The normal digestion process energizes and vitalizes all mammals, including humans and their pets. Its violations can lead to serious health problems.
Most often, the cause of dysbiosis is stress, infectious diseases, or rather, drugs used in their treatment. Most often, antibiotics cause the disease. In this case, probiotics for cats will help your pet.
What are probiotics?
Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms (yeast and bacteria) that normalize the intestines, restoring the composition and activity of the natural microflora. There are a number of negative factors that provoke the development of the disease:
- The use of low-quality feed, a sharp change in diet.
- Vaccinations that the cat needs, but can become very stressful for the animal.
- A course of steroid drugs (for example, prednisone) or antibiotics. After using potent antibiotics, probiotics for the cat are extremely necessary, because without them your cat will most likely develop severe dysbiosis, the consequences of which we will discuss below.
- Any kind of surgery.
- Inflammatory bowel disease.
- Renal failure, pancreatitis and hyperthyroidism, urinary tract pathology.
When is a cat particularly susceptible to dysbiosis?
Cats become especially susceptible to dysbiosis in the following cases:
- during a stay in a special hotel for cats;
- when moving to a new house;
- when a new animal appears in the house.
Emotional or physical stress can upset the balance of microflora in the cat’s intestines, leading to constipation or chronic diarrhea. The consequences of these diseases can be very serious. The absorption of amino acids and other elements important to the health of the animal is disrupted. As a result, this can trigger the development of allergies, sepsis, and even the intestinal form of lymphoma.
Often owners of animals are interested in what to give the cat with diarrhea. To answer this question, it is necessary to do analyzes and find out the cause of the disease. Only after receiving the results, the veterinarian can tell if probiotics for cats are shown in this particular case.
When is probiotic recommended?
These drugs are vital for:
- Malabsorption - a violation of the absorption of nutrients in the digestive tract. This disease is almost always accompanied by diarrhea.
- Detoxification from antibiotic treatment. After each administration of antibacterial agents, probiotics for cats are prescribed.
- Renal failure developed against the background of hyperthyroidism. In this case, it is recommended to transfer the pet to cat food with probiotics (Eagle Pack Holistic, Nutro, Brit, Proformans).
How to choose the right composition?
First of all, we want to warn pet owners that probiotic milk formulations that are formulated for humans can be harmful to your pet. The microflora of the digestive tract of cats is significantly different from the human.
Experienced veterinarians call three important nuances when choosing this drug:
- It is desirable that the preparation contains 10 or more strains of beneficial bacteria.
- Each dose of the drug should contain at least twenty million microorganisms.
- You should choose products from a world-famous company that produces probiotics for cats. Feedback from veterinarians and owners in this case is also very important.
It should be noted that even knowing the principle of choosing these drugs, one should not self-medicate: the drug should be prescribed to your pet by an experienced veterinarian after an animal analysis study. It is necessary to purchase it in specialized veterinary pharmacies or in pet stores. Pay attention to the storage conditions of probiotics: they usually retain their properties at low temperatures.
The shelf life of such products does not exceed two to three weeks, since it’s just how long beneficial bacteria live. Even if according to the instructions attached to the drug, its shelf life, for example, is a month, already in the fourth week its effectiveness is significantly reduced.
Effective drugs
Today, many tools have been developed aimed at treating dysbiosis. These are products of both Russian and foreign companies. Check the list of drugs to know what to give the cat with diarrhea (after consulting with a veterinarian).
Bifitrilak
The preparation contains a mixture of antioxidants, a prebiotic, natural sugars, micro and macro elements, a natural mineral sorbent and antimicrobial natural substances. It is a powder, brown in color with brilliant impregnations that have a pearly sheen. It has no taste or smell. This is a pure, natural product with the properties of a prebiotic, probiotic and sorbent. Absorbs and removes toxins from the body.
The activity of the drug is determined by the bifidobacteria and lactobacilli that are active against a wide range of conditionally pathogenic and pathogenic microorganisms. Expanded vermiculite, used as an adsorbent, absorbs gases, alkaloids, and also salts of heavy metals.
The drug is used, mixed with milk, water, colostrum or feed. The suspension is prepared immediately before use, shaking the composition well until a homogeneous mass. Adult cats are given 0.3 grams per day for 2-3 days. For kittens, the dose is halved.
