FAQ Frequently asked questions

Prebiotics are considered as food for protective bacteria. Prebiotics are non-digestible complex carbohydrates, which stimulate the growth of probiotic bacteria (example: fructo oligo sacharides - FOS).

2. What is microflora and where it is located in the digestive system?

All animals are born with a relatively sterile gut. Thus the newly born animal will be more easily colonised by pathogenic microorganisms as there is no protective microflora to reduce the colonisation of pathogens at this stage of life.

Soon after birth the newly born animal acquires a complex collection of microorganisms, which populate its intestinal tract. This collection of microorganisms is termed as the microflora. The gut microflora contains a variety of different bacteria and fungi of which there are typically ~400 different types of microorganisms with a total population of ~ 10¹⁴ throughout the length of the intestinal tract.
This complex collection of gut microorganisms is distributed throughout the whole length of the gut and gut wall.

3. What is the role of the microflora in feed digestion?

The microflora forms a symbiotic relationship with the animal and benefits the animal by aiding digestion by producing various enzymes which are involved in the digestion.

The bacteria in the gut also stimulate the immune response. For this reason balanced microflora is crucial for good digestion.

4. Is ProBiotic LIVE a super premium dog food?

As ProBiotic LIVE contains all super premium ingredients, which have proven their effect over the years, ProBiotic LIVE is formulated as a super premium dog food.

Ingredients
In ProBiotic LIVE functional petfood natural ingredients are used to meet the high quality standards. Usage of chicken, lamb, fish, rice, maize, animal fat, fish oil, vitamins, minerals and other raw materials meet the demands of complete and high dog food standards. Exclusive mixes of different oils and fats provide an important advantage in palatability. All the ingredients are incorporated into the formulas in such a way that the highest levels of digestibility are reached.

Prebiotics (FOS, food for probiotics)
Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) are supplements that promote thriving colonies of probiotic bacteria in the digestive tract. Fructo-oligosaccharides are naturally occurring sugars found in many fruits, vegetables and grains. These non-digestible complex carbohydrates resist digestion by salivary and intestinal digestive enzymes and enter the colon where they are fermented by probiotic bacteria. The most beneficial effect of fructo-oligosaccarides is the selective stimulation of the growth of probiotic bacteria, thus significantly enhancing the composition of the colonic microflora and reducing the number of potential pathogenic bacteria.

Taking FOS supplements are thought to foster a healthy environment for the beneficial bacteria living in the intestinal tract.

Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in a perfect balance.
Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are parents of a whole family of fatty acids that are important for the health of the dog.

Both the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are important because they have natural anti-inflammatory properties once they have been converted to their active forms in the body.

Omega-3 fatty acids:
+ are required for brain and retinal function
+ contribute to cell membrane fluidity and skin health
+ help fight joint inflammation
+ aid reproduction
+ improve the cardiovascular system
+ help fight allergies and inflammatory skin diseases

Omega-6 fatty acids:
+ are required for growth and reproduction
+ keep hormone level in balance
+ contribute to cell membrane structure and fluidity
+ keep skin and coat healthy
+ promote proper development of the nervous system
+ increase food efficiency during growth, keep skin in good condition
+ are essential for the normal development of retina
and nervous system

Hydrolyzed cartilage (chondroitin)
Hydrolyzed cartilage is a source of chondroitin, which helps to inhibit enzymes that are destructive to the joints. Chondroitin increases the amount of hyaluronic acid in the joints which acts as a protective fluid that keeps the joints lubricated. Chondroitin sulfate is a naturally occurring substance in the body.

Because chondroitin production by the body decreases with ageing, supplementation with this compound is especially helpful for older pets (especially pets with arthritis).

Hydrolyzed crustaceans (glucosamine)
Hydrolyzed crustaceans are rich in glucosamine. Glucosamine is the most commonly used chondroprotective supplement for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Glucosamine is a key building block for making cartilage and is incorporated into articular (joint) cartilage.

Glucosamine stimulates the synthesis of synovial fluid and cartilage, as well inhibits the destructive enzymes that can destroy cartilage.

Lecithin
Lecithin contains a substrate called phosphatidylcholine. Phosphatidylcholine is a major part of the membranes surrounding cells. It is also used to make acetylcholine - a nerve chemical essential for proper brain function. Lecithin helps the body safely utilize fat and cholesterol. It also „emulsifies“ fats by breaking them into smaller droplets. Lecithin, and its derivatives are very useful for dogs that are overweight, because it helps the body safely utilize fat. For this reason, it is also useful in dogs with liver disease. Additionally, lecithin is an excellent addition to the diet of any elderly pet, since it helps to protect against cardiovascular disease.

Inulin (FOS)
Inulins are a group of naturally occurring polysaccharides (several simple sugars linked together) produced by many types of plants. Inulin is used increasingly in foods because it has unusual nutritional characteristics. Inulin contains a third to a quarter of the food energy of sugar or other carbohydrates and a sixth to a ninth of the food energy of fat. It also increases calcium absorption, while promoting intestinal bacteria as probiotic.

