Understanding Pre and Probiotics

[Gypsy Rose]

What are pre and probiotics? An easy to understand definition is that they are friendly bacteria that help keep the intestines and hindgut healthy.

In order to give you a good explanation of what these are, it will be best if I copy and paste, and put up links- that way, the sources of my info can be identified.

A very good article on probiotics from "The Horse" maggazine:

http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=5692

And Prebiotics:

http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=10842&nID=12

From SmartPak Equine's Glossary:

Prebiotics: Prebiotics are non-digestible soluble fiber that serve as food for the probiotics or "good" bugs and stimulate their growth. Examples of prebiotics are fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin.

Probiotics: Probiotics are live microorganisms (bacteria and yeast) fed to promote healthy digestive and immune function. When these "good" bugs break down food ingredients that the body normally can't, they produce energy and vitamins for the body, food for cells in the cecum and colon, and byproducts that keep the "bad" bugs from growing. Research suggests probiotics are useful in repopulating the intestine with "good" bugs after antibiotic use and may benefit certain horses with diarrhea.


Another good article through SmartPak:
http://www.smartpakequine.com/Articles.aspx?ArticleName=microbestotherescueprobi oticsanddigestiveaids

A commom usage of probiotics is under times of stress, such as diarrhea, deworming, antibiotic use, and ulcers.

However, many people, includuding myself, have discovered the benefits of improved feed utilization in senior horses.

Digestive enzymes can help as well for seniors, but that's another thread topic!:)

I hope everyone will find this information useful- even if you may not need it now, it's good to know. Many feed companies are adding low levels of pre and probiotics to their feeds these days, Triple Crowm being one of them,

If you look at labels, you may also find them listed as ingredients in some multi vitamin and mineral supplements.

Feel free to comment or ask questions- please! I have been using pre and probiotics for 10 years now, and I am very familiar with them.

[westmanfarrier]

I think your articles outlined my concerns on the lack of research and evidence that they are effective.

I am not a naysayer and am not discounting probiotics, I am a fence sitter as I am with trimming techniques and joint supplements (which also have not been proven nor disproven). I believe in unbiased scientific study. I want to understand both sides of any argument before I make an opinion. Having said that, here is some excerpts from an article I dug up I read some time ago. (cut and pasted directly from the paper) It is from the Canadian Veterinary Journal by the University of Guelph.

Title: Preliminary investigation of the probiotic potential of Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain GG in horses: fecal recovery following oral administration and safety

Highlights:
-Appealing properties of probiotics include the ability to reduce antibiotic use, the apparently high index of safety, and the public's positive perception about “natural” or “alternative” therapies.
-Very little research has been performed in the field of equine probiotic therapy.
-Commercial probiotic preparations are available for human and animal use; however, there is little to no objective research available for many of them, particularly those intended for companion animals.
-One of the best-studied probiotics in human medicine is Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain GG (LGG).
-In humans, LGG has been shown to be effective in the treatment of several forms of diarrhea, including rotaviral diarrhea in children, acute nonrotaviral diarrhea in children, antibiotic-associated diarrhea in children and adults,
-Some authors believe that probiotic organisms should be naturally occurring in their target species to be effective
-This study was designed to evaluate whether LGG can colonize the gastrointestinal tract of adult horses and foals, and do so without causing adverse effects.

-Compared with other species, intestinal colonization of LGG in adult horses is sporadic and poor.
-It is possible that LGG is not able to adhere well to equine intestinal epithelial cells.
-However, it appears that LGG is better able to colonize the intestinal tract of foals.

-Based on the sporadic colonization of LGG in adult horses, it is unlikely that this organism has significant probiotic potential in healthy horses. It is possible that colonization would be better in diarrheic horses or in those undergoing antimicrobial therapy because of disruption of the normal protective intestinal microflora. This should be evaluated
-In contrast, LGG may have potential as a probiotic in foals.

And the final paragraph:

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG cannot be considered an equine probiotic at this point. The poor intestinal colonization in adult horses is not encouraging. Unless improved colonization by LGG can be demonstrated in diarrheic or antibiotic-treated horses, further efficacy studies are likely not warranted. This situation may be different in foals. Adequate colonization of LGG in foals without any adverse effects was identified in this study. Efficacy studies should be performed to evaluate this organism in the prevention or treatment of disease in foals. It has been reported that LGG is able to affect antigen transport in the intestinal tract via closure of large molecular transport pores (12 (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=372248#r12-22)). It is unclear whether this property could interfere with passive transfer of maternal antibodies. As a result, it would be prudent to avoid administering LGG to foals less than 24 h of age. CVJ

The link is: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=372248

[WashingtonBay]

OK - what form are these biotics given in? I've heard some talk about it like it's in a tube, some have a pump dispenser like it's a liquid, and I've got some free samples here of something that is a pellet.

What do you give, what does it cost, do you give it to everyone or just particular horses at particular times?

[Gypsy Rose]

You can get them in a paste for occasional use, as well as liquid, and pellets and powders as well.

Westmanfarrier: keep in mind that there are many different strains of probiotics out there. The main ones used for horses I will list here:

First, a link emphasising the importance of using more than one strain:

http://www.horsefeeds.co.uk/probiotics.html

Now, as to your other questions, WB,, I myself have been feeding a multivitalmin with specific strains fo bacteria, however, if I was going to just add a probiotic in addition to what I was already feeding, I would go with Prozyme:

http://www.prozymestore.com/about.htm

This is what a veterinarian recommended I feed when it was too cold to sedate Gypsy to float her teeth one winter- I can prove that it works, she actually started gaining weight, even with not so hot teeth!

