When it comes to our pets, gastrointestinal health can oftentimes be overlooked. It’s easy to forget about nourishing the gut when your pet isn’t showing any signs of an upset stomach. Most owners, though with no malintent, will wait until their pet starts to exhibit signs of an upset stomach - such as vomiting, diarrhea, flatulence, or reluctance to eat - to address gut health. Contrarily, being proactive can be much more beneficial than waiting for tummy troubles to start. That’s where probiotics come in.
Probiotics are commonly used in both humans and animals to help support gastrointestinal health. To put it simply, probiotics are live bacteria that are capable of surviving in the gut environment, and whose purpose is to optimize gut health by promoting balance. Probiotics are exclusively beneficial, and are most commonly introduced into the gut in the form of supplements.
How do probiotics help the gastrointestinal tract? Just like in humans, our pets’ stomachs are lined with “good” bacteria whose main purpose is to maintain stability and balance, and to promote proper function of the gut (such as digestion, motility, metabolism, and other bodily functions). The introduction of probiotics into the body would contribute to this population of beneficial bacteria, further enhancing gut health and function. Good motility, appetite, energy levels and firm stool are among many of the benefits observed by owners who introduce probiotics into their pet’s routine.
A far less known fact is that gastrointestinal health has shown to contribute to many other functions of the body, such as immunity and management of skin allergies. For example, the intestines contain a protective barrier that helps to fight off harmful bacteria and foreign bodies that may cause illness. Therefore, a healthy environment in the stomach can often help sick pets during their recovery from an illness or disease because it supports immunity. Without that coating of beneficial bacteria in the gut, the body would be deficient of a huge contributor to the immune system.
Similarly, digestive imbalances are known to exasperate skin allergies. While dermatologic issues - such as itching, redness, inflammation, or infection, among others - are often thought to be caused by diseases exclusive to the skin, digestive imbalances and a lack of gastrointestinal health can actually have a huge influence on such issues. Beneficial bacteria, both in its existing form and in probiotic supplements, help to alleviate such imbalances and restore order and function to the gut, skin, and other parts of the body.
Probiotics are also often used when veterinarians prescribe antibiotics to our pets. The reason is in the name: antibiotics are used to fight off live bacteria in the body, whether good or bad. While the primary purpose of antibiotics is to target “bad” bacteria, much of the “good” bacteria in the body are also affected. As long as the type of bacteria falls within the medicine’s broad spectrum of targets, it will be suspect to its elimination effects. For this reason, probiotics are usually used in conjunction with antibiotics in order to support the population of beneficial bacteria in the gut. While the antibiotics fend off harmful - and, as a byproduct, beneficial - bacteria, probiotics work hard to maintain the balance of beneficial bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract.
While many effective probiotics require a prescription, Dr. Z wanted to make proactive gut health more accessible to pet parents everywhere. That’s why he developed the Wellnergy Pets Probiotics for dogs and cats. What makes Dr. Z’s formula unique is its incorporation of Bacillus coagulans, the only probiotic on the market shown to exhibit long-term stability in the form of a soft, delicious chew. The benefits don’t stop there: Dr. Z uses hydrolyzed duck flavor for pets with protein sensitivities. Effective, safe and affordable, our Wellnergy Pets Probiotics provide pet parents with the opportunity to be proactive and get a jump start in their pets’ gut health!