A better understanding of probiotics, and the science backing specific probiotic ingredients, can help you harness the full power of their gut-healing potential for your patients.
Digestive issues in dogs account for 10% of all veterinary visits. As a trusted veterinarian, you have surely seen your fair share of dog digestive woes — and know how debilitating they can be. You also know that a healthy bowel terrain is paramount to optimal gastrointestinal tract function. More than this, it is the foundation of immune system competence and plays a pivotal role in the balance of neurotransmitters supporting mental health.
With all this in mind, probiotics no doubt already play an important role in your patient care for pets with gastrointestinal issues. But not all probiotics are created equal.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT PROBIOTIC FOR PET PATIENTS
Finding a stable probiotic is key to ensuring that their beneficial organisms will survive the storage process and harsh stomach acids to do their healing work in the lower intestine.
To this end, ThorneVet has created a specially formulated, broad-spectrum pet Probiotic Support Formula, containing specific, proven-effective, gut-healing ingredients.
BACILLUS COAGULANS AND BACILLUS SUBTILIS
B. coagulans and B. subtilis are stable, spore-forming, soil-based probiotics that are resistant to gastric acid, and thus able to pass through the stomach and enter the intestine in a similar state to their initial concentration.1
Both strains can help reduce inflammation in the intestines by increasing butyric acid, other short chain-fatty acids, and beneficial enzymes,2 and enhance nutrient digestibility by reducing inflammation.3
SACCHAROMYCES BOULARDII
A non-pathogenic strain of yeast, S. Boulardii is an ideal probiotic because it can withstand the stresses of gastrointestinal transit and is resistant to all known antibacterial antibiotics.4
Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded studies have been reproduced to claim support from meta-analysis reviews that S. boulardii is an effective biotherapeutic agent for the treatment of antibiotic associated diarrhea, C. difficile-associated disease, and other causes of acute diarrhea in laboratory, human, and veterinary settings.5
GLUTAMINE
Research has shown the amino acid glutamine to be a key intestinal nutrient for maintaining a healthy bowel environment.
Glutamine suppresses pro-inflammatory signaling pathways and protects cells against cellular stresses during normal and pathologic conditions.6
PREBIOTICS
Prebiotic dietary fibers are included in ThorneVetʼs Probiotic Support Formula, and act as carbon sources for fermentation pathways in the colon, supporting digestive health in multiple ways.
The health benefits of inulin — also found in foods like artichokes, chicory and dandelion — range from the production of beneficial metabolites to a reduction in pathogenic bacterial populations, as well as improved immune system function.7
By providing comprehensive support for a healthy bowel terrain in the form of science-backed, specially formulated pet probiotics, we can help our patients live healthier, happier lives.
References
AUTHOR PROFILE
Dr. Keith Weingardt is a 1999 graduate of Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. He completed acupuncture certification from the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society in 2004 and certification in herbal medicine at the Chi Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine in 2006. He has started successful integrative veterinary practices in San Diego, CA and Portland, OR. He is a dedicated herbalist and enjoys working with the plants of the Pacific Northwest. Currently, he works as a consultant for ThorneVet, specializing in product development and continuing education.
