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RE: [RC] Probiotics question - Susan E. Garlinghouse, D.V.M.-----Original Message----- From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Kristi Schaaf Sent: Friday, January 21, 2005 8:06 AM To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [RC] Probiotics question Hey any vets and/or nutritionalists out there...are probiotic needs the same whether you are a horse, human or dog? In other words, if my horse and dog both get the same probiotic, is it working the same way for both of them? Or do different species need different 'formulas'? Kristi iluvdez at yahoo dot com Depends on what you mean by 'need'. Of all the species you list, only the horse derives his primary energy requirements through microbial fermentation, and therefore needs a microbial population in his gut. Dogs are facultative carnivores, so break down fiber just a bit, humans even less than that, so those species get by pretty well without any microbes on board at all, although they are useful when they're around. Yes, different species benefit from different population types of microbes, depending on the primary type of feed being consumed. However, there are about a thousand different species in the average equine gut, so it doesn't make a truly tremendous difference if your choice of commercial probiotics contains two species of bugs or four, it's still just a drop in the bucket. Susan Garlinghouse, DVM =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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