For the younger horses, I would only give it at times of stress, like just before and after a deworming, or duriing antibiotic therapy, according to your vet's instructions.

If you feed probiotics too long, there is a good possibility that the body may become dependent on them.

Bay, on the other hand, is a senior horse. His digestive system is becoming les efficient as he ages.

With the okey dokey from your vet, I would put him on it indefinitely, as you will discover an increased utilization of his feed.

Seaking of, I must go feed Gypsy- when I get back in, I will post other links to probiotics that I feel are good products.

[Gypsy Rose]

Good probiotic products and pricing:

BTW, I stand corrected on the Prozyme- that is actually a digestive enzyme supplement, which I will cover in another thread soon.

Pro Balance:
http://www.smartpakequine.com/ProductClassDescription.aspx?productClassId=1913&cmPreserveSource=true&cmPreserveCategory=true

Probios:
http://www.smartpakequine.com/ProductClassDescription.aspx?productClassId=5168&cmPreserveSource=true&cmPreserveCategory=true

Yea-Saac:

http://www.smartpakequine.com/ProductClassDescription.aspx?productClassId=3706&cmPreserveSource=true&cmPreserveCategory=true

I myself would not recommend the Yea-Saac a for broad spectrum probiotic- it is really more of a prebiotic, with only one strain of yeast extract.

For Gypsy, after the Prozyme, and her teeth were floatd the following spring, I put her on this, and it worked for quite a few years on its own:

ABC's Plus:

http://www.smartpakequine.com/ProductClassDescription.aspx?productClassId=21&cmPreserveSource=true&cmPreserveCategory=true

Got expensive for me after a while, and a few years later, she started going downhill again, so she got put on a combination pre/probiotic/digestive enzyme- but that's another topic.

Note- I only used the SmartPak site because it was easy to pull up the ingredient list. There are other places - vet supply catalogs that you can get these products- sometimes cheaper. There are also other good products out there, and if someone has a question on one, feel free to ask- and I'll answer the best that I can.

[mtnmollie]

Thank you G/R for posting your research. :cowboy:

[walkinthewalk]

Good thread! Thanks for all the research and links:cowboy:

I rescued my Arab 15+ years ago as a head-attached-to-a-skeleton.

A good friend got a flyer in the mail for http://www.medallionequine.com/equizyme.htm

It was my first introduction to the existence of any kind of "zymes" and it made sense so I started Streeter on the Equizyme and he remained on it until I ran out when we moved to Tennessee in Fall 2003.

I don't have statistical proof that helped, except that 10 months after running out during the Tennessee August heat & humidity Streeter developed an ulcer:eek:

It ended up that he also was stressed from tooth problems as he had lost two molars.

I could no longer get the Equizyme from the dealer on the East Coast and shipping rate from Stockton, CA to Tennessee were too high, so I went hunting. I eventually found ProDiZyme http://www.designnutrition-equine.com/products.html

Streeter is 22-1/2 and will stay on the ProDiZyme. Does it help? I don't know but I'm not taking chances since his only ulcer came about when he WASN'T on a probiotic.

Duke, the metabolic horse, just turned 21 and he is now also on the ProDiZyme.

Streeter was so bad when I rescued him at age 7, that I never thought he'd make it to his mid-teens. If there are drawbacks to the daily use of these probiotics, I'll take them because he is still chuggin' along, ears forward, eyes bright, always ready to play a trick on me, and is still the 2nd-in-command behind Duke the metabolic horse.

I will also ditto that unofficial observation for Duke because with the health issues these two Elders have, I have nothing to lose and everything to gain:cowboy:

[Gypsy Rose]

Walkinthewalk: the ProDiZyme is actually a combination probiotic and digestive enzyme, similar to what I have Gypsy on now- I will post that in a minute.

Your Equizyme is pretty much the same thing- pre/probiotics, with digestive enzyme precursors.

Glad to see that your horses are doing so well, and I certainly agree with you- if it seems to help, it would be foolish to take your horses off of it!

Gypsy is now on Ultra Elite Digest- I made the switch a year ago, when Med Vet Pharm. took the digestive enzymes out of their multi. I also now have her on SmartPak's Senior Vite, which has lower levels of pre/probiotic and enzyme precursors. Any time you find a pre/probiotic in a vitamin or feed formula, you need to make sure that the levels are high enough to do any good, which I've discovered the Senior Vite is not, lol!

Ultra Elite Digest:

http://www.smartpakequine.com/ProductClassDescription.aspx?productClassId=2206&cmPreserveSource=true&cmPreserveCategory=true

[Gypsy Rose]

WB, it would be interesting to know what's available in your area that you could just pick up from the feed store- these are just a few examples of probiotics.

For instance, Med Vet Pharm. has another good one that I've used- one of the better ones out of the lot, IMO- the only reason I quit using it was because I wanted something with digestive enzymes as well.

http://unitedvetequine.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=73160112a&Category_Code=spdry&Product_Count=1

This is really good stuff- if Gypsy hadn't needed the enzymes as well, I'd still be using it, lol!

[WashingtonBay]

OK - I'll look at the feed store next time, and let you know what they've got available before looking into ordering it.

[Gypsy Rose]

Good idea- just let me know what you find.