As with probiotics, the desired outcome after giving prebiotics is improvement of host health. 21 However, the specific aim of giving prebiotics is to promote growth and function of the beneficial bacteria already present in the gut. Intake of prebiotics can significantly modulate the colonic microbiota by increasing the number of specific bacteria and thus changing the composition of the microbiota. 23 Prebiotics are metabolized by the resident microbiota of the colon, which, depending on fermentability, will result in the production of the short-chain fatty acids butyrate, propionate, and acetate. 23 These metabolites will diffuse through gut enterocytes and provide either local effects (e.g., enhance the intestinal epithelial barrier, decrease pro-inflammatory cytokines, regulate intestinal motility) or systemic effects (e.g., provide energy for the host). 24,25 Apart from direct prebiotic effects, dietary fibers can have additional functions in the GI tract. Psyllium, for example, has water-binding and bile acid–binding properties that improve fecal consistency, increase the intestinal mucus layer, and have beneficial effects on cell proliferation in the intestinal tract. 26 Synbiotics Give one capsule daily by mouth or as advised by your veterinary surgeon.Capsules can be given whole or opened and the contents sprinkled onto food. Barry KA, Middelbos IS, Vester Boler BM, et al. Effects of dietary fiber on the feline gastrointestinal metagenome. J Proteome Res 2012;11(12):5924-5933.

Pilla R, Suchodolski JS. The role of the canine gut microbiome and metabolome in health and gastrointestinal disease. Front Vet Sci 2020;6:498. Suchodolski JS, Jergens AE. Recent advances and understanding of using probiotic-based interventions to restore homeostasis of the microbiome for the prevention/therapy of bacterial diseases.The EU-registered probiotic Enterococcus faecium (DSM 10663/ NCIMB 10415) 4b1707, to help repopulate the intestine with beneficial micro-organisms. The gastrointestinal (GI) tract of animals harbors various microorganisms along with their collective genomes. 2,3 The estimated total microbial load in the intestine is approximately 100 trillion microbial cells, representing approximately 100 times more microbial genes than the host genome. Garcia-Mazcorro JF, Lanerie DJ, Dowd SE, et al. Effect of a multi-species synbiotic formulation on fecal bacterial microbiota of healthy cats and dogs as evaluated by pyrosequencing. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2011;78(3):542-554. Probiotics are live microorganisms, prebiotics are nondigestible food ingredients that support resident intestinal bacteria, and synbiotics are a combination of both. Arslan HH, Saripinar Aksu D, Terzi G, Nisbet C. Therapeutic effects of probiotic bacteria in parvoviral enteritis in dogs. Revue Méd Vét 2012;163(2):55-59.

lost or subsequently goes missing after it has been deemed delivered by the carrier. The associated risk in leaving parcels unattended is borne by the customer.

Shreiner AB, Kao JY, Young VB. The gut microbiome in health and in disease. Curr Opin Gastroenterol 2015;31(1):69-75. Some resident bacteria that thrive on prebiotics might not have the same health benefits as exogenous probiotics. Administering probiotics and prebiotics together may enhance the potential for eliciting health benefits, and some commercially available products contain both probiotics and prebiotics. These combinations are called synbiotics. Safety and Quality Safety Refrigerated items:when you purchace a cold chain product, you accept the rare chance that goods will not be delivered in an ideal condition and that no compensation will be offered to replace

The most promising applications for probiotics are treatment of acute uncomplicated diarrhea, prevention of stress diarrhea, prevention of antibiotic-associated GI signs, and adjunct therapy for chronic enteropathies ( TABLE 1 ). Probiotics need 1 to 3 days to colonize the intestines. 19 When the goal is prevention of stress-related diarrhea (during periods of weaning, boarding, or traveling or for working dogs), prophylactic administration of a probiotic a few days to weeks ahead of the event may increase success. Similarly, if the goal is prevention of antibiotic-associated GI signs, administering probiotics a few days ahead of a procedure will increase success. Probiotics are defined by the World Health Organization ( WHO) as live microorganisms, which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host.¹ Prebiotics are nondigestible food ingredients that are added to diets or used as supplements to modulate the growth or metabolic function of resident intestinal bacteria. Synbiotics are commercially available products that contain both probiotics and prebiotics. This article discusses probiotics for dogs and cats, along with prebiotics and synbiotics and their roles in promoting the intestinal health of dogs and cats. The Intestinal Microbiota Zyrek AA, Cichon C, Helms S, et al. Molecular mechanisms underlying the probiotic effects of Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 involve ZO-2 and PKCzeta redistribution resulting in tight junction and epithelial barrier repair. Cell Microbiol 2007;9(3):804-816. D’Angelo S, Fracassi F, Bresciani F, et al. Effect of Saccharomyces boulardii in dog with chronic enteropathies: double-blinded, placebo-controlled study. Vet Rec 2018;182(9):258. left detailing the nearest Australia Post outlet where the parcel can be collected during normal business hours.Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/World Health Organization. Guidelines for the Evaluation of Probiotics in Food. who.int/foodsafety/fs_management/en/probiotic_guidelines.pdf. Accessed May 2020. White R, Atherly T, Guard B, et al. Randomized, controlled trial evaluating the effect of multi-strain probiotic on the mucosal microbiota in canine idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease. Gut Microbes 2017;8(5):451-466.