{"id":4557,"date":"2015-10-09T20:07:49","date_gmt":"2015-10-09T18:07:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.socialdogcat.spregamore.ddnsfree.com\/magazine-en\/wellness\/feeding\/probiotics-for-cats-and-dogs-what-are-they-and-how-do-we-use-them\/"},"modified":"2015-10-09T20:07:49","modified_gmt":"2015-10-09T18:07:49","slug":"probiotics-for-cats-and-dogs-what-are-they-and-how-do-we-use-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.socialdogcat.spregamore.ddnsfree.com\/en\/feeding\/probiotics-for-cats-and-dogs-what-are-they-and-how-do-we-use-them.html","title":{"rendered":"Probiotics for cats and dogs: what are they and how do we use them"},"content":{"rendered":"

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More and more often, we happen to hear about animal food and supplements, enriched with probiotics. Most of these products are also recommended by veterinarians, especially for dogs and cats that suffer from frequent episodes of diarrhoea or gastrointestinal complaints of various kinds. What are these probiotics and how do they work?<\/span><\/p>\n

What are probiotics?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

When we talk about probiotics we refer to a set of live bacteria that contribute to improving the health of the body, naturally starting from the intestine. They are nothing more than the classic lactic ferments that we hear so much about. The term “probiotic”, in fact, derives from the Latin “pro” (in favour of) and from the Greek “bios” (life), so it literally means that its purpose is to improve our life.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Despite the fact that when we hear the word “bacteria”, we inevitably think of something terrible, we must bear in mind that not all bacteria are harmful. Some of these, in fact, live without creating problems in our body, especially in the intestine, genital tract, urinary tract and even in our mouth and on the skin. The combination of these microorganisms helps us live better, precisely because they perform so many beneficial functions.<\/span><\/p>\n

It can happen, that when you are taking antibiotics (in case of vomiting and diarrhoea) or if the immune defences are weaker than usual, that these “good” bacteria are reduced, benefiting the production of other bacteria that instead lead to infections.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is why often our doctor, as well as the veterinarian for our pet recommend “thickening” the array of “good” bacteria present in our body, precisely taking these probiotics.<\/span><\/p>\n

The term “probiotic” should not be confused with “prebiotic”, which takes on a completely different meaning. In this case, in fact, we refer rather to substances present in foods, which cannot be absorbed by the body, but remain in the intestine to be used by the normal microbial flora, present in the digestive tract of each of us. For example, some substances such as FOS (fruit-oligosaccharides) are prebiotics, among which the most important is certainly inulin, a very useful fibre for the health of the intestine, since it literally nourishes “good” bacteria. Prebiotics (MOS and FOS) support the growth of probiotics.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is why probiotics are often associated with prebiotics in specific food and supplement formulations. On the one hand, probiotics increase the number of “good” bacteria in our intestines. Prebiotic substances nourish them, to enhance their effectiveness.<\/span><\/p>\n

What are probiotics used for?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The efficacy of probiotics manifests themselves in several different fronts, such as:<\/span><\/p>\n