5. Are probiotics a solution against stress diarrhoea?

Stress affects the intestinal microflora by reducing the concentration of probiotic bacteria. All stressful situations to which an animal is exposed contribute towards an increased intestine pH, and thus the gastrointestinal tract is likely to favour the development of pathogenic species (bad bacteria) at the expense of beneficial species (good bacteria).

Vaccination, antibiotic therapy, weaning, travel, rehoming or illness are a few of the factors that are considered as stresses that may result in a change of balance of gut flora in favour of pathogenic species.

Stress can depress the immune response of animals, which result in alterations and breakdown of the regulatory mechanism in the gastrointestinal tract ecosystem allowing easier establishment of pathogens within the tract.

6. What is the basic concept of probiotics and how do they work?

Dr. Roy Fuller defined probiotic as a live microbial feed supplement, which beneficially affects the host animal by improving its intestinal microbial balance’. This definition emphasises the importance of live cells as essential components of probiotics.

The gut of the newly born animal is relatively sterile and is therefore deficient in the microorganisms, which normally populate the gut and provide resistance to disease. The intervention of a probiotic supplement establishes the gut microflora.

Probiotics have been shown to work by the following mechanisms:

Competition for nutrients
Within the gut, beneficial as well as pathogenic microorganisms will be utilising the same types of nutrients. Thus there will be a general competition for these nutrients to grow and reproduce. Hence, the more the gut is flooded with beneficial microorganisms, the more competition is created between beneficial and pathogenic micro-organisms.

Competition for adhesion sites
Adhering to adhesion sites along the wall of the gut is an important colonization factor and many intestinal pathogens rely on adhesion to the gut wall to prevent them being swept away by peristaltic of food along the intestinal tract.

Stimulation of immunity
+ Stimulation of antibody production (local and systemic).
+ Increased macrophage activity.
+ Increases gamma interferon levels.

Direct antimicrobial effect
This can either operate via bacteriocins, known to be produced by many species of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB), and also by the production of organic acids (lactic acid and etc.) which crate a hostile environment for pathogens by reducing the pH.

Improvement in digestion
Probiotic microorganisms act like and add to the healthy microflora by producing enzymes, which aid the breakdown of polysaccharides molecules and hence utilise more nutrients from the diet. The microflora also produces vitamins, which supply a secondary source to the host.

7. Why are young animals more susceptible to pathogens (bad bacteria) than adult animals?

The role of the gut microflora can be exhibited by the example of germfree animals being more readily colonised and infected by gastrointestinal tract pathogens than conventional animals.

The newly born animal shows greater susceptibility than the adult to oral infection by food-poisoning pathogens such as salmonellas. This can be attributed to the virtual absence of intestinal microflora.

8. What are the minimum administration dose requirements for a probiotic?

To gain the desirable probiotic effect, a minimum concentration of microorganisms must be able to survive and grow in the intestine. Many trials and researches have shown that probiotic effect is achieved with an average concentration of 10⁹ Colony Forming Units (CFU) of viable probiotic bacteria per kilogram of complete feed. It has been suggested that particular micro-organism will not carry out any probiotic effect if above mentioned average concentration is less and it remains below this level at all times. Thus, ProBiotic LIVE products contain 10⁹ CFU per kilogram of complete feed in average to guarantee survival and growth of particular probiotic microorganism.

9. What makes a good probiotic?

Safety - the microorganism chosen as the component of a probiotic must be non-pathogenic and non-toxic.

Viability - a probiotic can only work if the microorganisms contained within the probiotic remain viable during storage of the product and through the gut to ensure colonisation of these microorganisms.

Minimum dose - the concentration of a probiotic must be such that inclusion rate 10⁹ CFU per kg of complete feed in average is provided.

Quality insurance - it is essential that a probiotic has not become contaminated with any other microorganism others than the particular probiotic microorganisms chosen at any stage e.g. fermentation, of the manufacturing process or during storage.

10. What exactly is ProBiotic LIVE?

ProBiotic LIVE is a functional Super Premium food for dogs that contains a live and highly concentrated probiotic bacteria, which occur naturally in the gut of all healthy animals. These microorganisms colonise the immature gut or re-establish the disrupted gut, thus promoting the mechanism of competitive exclusion against potential pathogenic bacteria.

The probiotic microorganism, Enterococcus faecium, contained within ProBiotic LIVE is sourced from the internationally recognised culture collection NCIMB (National Collections of Industrial and Marine Bacteria) and is selected for its ability to perform specific functions within the digestive tract of the host.

11. What benefits are achieved by using probiotics?

Some of the ways in which probiotics can benefit the host animal are:
+ reduction of the effects of stress
+ reduction of diarrheic and other digestive upset
+ improvement of immunity and resistance to disease
+ reduction of Salmonella levels
+ improvement in digestion
+ improvement in skin and coat condition
+ reduction of the risk of allergies
+ maintains a balanced microflora.

