Research protocol on the use of probiotics in pets
1 - Protocol synopsis
The main objective of the study was to check the efficacy of lactic ferments in animal food, more specifically in products specially developed for pets.
Three groups of pets were studied: cats, dogs and birds.
The results obtained were based primarily on research conclusions of studies previously conducted by researchers specializing in nutraceuticals or other areas pertaining to functional food.
Blends of specific lactic bacterial strains were tested on each of the three groups of animals. The goal was to restore the animals’ health. Their poor condition was caused by a gastric bacterial problem
2 - Reasons for the Research
Over the past several years, research has delivered impressive results with regard to the use of probiotics in human nutrition. Additional positive results were achieved when probiotic strains were used in the agri-food industry. It would appear that probiotics might significantly improve the health of humans and animals. The nutraceutical and functional food industry is fast expanding, even though relatively few studies have been carried out on pets.
The primary motivation for this research is to find probiotic mixtures likely to meet the specific requirements of pet owners. We targeted three specific problems, which, in our view, can be resolved or reduced by improving the quality of animals’ intestinal flora. Previous studies have led us to believe that the aforementioned problems could well be resolved by a correctly formulated probiotic treatment.
The use of probiotics also goes hand in hand with the decreased use of antibiotics in animals.
We evaluated the quality of the probiotics currently available for animals. The main failings found in regard to these products were:
- Inadequate storage;
- Low quantities of probiotics contained in the samples analyzed;
- Poor quality of filler products.
This would indicate that the products currently available for pets on the market are sub-standard, which explains the significantly compromised impact of probiotics on animals’ health.
3 - Objectives and Hypotheses Tested
3.1 Birds
It is well known that the onset of diarrhea in birds can lead to a rapid deterioration of their health. The quick decline of the animal which is linked to its fast metabolism, requires swift intervention to prevent more serious problems occurring. An imbalance in the intestinal flora often causes this type of problem, which may have resulted from the bird experiencing stress.
In the case of chicks, an imbalance in the intestinal flora is very often fatal. Chicks are born with sterile intestines and it is the chick’s parents that introduce good bacteria into their digestive system during feeding. An imbalance of the intestinal flora tends to destroy the fecal membrane surrounding the chick’s droppings.
This membrane holds in their secretions and allows parents to dispose of them in the chick’s first few days of life. Absence or deterioration of this membrane means droppings will remain inside the nest, which creates the perfect conditions for the proliferation of harmful bacteria. This type of environment is detrimental to the development and growth of the young chicks and often leads to death in the nest.
The study will attempt to demonstrate that the use of specially formulated probiotics administered on a regular basis, eliminates diarrhea by maintaining a balanced intestinal flora in periods of rest and stress. In addition, mortality should be considerably reduced.
3.2 Cats
The offensive odor which comes from cat litter boxes is often unpleasant for the pet’s owners. The odors are caused by sulphide gas. These sulphide by-products are caused by certain types of bacteria present in a cat’s intestine. The anaerobic bacteria are responsible for putrefaction and are often found in cat excrement. It is recognized that a good blend of probiotics reduces gas and creates conditions unfavorable to the odor-causing sulphide bacteria.
The study will attempt to show that using specially formulated probiotics administered on a regular basis will eliminate odors and restore the animal’s intestinal flora, improving the cat’s health, whilst creating a hostile environment to the odor-causing bacteria.
3.3 Dogs
Weaning causes puppies considerable stress, which may sometimes lead to digestive disorders. When this occurs, it often means the breeder must delay selling the puppy, with inevitable additional expense resulting. Sometimes, pet owners may even return a pup suffering from diarrhea to the breeder. Diarrhea in puppies can on occasion be fatal.
When puppies suckle, the mother is providing them with protection against intestinal disorders. This is partly explained by the fact that some types of bacteria are transmitted to the pups through their mother’s milk.
When weaning a pup, three things occur that can have a negative impact on the intestinal flora. First, there is a reduction of the beneficial bacteria from the mother; second, a change occurs in the bacteria’s growing medium (due to the switch from a liquid to a solid diet); and finally, there is a change in environment as the puppy starts to leave its mother’s side.
The study will attempt to demonstrate that the use of specially formulated probiotics – combined with the use of prebiotics – that are administered on a regular basis, eliminates diarrhea in puppies during the weaning stage. This helps maintain a healthy intestinal flora and creates an environment unfavorable to harmful bacteria.
4 - Experimental Groundwork
4.1 Birds
The evaluation method will be based upon two factors: daily inspections recorded on an observation sheet and growth analysis of the chicks by daily weighing.
