Canis Pro - Canine Probiotics

Canis Pro probiotics provide a concentrated source of viable strains of probiotic microorganisms and prebiotic compounds to aid health, growth and recovery in dogs. The three different formulations have been specifically designed to address the requirements of puppy, adult and senior dog nutrition.

	Product Profiles
	M S D S
	Smart Science Guide
	Resource link

Role of Intestinal Microflora in Dog Health

Adult Dog The intestinal tract of the dog is the site of nutrient digestion and absorption. It is also the site for colonization by both beneficial and pathogenic microorganisms. The microbial balance determines the dog’s overall health status. The major intestinal microflora of a dog includes lactobacilli, streptococci, coliforms, clostridia and yeasts. In healthy animals, lactobacilli dominate the intestine with a population of >100,000 cfu/g and successfully suppress pathogenic activity. A residual flora of less than 0.01% of the total microbial population is composed of clostridia, staphylococci, pseudomonas, proteus and yeasts of the Candida genus. Changes in this balance of microbial composition often occur and represent a major cause of digestive disturbance. This is frequently due to the development of Gram negative bacteria, particularly pathogenic E. coli strains.

Puppies

The intestinal tract of newborn puppies is rapidly colonized by a complex microbial flora soon after birth. At birth the only immune protection for the young animal is supplied by its mother and only lasts for 4 to 5 days. Its own immune system does not appear for a couple of weeks when antibodies start to be formed in the intestinal mucous membrane. During the intervening period, any lapse in the intestinal microflora balance needs to be addressed important to prevent infections.

Effect of Stress on Digestion

Stress Working animals are frequently subjected to physiological, management or environmental stresses including: pregnancy, feed changes, medical treatments, prevailing weather conditions and transportation. During times of stress pathogenic bacteria can overgrow the lactobacilli, thereby changing the normal intestinal microbial balance, resulting in host digestive disorders and upsets.

Impact of Antibiotic Therapy

Therapeutic treatment of a sick dog with antibiotics or other drugs may remove all the microbes in the intestine and create a temporarily sterile digestive tract. Animals are extremely vulnerable to invasion by pathogenic organisms immediately after such therapeutic treatment.

The Canis Pro line of products was designed to achieve the following targets:

Unique and effective combinations of probiotics and prebiotics to improve dog intestinal microbial balance at all ages.
Combat digestive upsets and incidence of scours which occur due to periods of stress, feed changes, illness or transport causing an imbalance in the intestinal microflora.
Improves performance in young and growing animals
Improve health status of dogs by inhibiting pathogen growth.
Enhance immune response to better equip the dog to deal with feed and environmental challenges.
Enhances feed intake by sick and older animals to ensure adequate nutrient intake
Promotes healthy status in gastro-intestinal tract after antibiotic therapy.
Greatly improves coat condition and overall vitality of animals

Canis Pro products are formulated to contain 5 key micro-pharma ingredients:

Live Yeast
Probiotic Bacteria
Immunoglucan
Mannan oligosaccharides
Fructan oligosaccharides

1. Live Yeast

Canis Pro supplies a single elite strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast. Live yeast activity in the intestine uses up oxygen, thereby arresting the development of oxygen loving pathogens.

2. Probiotic Bacteria

Probiotic Bacteria It has been shown that supplementing animals with certain strains of lactobacilli can help them to resist stress and post-antibiotic problems. The strain of Lactobacillus acidophilus chosen for Canis Pro was specifically selected for its positive attributes in this area, including rapid growth of the Lactobacillus to ensure domination of the intestinal microflora with this highly beneficial strain. This is a fast growing beneficial strain with a rapid growth rate to establish or maintain a dominant beneficial population in the intestine.

This beneficial bacteria attaches to specific sites on intestinal wall by adhering to epithelial cells or the mucus covering them and prevents the establishment of undesirable bacteria. Once established the lactobacilli then produce important anti-microbial compounds such as hydrogen peroxide and bacteriocins which inhibits the development of pathogens.

The graph shows the superior doubling time of the Lactobacillus strain in Canis Pro compared to 3 other competitor strains.

Source of Lactobacillus acidophilus

The doubling time is the time required for a cell to divide and it's population to double. The shorter this period the faster the bacterium can establish or maintain a dominant beneficial population in the intestine.

3. Immunoglucans

Immunoglucan is produced by extracting a purified type of beta glucan from the wall of yeast cells. This material acts as a specific stimulator of the immune system. This results in greater activity of white blood cells to destroy pathogens and also to produce compounds such as peroxide and nitric oxide which inhibit pathogen development.

This property of immunoglucans is only evident when the material is at least 80% pure and has been processed in a particular was to protect it’s biological activity. Most commercially available beta glucans do meet this specification.

4. Mannan Oligosaccharides (MOS)

Mannan oligosaccharides occur naturally in the cell walls of microorganisms and plants. They are used preferentially as a food source by beneficial bacteria in the gut. They are successfully used in production animals as an aid to combating stress- dependent ailments that cause an imbalance in beneficial gut microflora.

5. Fructooligosaccharides (FOS)

FOS is extracted from chicory plants by a hot water extraction of the macerated root which is then spray dried to produce the powdered form that is used in Canis Pro. During the liquid phase, the mixture is treated with specific enzymes to ensure that the desired chain lengths of oligosaccharide that are the most effective in the animal are achieved in the final product.

The chain length is known as the degrees of polymerisation. Too few means the FOS will be unstable and not make it to the target section of the intestine. Too many and the FOS may not be sufficiently degraded in the intestine to achieve stimulation of the beneficial bacteria. The FOS used in Canis Pro has been formulated to contain mostly medium and long length chains of oligosaccharides to ensure optimum utilisation in the intestinal tract of the dog.

Both mannan and fructan oligosaccharides can be successfully used in animal production as an aid to combating stress- dependent ailments that cause an imbalance in the beneficial gut microflora.

MOS and FOS are principally used as an energy source by lactic acid producing bacteria, thereby stimulating their growth. This results in a more stable intestinal microflora and optimizes nutrient absorption and feed conversion.

Pathogenic bacteria cannot degrade MOS or FOS and therefore cannot use them as an energy source. Feeding MOS and FOS together tends to suppress the activity of important pathogenic populations. In addition these pathogenic bacteria have mannose specific lectins on their cell surface allowing the pathogens to become bound to the MOS components and be washed out of the animal.

Pathogenic Bacteria

These key ingredients have been carefully formulated to meet the specific requirements of your dog.

Canis Pro^PD
for Puppies

Canis Pro^AD
for Adult and Working Dogs

Canid ProAD for Adult and Working Dogs

Canis Pro^SD
for Senior Dogs

Canine