High Potency Probiotics for Pets

Nowadays, more veterinarians are turning to probiotics to help pets with a variety of medical conditions. High potency probiotics for pets could help them restore the microbiome flora and control the "Dysbiosis."

The intestinal microbiome is the genome of all microbes inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract. Those microbes consist of viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. Bacteria represent the most abundant group within these microbes (Swanson et al., 2011). The intestine harbors approximately 100 trillion microbial cells, up to 10 times the number in the rest of the body. Consequently, microbial genes outnumber host genes, approximately tenfold (Honneffer et al., 2014). In recent years, the composition and function of the canine and feline microbiome, along with its critical role in host health, have attracted considerable interest.

The intestinal microbiome serves multiple functions, underscoring the importance of a balanced microbial community for host health. It helps regulate the immune system, defend against enteropathogens, and contribute to nutrient availability through the metabolism and fermentation of dietary components. Cross-talk between intestinal microbiota and host immune cells is mediated either through microbial-derived metabolites or directly through bacterial surface molecules that activate receptors of the innate immune system (e.g., Toll-like receptors, NOD2 receptors) (Bansal et al., 2010). These metabolites can be either directly produced by bacteria (e.g., vitamins, short-chain fatty acids [SCFA]), or they are primary host metabolites that are converted through bacterial enzymes into secondary metabolites (e.g., conversion of primary to secondary bile acids).

The resident microbiota also plays an important role in the intestinal barrier by preventing mucosal invasion by pathogens through competition for nutrients and epithelial adhesion sites. It also contributes to a physiologically restrictive environment for nonresident bacterial species by secreting antimicrobial compounds and modulating luminal pH.

About Dysbiosis

A physiological intestinal microbiome is crucial for host health. Several studies showed that dogs with a gastrointestinal disease have alterations in their intestinal microbiome composition and diversity (Honneffer et al., 2014) (Markel, 2012) (Guard et al., 2015) (Suchodolski et al., 2012). "Dysbiosis" is the term that summarizes these alterations.

A high-potency probiotic for pets adds billions of beneficial live bacteria to the pet's microbiome. These beneficial bacteria support gut health in several ways, including helping to reduce excess harmful bacteria and combat dysbiosis. Visbiome Vet Advanced GI Care capsules contain 112.5 billion live colony-forming units (CFUs) of probiotic bacteria in defined ratios, while the packet format delivers 225 billion CFUs—offering the highest concentrations available in the market.