Are Probiotics as Good for Animals as They are Humans?

Recent research carried out by Protexin has indicated that the addition of probiotics in animals food helps maintain good digestion, stimulate immunity, improve utilization of feed, reduce intestinal upsets, improve health, and prevent the proliferation of some potential disease causing pathogens.

Probiotics and friendly bacteria are commonly talked about. Probiotics are dietary supplements that contain beneficial live bacteria or yeast. They help assist the body’s naturally acting flora in the digestive tract helping to restore balance and prevent problems. Probiotics are not new products; yogurt is a probiotic and this has been around for at least 4500 years.

Probiotics help the Microflora. This is made up of billions of bacteria, protozoa and fungi. When these are balanced, the Microflora help digestion, promote absorption of various elements, stimulate immunity, improve utilisation of feed, reduce intestinal upsets, improve health and prevent the proliferation of some potential disease causing pathogens. The use of probiotics can help these functions.

The problem is, that it’s all too easy to throw these Microflora out of balance. Environmental changes can influence the Microflora as can stress, antibiotics, alcohol, disease, and exposure to toxic substances, among other factors.

In the pet world, many scenarios that animals are exposed to can unbalance the Microflora. These include giving birth, travelling, kennels, trips to the vet, training, change in feed, change in environment and illness. Although many of these stress triggers cannot be prevented, most of them can be predicted so, in many cases a probiotic can be fed before the stressful situation arises.

In other cases where this might not be possible a probiotic can be issued after the problem (i.e. after antibiotics and illness) or at the time in the case of intestinal upsets. Probiotics are also regularly issued to newborn animals to help the Microflora become established and, as such, helps to prevent illness and disease by boosting immunity.

So, do they actually work? Protexin animal health produces probiotic supplements for animals and has conducted field trials to assess the results. When an equine stud farm in Hereford participated in a field trial for Protexin it was stated that: ‘Excellent results were obtained following the use of Probiotics in brood mares and their foals at studs and when used in competitive animals.’ It was reported that when this trial took place, scouring was drastically reduced in young foals and treatment of respiratory conditions through using antibiotics was more successful after a course of the product. Mares also experienced positive results.

Another case report for Protexin looked at chronic diarrhea in 150 kennelled dogs. It was reported that: ‘all dogs received 2g Protexin Pro-Soluble in their food which was given daily in the afternoon. An immediate improvement of the rate of kennel defecation occurred and despite periodic relapses a more normal defecatory pattern with absence of diarrhea occurred.’

Nutrecare now stocks the complete range of Protexin products for cats, dogs, and horses.