Animals “for life”
The word “probiotics” literally means “for life” and is the opposite of the word antibiotic. Probiotics are good bacteria that can help boost the levels of beneficial bacteria in the gut, whereas antibiotics attack and kill infections and unwanted bacteria. For animals, probiotics are more commonly referred to as direct fed microbials, or DFM’s.

Billions of Bacteria?
Every animal with a digestive system, including us, has bacteria in their digestive system. Without bacteria an animal could not digest food. Animals have an extremely complex collection of about 100 trillion microorganisms in their entire digestive tract. The intestine of animals contain billions of bacteria, some of which are beneficial (good bacteria), and some which are pathogenic (bad bacteria). Under certain conditions, such as stress, traveling and antibiotic treatment, the natural balance of beneficial bacteria in the digestive system is disrupted. The number of pathogens increase while the number of beneficial organisms decrease, causing digestion upsets including: diarrhea, constipation and discomfort. In animals, DFM’s can restore the normal balance in the gut and improve the overall health of the animal.

Fun Fact
Newborn animals do not have bacteria in their intestine. The intestine rapidly becomes colonized by natural means from the mother and the environment. Studies have shown providing DFMs to an animal at birth plays an important role in the growth and health of animals.

Feed DFM’s to... A variety of animal species including
• dairy & beef cattle • calves • swine • sheep • goats • poultry
• equine • dogs • cats •and other household pets

The World of DFM’s can be Confusing
How do I know products will provide what my animals needs and will it make a difference in my animal’s health? Generally, the particular probiotic strain of bacteria contained in products will be noted on the container label, but a consumer will not be able to tell just by reading the label. For a probiotic strain to be successful, it has to fulfill certain requirements. Products can differ in quality, stability, viability, and research, all of which influences product performance. Visual evidence of a good bacteria performance includes: stool consistency and color, increased appetite/weight gain, quicker recovery times and increased energy levels.

Quality
Another important issue is the safety of the bacteria. The manufacturer should be able to prove that a probiotic strain is safe and without contamination when delivered.

Stability & Viability
Any probiotic should be stable and capable of remaining viable during storage and the product’s life time. Each strain should have good technological properties, such as the ability to survive in the product and the abililty to survive passage through the acidic environment in the stomach.

Research
Most importantly the probiotic strain must have clinically proven health benefits. It is important to confirm proven safe and has a beneficial effect on your animal. The Internet can be a valuable resource for researching a particular probiotic strain of bacteria to determine what sort of scientific documentation is available. In most circumstances, probiotic bacterial strains analyzed by independent university research are more reliable than a product backed simply with a producer’s claim.

Have your animals had their probiotics?
You can find DFM’s in many of these product forms.

• Powders •Tablets •Boluses
•Gels •Suspensions
Any additional questions about probiotics
call Vets Plus, Inc.