PRO PLAN VETERINARY DIETS Fortiflora Feline Supplement 30x1g

Product Information

Enterococcus bacteria produce compounds called bacteriocins, which have the ability to target certain other bacterial strains, especially pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria like Salmonella, Listeria, and Clostridium species. What a probiotic seeks to do is to help restore and maintain that balance for intestinal health by providing one or more strains of beneficial commensal bacteria to counteract the growth of other bacteria that may be more harmful if allowed to overpopulate within the gut. So don’t rely on synthetic supplements like FortiFlora for your dog. Instead add some natural probiotics to your dog’s diet.

When these dormant little bacteria enter the gut, the environmental conditions trigger a restart in the metabolic processes of the bacteria, allowing them to grow, reproduce, and generally be active to provide their health benefits.Animal Digest is one of the ingredients found in FortiFlora for dogs. It’s a concentrated flavoring agent made up of hydrolyzed animal protein. But it’s not actually the contents of the digestive tract. It’s a reference to the way the manufacturer processes the animal protein. PURINA® PROPLAN® Canine FortiFlora® is a complementary pet food with live probiotic suitable for dogs of all ages, including puppies. It contains live "friendly" bacteria that help maintain intestinal health and balance, and a healthy immune system. FORTIFLORA® can be useful to help support digestive upsets or poor stool quality caused by imbalance in the intestinal bacteria. This can occur due to illness, stress, antibiotic therapy, dietary changes or just due to older age. Your dog’s stomach only houses two primary bacteria strains. But there are more strains farther along the digestive tract in the small intestine. In fact, one study found 6 different phyla of bacteria in the first part of the small intestine. But that doesn’t mean fermented foods without this aren’t good for your dog. They’re still prebiotic and postbiotic. And that means they help boost populations of good bacteria and provide health benefits to your dog.

The authors of “The Genus Enterococcus: Between Probiotic Potential and Safety Concerns—An Update” discuss this as part of the risk/benefit assessment for using Entercoccus as a probiotic. An easy way to spot a quality probiotic is to look at its Colony-Forming Unit (CFU) count. CFU count refers to the number of viable bacteria cells in a sample amount. And we measure the CFU count in probiotics per gram. When or whether your cat should be on a probiotic, and how long your kitty should stay on a product like FortiFlora, should be discussed with your veterinarian. The bacterial strain that FortifFlora contains, Enterococcus faecium, is a strain of bacteria naturally found within the digestive tract. Your dog needs probiotics to defend the gut. When there are more good bacteria, the gut can fight off anything it sees as a threat. That’s why you want more probiotics.

One study found that good bacteria are negatively affected by glyphosate. But “bad” bacteria like Salmonella are highly resistant. Enterococcus bacteria are highly competitive and resistant to changes in temperature and pH. This means they can more easily survive environmental changes traveling in a probiotic powder form through the stomach and into the intestinal tract. However, there may be other health conditions where a probiotic may be recommended for long-term use. Whether FortiFlora is used for a short-term or long-term period depends on your vet’s assessment of your cat’s condition and discussions you’ve had. Probiotics may be recommended for only a short period if a cat has a short, mild case of soft stool or diarrhea, or diarrhea associated with antibiotic use.

Here, we’ll talk about one probiotic in particular: Fortiflora. Then, we’ll give you some facts about probiotics in general, and we’ll end with an alternative suggestion. We hope you’re ready to learn! What is Fortiflora & what can it be used for? FortiFlora SA Synbiotic Action is a variation on the original FortifFlora product. FortifFlora SA contains psyllium fiber, which acts as a prebiotic to promote the growth of other specific commensal bacteria like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species. What Does Fortiflora Do for Cats?

Feeding guidelines

Proven to help support a healthy immune system and helps support intestinal health and microflora balance. Contains the lactic acid bacteria Enterococcus faecium SF68™, at levels proven to support intestinal health and microflora balance in dogs.

Probiotics, in general, do not produce nasty side effects when administered correctly. However, giving your dog too much of a probiotic can lead to adverse reactions. If your dog starts to experience any of the following symptoms, you may want to talk to your vet about getting him or her off Fortiflora: Contains a guaranteed level of a proprietary microencapsulated strain of viable probiotic (Enterococcus faecium SF68™) (5 x 108 CFU*/g) The microencapsulation process enhances stability, guaranteeing levels of live beneficial bacteria entering the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The combination of outcompeting undesirable bacteria as well as being able to target and inhibit them is what gives FortiFlora some of its distinctive advantage as there are only a couple of veterinary supplements approved to include Enterococcus faecium. In the same vein, the manufacturer of FortiFlora does recommend exercising caution using FortiFlora in pets with severely compromised immune systems. It’s important to discuss FortiFlora use with your vet if you have concerns that your cat may have a severely compromised immune system.

While Entercoccus faecium may occasionally be found contributing to infections in human patients, this is predominantly in hospitalized patients. While these infections can be very serious, they are considered very rare outside of a hospital environment where patients are already ill and have very compromised immune systems.