By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Deanna_Raeke]Deanna Raeke
Does your pet suffer from loss of energy, bad gas, bad breath, itchy skin, constipation, bouts of diarrhea or vomiting, urinary tract problems, or loss of appetite? All of these problems may actually be symptoms of a compromised gastrointestinal tract - too much "bad" bacteria and not enough "good" bacteria.
"Good" bacteria? Never heard of good bacteria you say? Ever heard of "probiotics?" The word "Probiotic" simply means "for life."
A probiotic is an organism which contributes to the health and balance of the intestinal tract. A probiotic is also referred to as the "friendly," "beneficial," or "good" bacteria which when ingested acts to maintain a healthy intestinal tract and help fight illness and disease.
Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms, including Lactobacillus species, Bifidobacterium species and yeasts, which may beneficially affect the host upon ingestion by improving the balance of the intestinal microflora. Put more simply, probiotics refers to dietary supplements or foods that contain beneficial, or "good," bacteria normally found in your body. These microorganisms may assist with digestion or help protect against some harmful bacteria.
Probiotics may have antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, anticarcinogenic, antidiarrheal, antiallergenic and antioxidant activities.
Probiotics help to keep the gastrointestinal tract in balance by keeping the "bad" bacteria in check. It also assists in the uptake of nutrients and vitamins into the body.
A healthy lower intestine should contain at least 85% "healthy" bacteria to prevent the over colonization of disease causing micro-organisms like E. coli and salmonella. A colon can maintain its health with 15% unfriendly bacteria, if the body contains at least 85% probiotic friendly bacteria.
Here are some of the benefits probiotics provide:
increased natural resistance to infectious disease in the gastrointestinal tract and a first line of defense against diseaseprevention of dangerous fungal overgrowthreduction or elimination of some allergic reactionsantibiotic action against certain pathogenic bacteriaenhanced resistance against virusesoptimized digestive processes, allowing maximum nutritional benefit from foodimproved resistance to toxic bowel problemsresistance to diarrheastimulation of the immune systemimproved resistance to food poisoningproduction of needed nutrients, such as vitamin K, one form of which the body itself cannot makeimproved lactose intolerance conditionsreduction of cholesterol levelsantioxidants (inhibit the destructive effects of oxidation)improved resistance to stress of all kindsoverall improved quality of life and longevity Many, if not most, people have never heard of the term "probiotics" but that doesn't mean that we don't ingest them ourselves, especially if we eat things like yogurt, certain cheeses or some soy based foods. And as healthy as these are for us, they can be just as healthy for our pets and side effects, if they occur, are generally very mild.
You can easily add probiotics as a dietary supplement to your pet�s diet and it is a healthy and natural alternative to a regime of antibiotics that may be prescribed by your vet. Antibiotics kill off both "good" and "bad" bacteria, leaving your pet's system open to other problems by actually lowering the immune system. And the best part is that because probiotics are natural, they be used as a part of your pet's daily diet.
So for your pet's sake, think about going natural!
The author of this article, Deanna Raeke, is a pet owner, pet lover and natural health advocate. She dedicates her time to animal advocacy and welfare and the study and research of natural health for people and pets. For more information for your pet's health, visit [http://naturalhealth4pets.petloverstips.com/]Natural Health for Pets
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1 comment:
Great blog! Especially this article on probiotics and animals. Our precious Cocker Spaniel had
a terrible problem with Candidia,
skin rashes, and flakeyness. His
coat was dull and dry. It caused
him to itch and scratch and chew
on himself to the point of causing
sores. He had a terrible odor that seemed to come from his ears and mouth-- it was the combination of a sour and mildew smell. He had become sluggish and just didn't seem happy. No matter how often we had him groomed, and in fact, the more often we had him groomed, the worse his skin, fur and the odor seemed to get. My wife and I had been taking a probiotic (a certifed organic one we found through an Australian company on the internet) and had recognised a significant improvement in our over all health and energy level. We also had become aware of the healing effect that probiotics have on eczema in humans. Well, you've heard of the old saying: what's good for the goose is good for the gander, haven't you? We decided that if probiotics were good for humans they could be equally as good for our pets. We started Malachi on 1/8 of a teaspoon twice a day of the same probiotics me and my wife take. In less than 2 weeks we began to notice a SIGNIFICANT change in our sweet doggies skin. He was scratching less and seemed to be moving about with less discomfort. After being on the MiVitality In-Liven probiotic for just one month he no longer had that terrible odor that caused him to get bannned from our master bedroom :) Today probiotics, along with an Omega 3 fish oil, are a part of Malachi's daily routine. We put 1/2 a teaspoon of Omega 3 fish oil on his dry organic dogfood and wrap a 1/4 teaspoon of probiotic in a slice of thinly sliced organic turkey meat. Malichi is a happier, healthier, and more attractive dog. In fact, all of our pets are on probiotics now--I ought to tell you about our cats shiney fur coat :) But I'll save it for another day.
We buy the MiVitality from a lovely husband and wife team who are alterantive health advocates. They have a website called TheMaster'sOrganics/
TheMaster'sCreatures. She provides healthy alternatives to skin care and nutritional advice for us humans and he provides the same for our pets. He is known as the Creature Preacher. Their website is www.themastersorganics.com
Too bad they don't pay a referral fee or I'd be a rich man.
Thanks for your blog and for caring about animals.
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