Dosage routine:
Given the results of research already carried out on poultry, the quantity of probiotics given to the birds will be 2.5 X106 CFU (Colony Forming Units) per gram of bird weight, which represents a significant source of beneficial, protective bacteria. Consequently, a dose for a canary would be 50 X106 CFU per day (an average bird weighs 20 grams). To obtain this dosage, 1.5 grams of product in a concentration of 1.8 X 109 CFU/g should be mixed with 100 grams of feed. The mixture should be slightly dampened and served in small feeding trays containing 2 grams of mixture.
 For cockatiels, dose should be 190 X 106 CFU per day.
For lovebirds, dose should be 100 X 106 CFU per day.
Because administering this feed to these two types of bird might be problematic, probiotics should be added directly to their water. According to our findings, cockatiels drink 14 grams of water per day and lovebirds drink 7.5 grams. Consequently, we will add .8 grams of product per 100ml of water.
4.2 Cats
We shall be inviting cat owners via notices in the newspaper to take part in a study. We will then select those participants who are particularly bothered by their cat’s litter odor. Throughout the study, cats will be fed the same food as usual, at the normal times of day.
Dosage routine :
Every day, each cat in the study will be given a .8-gram dose of a product with a concentration of 12.6X109 CFU, which is approximately 10.0 X 109 CFU/day. To facilitate the study, approximately one tablespoon of canned food will need to be mixed with the probiotics.
Each participating cat owner will need to weigh his cat(s) on a weekly basis and fill in a progress form every day.
4.3 Dogs
For the purposes of this study, each puppy will be given .8 grams of a product with a concentration of
4.7X109 CFU per gram, or approximately 3.8 X109 CFU per day. We are aware that even with a dose of .8 grams per 2.5 kg administered to the pups, some of the selected kennels have experienced problems with parasite proliferation (coccidiosis) in the intestinal tracts of the pups being weaned. We also know that adding probiotics to the animals’ food tends to restore the level of good bacteria in the intestine. Since coccidiosis is due to the proliferation of a protozoan, it may be necessary to administer an anti-parasitic treatment prior to using the probiotics.
Probiotics can restore the intestinal flora of puppies, eliminate diarrhea and improve their health.
5 - Results
5.1 Birds
When acquiring psittacidae, we have noted that their droppings were relatively liquid, probably due to the stress caused by the change in environment. After giving them the first dose of probiotics when they arrived, we noted an improvement in the consistency of their droppings after only 12 hours. Even though we increased the dose by four times the prescribed amount, no adverse effects were noted. The droppings became firmer and the birds remained very active. No weight gain or loss was noted during or after the treatment. Trials lasted 6 months.
When we stopped adding probiotics to their food, we noted a slight loss of consistency in their droppings after approximately 4 days. This experiment confirms the colonization and efficacy of the product. It would appear that the beneficial effects of the treatment continue for a period of about 18 days.
A maintenance dose every five days appeared to be sufficient to obtain the desired results.
A gain in weight was observed every day among canaries in their rearing period. Two groups were tested. Mortality in the nest was 15% for the group who did not receive probiotics (5 couples), but was only 3% - a single chick died – in the group who did receive them (7 couples).
5.2 Cats
The results obtained with regard to litter box odor were remarkable. The subjective evaluation of all participants was a reduction in their pets’ litter box odor that ranged from 60 to 90%.
All the participants were cat owners whose cat’s litter was in their view particularly unpleasant smelling. We noted that what the cat eats directly influences the odor of its feces. Many cats in the study were fed canned food, either occasionally or regularly.
Most of the cat owners like occasionally to give their pets this type of food, which they consider to be a treat. Other owners feed their cats only canned food. In many cases, it is this “special treat” that often causes the odors and diarrhea.
Positive results were even more significant amongst cats that ate canned food and those who were subject to chronic diarrhea.
5.3 Dogs
Many breeders saw their puppies’ recurring diarrhea problems disappear completely. All observed an improvement in the animal’s overall condition. In brief, the results seen in dogs were very positive in most cases.
However, liquid stools can sometimes be associated with a virus or parasite. In these cases, probiotics cannot help because the problem is not bacterial in nature.
Since probiotics are not as strong as antibiotics, they need to be used on the puppy’s first day of weaning as preventive measure. For serious bacterial imbalance, probiotics cannot replace antibiotic treatment. However, after such treatment, a probiotic specially designed for dogs can reduce and even eliminate recurrence of the problem.
6 - Conclusion
The results observed during the use of PROBIAVI are similar to the conclusions arrived at in other studies conducted on probiotics.
Many formulæ were tested before obtaining these results. There were mixtures that were found to be completely ineffective and this was for three main reasons: the choice of lactic ferment was inappropriate, the concentration was too weak and the storage was inadequate.
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