory has the following vitamin and vitamin precursor analysis ** :

Chicory has the following mineral analysis** :

**Analyses are based on The Composition of Foods by McCance and Widdowson 5th Edition 1991

In the tables the term "Present" means the nutrient is present in reasonable quantities, but accurate quantifiable analysis is not available.

Health Benefits ?

According to a report in Pet Food Industry (April 2001) scientists at Friskies and Nestle Research and Development Centres claim that the prebiotic, non-digestible oligosaccharide inulin (which is in Chicory) has several health benefits including :

• It encourages the growth of beneficial bacterial bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in the gut, which in turn have the following health benefits :
  • Promotes nutrient absorption
  • Promotes the synthesis of Vitamin B
  • Supports immune function
  • Optimizes digestion

Updated October 2013