At The Herbal Pet we pride ourselves on combining all of what your pet needs for its specific problem or situation.

For example, nervousness in a dog or cat can have several different causes. A deficiency in the amino acid, 5-HTP can be a cause. So can a shortage of Vitamin B1 (thiamine). Or magnesium. Or Inositol (another vitamin). Serenity Formula contains each of these.

Then, of course, the cause may not be nutritional, it may be exposure to scary stuff. Scary stuff, to a dog or cat, can be: a new pet, a move, shows, etc.  To help your pet deal with the scary stuff,  we include a blend of calming herbs including the well known Chamomile.

In this way, we hope to achieve two things:

1. Effectiveness – all possible causes of the problem are addressed. Making the supplement more likely to succeed than one that has only one or two ingredients.
2. Safety – because we are using several different substances that work together to solve a problem, we are able to use smaller amounts of these substances. Smaller doses mean fewer side effects. Good thing.

Interzoo - the Worlds Leading Pet Products Trade Show

In mid May, The Herbal Horse and Pet is attending the biggest pet product exhibition in Europe: Interzoo. For more details visit www.interzoo.com.  If you are going to be there, please do come and visit us!

Probiotics are a group of ‘friendly’ bacteria (literally, “pro life,” indicating that they are bacteria and yeasts that help rather than harm) and are gaining popularity as daily supplements for humans. As always, pet owners have been quick on the uptake and starting to realize that horses can benefit from these bacteria as well.

Probiotics taken by mouth take up residence in your pet’s digestive tract. Think of the digestive tract as a rain forest ecosystem, with billions of bacteria and yeasts acting as the trees, frogs, and leopards. Some of these inhabitants are harmful, some are harmless, while others do good. By adding probiotics to the animal’s diet, you are tipping the scale in favour of the bacteria that do good.

There are a number of ways in which probiotics work:

• They compete with the harmful bacteria for limited space in your pet’s digestive system, thus helping to drive out harmful pathogens (disease-causing organisms). This is particularly useful in dogs and cats with gastro-intestinal problems, such as stomach pain, diarrhea or ulcers.

• They help to digest the food that your pet has eaten. Studies have shown that probiotics increase the quantity, availability, digestibility and assimilability of nutrients. In plain English – your pet gets more value out of the food that he or she eats.

• Antibiotics can disturb the balance of your “inner rain forest” by killing friendly bacteria. When this happens, harmful bacteria and yeasts can move in and flourish. This is why, whenever your vet prescribes antibiotics, he or she will usually add a probiotic as well.

As well as feeding probiotics, you can give prebiotics such as fructo-oligosaccharides or inulin -supplements that are ‘food’ for the probiotic. Giving a prebiotic is like putting manure in a garden; it is thought to foster a healthy environment for the probiotic.

There are various problems with some of the probiotics available. The downside of using a living organism is that probiotics may die on the shelf. In fact, a study reported in 1990 found that most acidophilus capsules on the market contained no living acidophilus. The situation has improved in subsequent evaluations, but some products are still substandard.

Another problem with some strains of bacteria is that they are destroyed by stomach acid. You need to give a probiotic that survives the stomach acid and moves into the intestine still alive and able to do good work.

One of the best probiotics, in my opinion, is called Lactobacillus Sporongenes (LS). LS is also known as Bacillus coagulans. The most interesting thing about this bacterium is that it forms a hard, resistant spore, which is a good thing for two reasons:

• The hard spore makes the shelf life of the probiotic extremely good. Unlike most probiotics, you don’t have to keep LS refrigerated. And, when you purchase a probiotic containing LS, you will be obtaining a higher proportion of living bacteria.

• The hard LS spore is resistant to the acid in the stomach, but slowly opens up in the intestine. This is where it is needed. A lot of probiotics are killed by the acid in the stomach before they reach the intestine.

This is because of (not in spite of) my love for all things scientific. Let me explain.

Lets say that your dog has arthritis (just an example). You take the dog to the vet, who prescribes medicine. The dose of this medicine will be precisely calculated and it will be a large dose (by my standards – more on this later).

The drug has one method of stopping the arthritis – for example, it blocks the pain receptors, resulting in less pain for your dog. Great news.

The disadvantage of this large dose of a single drug is that, inevitably, there are side effects. Perhaps your dog gets a bit shaky. Or his immune system is compromised. Sometimes, his body will become accustomed to the drug and the drug stops working so well (called tolerance). So the vet is forced to up the dose. Which results in more side effects. And more tolerance. You get the picture, I am sure.

This is where The Herbal Pet’s philosophy is different. Our products are formulated with these two points in mind:

1. A lot of different natural substances are used together.  To continue with my example, Joint Formula consists of 6 different plants and natural substances, all of which have been scientifically proven to help with arthritis. But each one does so in its own unique way. In this way, the problem is being tackled using several different methods, but with a common purpose – making your dog feel less stiff and sore.
2. The ingredients of Joint Formula (and all of the other products) are present in low doses. Because there are so many ingredients, working together with a common purpose, the efficacy of the product is not affected. But, the tolerance is less. And the side effects are less. No vicious cycle of dose vs effect.

This is what I call “The Herbal Pet philosophy”. And this is what I want to know from you – does it make as much sense to you as it makes to me?

Working Formula contains:

• Spirulina
• Amino Acids
• Vitamins
• Joint nutrients
• Ginseng

Spirulina

Spirulina is the name for blue green algae and contains high levels of various B vitamins, beta-carotene, other carotenoids, and minerals, including calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, and zinc. It is also a source of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA, an essential Omega 6 oil). Giving your dog or cat spirulina ensures a daily dose of all of the above – how easy is that? In addition, spirulina boosts the immune system and helps to prevent several diseases.

Amino Acids

Amino acids are the ‘building blocks’ of proteins. Proteins are used in your pet’s body for a number of different functions. (For example, muscles are made up of proteins.)

Essential amino acids are those that your pet MUST consume in his or her diet, because they cannot be manufactured internally. If, during protein synthesis, one of these amino acids are missing, the synthesis of that protein simply stops. Which results in: no muscle. Not good!

Vitamins

The vitamins in the Working Formula are provided by the spirulina and the Kelp. Kelp is a seaweed, which contains a wide range of vitamins and minerals.

Joint Nutrients

All dogs and cats, of any age, benefit from the supplementation of Glucoseamine and MSM. These two substances keep the joints healthy and supple and help to prevent diseases such as arthritis and hip dysplasia.

Ginseng

Siberian Ginseng is what is known in the sporting world as an ‘adaptogen’. It has been shown to have various benefits – from boosting the immune system to helping the body cope with stress.

All of the above are ingredients which will help a sporting dog improve performance or a stud dog keep his energy levels up. But it will also help your dog or cat at home be a healthier pet.