The natural way
Focus on the health and wellness of pets has increasingly shifted to include emphasis on doing it 'the natural way'. Pet owners are becoming more and more interested in natural ingredients and products without artificial colouring, flavours or additives when choosing food for their four-legged family members.
When it comes to natural preventive health care, there are many different approaches. In the human sector, sales of vitamins and other dietary supplements are booming and because of the increased humanization of pets, many trends seen in the human sector directly transfer to the pet market, especially when it comes to welfare. High quality natural diets alone are no longer enough – pet owners want something extra, preferably health benefits and everyday wellness for their pets.
Probiotic possibilities
One way of meeting these demands is by providing pets with probiotics on a daily basis. Probiotics offer various health benefits and have proven helpful in providing preventive and supporting care for both humans and pets. Many pet owners and veterinarians are already using probiotics successfully to manage and prevent a wide range of conditions and diseases.
Probiotics are defined as: “live microbial food supplements which beneficially affect the host animal by improving its intestinal microbial balance” (Fuller 1989). Probiotics are completely natural, since they are already present in the intestinal system of all animals and humans. They are necessary for the digestion of nutrients and the balance of the intestinal microflora. 70% of the immune system originates in the digestive tract, which is why a balanced microbial ecosystem is crucial for optimal health.
Providing everyday wellness
The effects mentioned above help to explain why pet owners and veterinarians alike are increasingly using probiotics as a natural way of providing everyday wellness for pets. There are no disadvantages to the use of probiotics – even dosages of over a 100 times the recommended quantities do not cause any problems.
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