Probiotics in Animals and what you should know

Probiotics in Animals

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An animal’s digestive system is a place where thousands of different chemical reactions take place, facilitated by millions of different microbes – of a variety of different types.

These microbes play a vital role in maintaining the health of the gut, and in the absorption of key nutrients. As well as breaking down food in the gut, the good microbes also help to exclude harmful microbes by competing with them for resources. We are now going to discuss some of the ways that probiotics can help both cats and dogs.

What Does the Evidence Say? Suffice to say, when studying such a bewilderingly complex system of tiny components, it’s difficult to draw concrete specific conclusions about what effect probiotics have on specific animals.

Moreover, there is a great deal of variation in both the strain of probiotic administered, and the amount, which makes comparisons between the studies challenging.

That said, there is an enormous amount of evidence to consider. Moreover, since humans, cats and dogs share so many intestinal similarities, it’s fair to say that some of the benefits which have been wellestablished in humans might well be conferred to dogs and cats as well.

For example, in humans, probiotics have proven effective in combating lactose intolerance, and in preventing diarrhoea associated with antibiotics and travelling. For this reason, much of the research into the effects of probiotics in cats and dogs has been focussed onto the effect it has on diarrhoea.

For pet owners the best probiotic formulae are those which most closely fit the needs of the animal.

However, there are a great many high quality products on the market that are now available for use in both cats and dogs making the chose for multiple pet owners much simpler.

Can Probiotics Help with Weight Management?

Obesity is a condition that can have farreaching consequences for all creatures. It’s got well established links to heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, osteoarthritis and cancer. Generally speaking, pets which are obese will lead shorter and less pleasant lives than those which aren’t. Keeping the weight of your cat or dog down is therefore highly advisable.

In animals, microbes can contribute to obesity by breaking down indigestible sugars into shorter-chain ones. Probiotics have also been shown to influence the way energy is regulated in the body. When healthy mice are given microbiota from obese ones, they tend to increase their body fat. Conversely, some bacteria have been shown to decrease certain stores of fat – though more research is needed before concrete conclusions can be drawn.

Can Probiotics Help with Chronic Kidney Disease?

Probiotics have been shown by some studies to help decrease uranameia. But these studies were on rats and pigs, and so it’s unclear whether the same effect could be achieved in cats and dogs. Attempts to treat cats suffering from kidney disease with probiotics have been largely unsuccessful, though one study into azotaemic cats did successfully decrease nitrogen and creatinine concentrations after two months of treatment. These findings should be regarded with scepticism, however, as they’ve yet to be widely replicated.

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Can Probiotics Help with Kidney Stones?

Probiotics have the potential to lower the absorption of oxalates, and thereby reduce the occurrence of kidney stones. Dietary oxalate and absorption in the intestines causes elevated levels of urine oxalate, which must then be removed through the body through urine. Calcium, which cannot be dissolved into the urine, then forms the crystals which we know as kidney stones. The result is a great deal of pain for the patient – be it human or animal.

What might work in one study might fail in another – which is why it’s so difficult to make general recommendations based on the findings of one group of researchers. In time, however, it’s fair to say that we’ll uncover new tools in the battle against a range of harmful conditions.

In humans, the absorption of oxalate in the intestine has been shown to be inhibited by the introduction of lactobacillus. Studies have shown that a similar effect could be achieved in dogs, however a lot more research will have to be done on this matter before pets can be treated.

Can Probiotics Benefit the Brain?

While a layman might think of the gut and the nervous system as entirely separate from one another, they’re of course intimately linked.

It’s worth therefore mentioning the body of research linking probiotics to improvements in mental health. In particular, microbes in the gut can have a profound influence of the quality of sleep, on mood, and on stress levels. Probiotic studies into rats have revealed that they can help with learning and memory – though, as ever, these studies have yet to be replicated in cats and dogs.

In Conclusion What’s clear from all of these studies is that the way that probiotics interact with an animal’s microbiome is highly particular to the animal and the disease being treated.

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Beeston Animal Health Ltd., Whitchurch Road, Beeston Castle, Tarporley, Cheshire, CW6 9NJ

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