12. When is the right time to use ProBiotic LIVE?

ProBiotic LIVE can be used at anytime in the animal’s life but it will bring extra support for your dog:
+ immediately after birth to establish a correct microflora
+ after weaning
+ pre and post anaesthesia
+ during and after antibiotic therapy
+ after vaccination
+ in preparation for, during and after periods of stress

As the aim with probiotics is to restore and maintain normal gut function, they should be used whenever gut balance is upset. Situations likely to upset gut balance:
+ gut infections
+ vomiting and diarrhoea
+ antibiotic therapy
+ stress (travel, change of housing and etc.)
+ athletic competition
+ following surgery and anaesthesia
+ poor appetite

Strategic use of ProBiotic LIVE during times of stress (vaccination, rehoming), nutritional changes (weaning), or after antibiotic use is very beneficial and an excellent way of introducing the concept of probiotic use.

13. Are there any disadvantages of using ProBiotic LIVE?

There are NO disadvantages of using ProBiotic LIVE at any time!

ProBiotic LIVE contains microorganisms commonly found in all healthy dogs. Probiotics have never been found to be toxic. Even more than 100 times the recommended level does not cause any problems. None of the ingredients used in the manufacture of ProBiotic LIVE will cause irritations or allergic reactions. Probiotic is an inert material, and will not persist in the environment. There are no known adverse effects of ProBiotic LIVE on aquatic life, on soil fauna or terrestrial plants.

However, there are a great number of advantages using ProBiotic LIVE:
+ completely safe and free from dangers of probiotic overdose
+ enhances the animal's own natural defence mechanisms and
makes it better able to cope with opportunistic infections
+ highly effective under a wide variety of conditions.

14. Can probiotics be used at the same time as antibiotics?

Whenever antibiotics are used, especially orally, the normal population of gut flora is disturbed and when antibiotic therapy is prolonged the effect on the gut can be profound. Probiotics will of course help to restore the normal population of gut microflora and this is one of the principle indications for their use.

Whilst the restoration of the gut microflora will be of most benefit when antibiotic therapy has finished, there is logic in giving probiotics at the same time as antibiotics. This is because the gut is a dynamic place with waves of microfloral activity occurring depending on the food present and the antibiotic concentration at any specific time. Therefore repeated boosts to normal microbial activity by using probiotics will be to the animals benefit.

15. Can ProBiotic LIVE be used to prevent disease?

The digestive tract of any animal will be colonised with many millions of microorganisms. When the animal is healthy and disease free, the majority of these microorganisms will be beneficial microorganisms. However, even when the animal is healthy, there will still be potentially disease-causing pathogen colonised within the healthyí gut. These pathogens are so low in concentration that disease will not develop until the animalsí general health and immune status is affected.

By stimulating the immune system of the animal, ProBiotic LIVE will help to prevent disease within an animal. Furthermore, the beneficial probiotic microorganisms contained within ProBiotic LIVE will act to Competitively Exclude potentially pathogenic microorganisms within the gut. ProBiotic LIVE, which contains Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB), when colonised within the gut, will produce lactic acid, which has a low pH, which effectively produces the optimum conditions required for the growth of beneficial microorganisms. This action helps to prevent the colonisation of coliforms such as E. coli, which prefer a more alkaline pH.

16. Does ProBiotic LIVE require any special storage methods?

We would recommend that ProBiotic LIVE is stored in dry, cool and clean conditions, out of direct sunlight and kept sealed once the original container has been opened in order to exclude moisture and thermal decomposition.

ProBiotic LIVE is stable at room temperature for 15 months. This has been determined by long-term studies.

17. Why can't live yoghurt be used as probiotics for animals?

Live yoghurt can be used to provide some live microorganisms to the animal's digestive tract. However, it has some distinct disadvantages when compared to ProBiotic LIVE:

+ the concentration of live micro-organisms present in the yoghurt is unknown but will tend to be relatively low and will depend on the freshness of the yoghurt and the conditions in which it has been stored. After opening, the microbial concentration can become depleted.

+ the actual strains of microorganisms contained within live yoghurts will tend to be chosen for taste and texture properties rather than a probiotic benefit. Hence the microorganisms contained within the yoghurt may not produce any probiotic benefit.

18. Does the bacteria in ProBiotic LIVE survive the very acidic conditions of the stomach?

The very acidic, low pH of the stomach in most animals is nature's way of attempting to remove some of the load of infection present in food. It is however not a completely effective process as is made apparent by the fact that the oral / gut route is the commonest way for infectious agents to enter the body.

The microorganism contained within ProBiotic LIVE is a Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB). By definition these bacteria produce lactic acid, which is acidic. This ensures the growth of the bacteria in an optimum acidic environment. By creating this acidic environment LABs are able to prevent the growth of coliforms such as E. coli as they prefer a more alkaline pH for growth.

ProBiotic LIVE is also able to overcome the problem of stomach sterilization by containing billions of microorganisms so that some will always negotiate the pylorus and be available to colonise the gut. Also, the freeze-drying process, which is used to preserve the microorganisms present in ProBiotic LIVE, conveys an encapsulation, which protects against stomach acid.