"Enterol": instructions for use, price
A probiotic that normalizes intestinal microflora. Made using Saccharomyces boulardii yeast , competing with conditionally pathogenic and pathogenic microorganisms for a place in the intestine. This confrontation explains the antimicrobial effect of the drug in relation to Klebsiella, Clostridia, Shigella, Candida, Staphylococcus, Yersinia and other pathogenic microorganisms.
Enterol is one of the few probiotics that is used to treat people and pets. Available in bags and capsules.
Indications for use
With diarrhea, regardless of origin (viral, bacterial or stressful), the use of Enterol is recommended. The price of the drug is quite affordable - 10 bags for the preparation of the suspension is 320 rubles. The drug is used for prophylactic purposes in the treatment of antibiotics.
Dosage and Administration
Enterol probiotic for cats is used by adding it to drink (water, milk). To obtain the maximum effect, the agent is not given to the animal immediately after feeding, but after about two hours. You should know that the composition of this probiotic includes living cells, so adding it to a drink with a temperature below fifty degrees is not recommended. During treatment with Enterol, it is necessary to provide the animal with access to fresh water, preferably the additional introduction of fluid, and in any way - oral or parenteral.
The daily dose for an adult animal is one sachet per day. The dose can be divided into two doses - in the morning and in the evening. For kittens, the dosage is halved.
Zoonorm
The preparation contains a microbial lyophilized mass of live active bacteria that are sorbed on particles of lactose filler and powdered activated carbon.
Pharmacological properties
The healing properties of zoonorm are determined by bifidobacteria, on activated carbon particles, which are microcolonies. The activity of this drug is determined by the ability of microcolonies to adhere in the gastrointestinal mucosa of the animal and maintain healing properties when passing through the aggressive environment of the small intestine and stomach.
Filler lactose favorably affects the growth of bifidobacteria. The drug "Zoonorm" actively fights conditionally pathogenic and pathogenic microorganisms. In the shortest possible time, it normalizes the intestinal microflora and activates digestion.
"Zoonorm" promotes the complete synthesis of B vitamins, calcium absorption, has immunomodulating and antitoxic effects. The drug is given to cats and kittens in an amount of 5-10 doses. The duration of treatment is determined by the veterinarian.
Subtilis
The “Subtilis” oral suspension consists of a mass of living strains of the microorganisms Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus subtilis and water. The drug is produced in 1 ml polymeric tubes, packaged in 5 or 10 pcs.
When is the drug prescribed?
“Subtilis” is a probiotic for cats aimed at combating pathogens of a wide spectrum, as well as an additional source of amyl lipase enzymes. It is used for treatment and prevention: gastrointestinal diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms, restoration of normal intestinal microflora, increase immunity.
"Subtilis" has an antitoxic effect in case of damage to the body of a pet by infectious or alimentary agents.
Dosage and administration
Recommended for cats - 0.5 doses for five consecutive days. The indicated dosage and multiplicity are minimal. If necessary, they can be increased by a veterinarian.
Probiotic for cats Viyo
The packaging of the drug consists of seven daily servings of a nutritious drink. An adult animal is given 1 sachet of the drug per day.
Structure:
- meat and meat products;
- drinking water;
- oils and fats;
- offal;
- milk products;
- inulin (not less than 0.3%);
- minerals;
- fructooligosaccharides (0.1%).
Pharmacological properties
The composition of FOSim +, which is used in Viyo, guarantees the absorption of the active components - inulin and fructooligosaccharides (FOS) in the intestine. An excellent nutritious drink increases the number of beneficial bacteria that strengthen the body's natural defense. Fructooligosaccharide fibers, as well as inulin from FOSim +, are not processed in the stomach. They are fermented in the colon. As a result, the growth of healing bacteria is observed, and the number of pathogenic bacteria is sharply reduced. Experts consider effective daily use of 0.1 g of inulin and fructooligosaccharides.
Application
Before giving Viyo to the cat, it must be shaken. Viyo is given in the morning either diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 3, or in pure form.
Cat Owner Reviews
We have presented you with only a few probiotics for cats. The drugs listed by us receive different reviews from the owners of the animals. Enterol is recognized as the most effective, and the improvement is noticeable already on the second day of use. Further, Viyo follows the effectiveness, however, the owners say that for the first time, cats refuse to drink this drink on their own, they have to give it using a syringe. But then, animals with pleasure in the morning drink it themselves.
All cat owners agree that probiotics should be used only on the recommendation of a veterinarian. He will appoint your pet the most effective drug for him.