Probiotics for pets

I've heard it is recommended to add probiotics and digestive enzymes to cat food, especially when first transitioning from dry to raw food. Should I add these to the food when I mix up a batch or add them only when feeding each meal? I don't know if these two products are sensitive to storage and freezing.

The use of probiotics and digestive enzymes in food, not just for transitional purposes but all of the time, is strongly advocated by many. Probiotics are said to boost the immune system.¹ There is also some evidence that certain probiotics can alleviate diarrhea, at least in humans.² Digestive enzymes are, not surprisingly, assumed to aid in digestion. But this is not as simple as it may seem. Let's examine the idea.

Enzymes of many sorts are present in raw tissues, but are denatured by cooking. These enzymes in raw foods are said to be beneficial. Evidence to support this is almost completely anecdotal. Yet the volume of anecdotal evidence would force the strongest skeptic to at least examine the idea.

Here's the logical problem with the enzyme theory: there's more than one way to denature an enzyme. Enzymes, being proteins, are denatured by strong acids, and there are not many acids stronger than what is in an obligate carnivore's stomach. Ingested enzymes are denatured in the stomach, so they aren't making it to the small intestine and hence cannot be helping with actual digestion. Many veterinary discussions of this subject stop right there. Enzymes are not getting past the stomach, so the whole idea must be faulty.

This conclusion is poorly reasoned. If cats fed food with active enzymes are healthier, and the mass of anecdotal evidence supports this, then possibly the enzymes are acting not as an aid to digestion, but in some other way which we don't yet understand. The flip side is that these enzymes appear to be safe.³ So why not add them? It is reasonable to use them based upon what we know anecdotally. Will they help with the transition process? That is unknown.⁴

Just like humans, your pet encounters emotional and physiological stresses everyday – and every one of these stresses can potentially affect their GI tract. You see, as the largest immune barrier in their body, the gastrointestinal track bears the brunt of these stresses. Poor diet choices of highly processed pet foods as well as a stressor-filled environment and you can quickly understand why protecting your pet's immune system, healthy digestion, and overall good health is so important. 

 pet's gastrointestinal tract by supplementing their diet with probiotics that flood their system with beneficial bacteria. Individual strands are helpful for maintaining overall health as well as uniquely responding to the variety of daily stressors, both emotional and physiological, that your pet encounters.

Research shows that 10 or more strains are recommended for promoting optimal health. Ideally, I believe you'll want to find a probiotic formula with 20, 30, 40 million or more beneficial bacteria per serving. I'm about to introduce you to a probiotic that contains 58 billion active beneficial bacteria per serving. Yes, fifty-eight billion! (When used by the expiration date printed on the package)

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  Your pet's digestive system, just like yours, is home to billions of bacteria that keep their gut running smoothly.
  Probiotics, often sold as supplements, are living microorganisms very similar to these resident bacteria. When your  cat or  dog is troubled with gastrointestinal problems like diarrhea or constipation, can these tiny organisms accomplish the improvements often attributed to them?

  Common Digestive Problems in Dogs and Cats

  The digestive systems of cats and dogs are more similar than different. Although cats generally have smaller stomachs and shorter digestive tracts than dogs, both process their food in the stomach, with nutrients and water later absorbed as it moves along through the intestines.
  "The gut is the largest immune organ in the body," says Susan G. Wynn, DVM, a veterinary nutritionist in Atlanta. Its job is to allow absorption of food, while excluding elements like bacteria and toxins, yet "sometimes these defenses break down."
  That breakdown can lead cats and dogs to experience similar digestive upsets, including vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. The cause of gastrointestinal problems for dogs is often related to their tendency to eat things they shouldn't, while cats may suffer digestive system upset as a result of parasites in their prey.
  For cats and dogs, studies show that a healthy population of gut bacteria is vital to a fit gastrointestinal tract. "Gut flora and mucosa act as barriers against gut pathogens," says Kara M. Burns, MS, MEd, president of the Academy of Veterinary Nutrition Technicians. They also play a vital role in removing toxins, enhancing digestion, and out-competing disease-causing microorganisms. 

  Can Probiotics Help Your Pet?

  Although studies are ongoing, some research shows that when your  cat or dog experiences digestive problems, probiotics can be beneficial, says Ann Wortinger, BIS, LVT, program chair of veterinary technology at Sanford-Brown College in Dearborn, Mich. Probiotic "good" bacteria can lower intestinal pH, helping to not only boost their own numbers, but to lower the numbers of disease-causing bacteria in your pet's gut, while making it harder for potentially disease-causing pathogens to set up shop in the small intestine, Wortinger explains.
  Probiotics might potentially help in many ways, Wynn tells WebMD, such as boosting poor immune function, addressing bacterial imbalance, or by enhancing the health of the cells in the tissue of your pet's gastrointestinal tract that produce digestive enzymes. "They may also help with digestion by providing their own digestive enzymes," she adds.
  Marla J. McGeorge, DVM, a Portland veterinarian specializing in  cat care, uses probiotics in the management of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, as well as in patients she feels could benefit from general immune system support, such a cat fighting an infection.
  Although  pet probiotics may be beneficial in certain situations, there can be issues with them.
  "Commercially sold probiotics are not regulated," says Craig Datz, DVM, associate teaching professor at the University of Missouri Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, and most haven't been researched in dogs and cats. As a matter of fact, tests of 13 probiotic products showed that only two contained the number of probiotic organisms advertised. Some "contained as little as 7% to 58% of the label claim," Datz tells WebMD.
  What's part of the reason for the discrepancy? It's hard for beneficial bacteria to survive weeks or months on a store shelf. Even if they do, the bacteria then have to survive their trip through your  pet's stomach acids and bile salts in order to successfully make it to the gastrointestinal tract.
  To deal with these problems, some pet probiotic producers now microencapsulate their bacteria to help protect them, says Wortinger, while others deliver a wider array of bacteria within a single product to improve effectiveness.
  
  

Read more at http://feline-nutrition.org/nutrition/are-probiotics-and-digestive-enzymes-needed 
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