PRO-BIO-K

Here at Creekside we are always trying to find ways to improve treatments and improve the health of your animals. We recently were introduced to a new probiotic product that we have found to be very effective as both a treatment and preventative for equine neonatal diarrhea. This product is called Pro-Bio K.

A probiotic is a living organism which upon ingestion in certain numbers improves the health of animals beyond their inherent basic nutrition. Pro-Bio K is a Lactobacillus casei bacterium which is a patented bacteria strain that was selected for its ability to remove already established pathogenic bacteria in the intestine. With this ability, the Lactobacillus casei is able to overwhelm the enteric sites to become the predominant bacterium present in the gut and eliminate the establishment or growth of pathogenic bacteria such as ( E. coli 0157:H7, campylobacter, salmonella, and pathogenic clostridia species).

Creekside Veterinary Service along with Vessels Stallion Farm did some clinical trials with this product on the 203 foals that were born at Vessels this year. Pro-Bio K gel was administered 12 hours after birth and then twice a day for the next 10 days. The incidence of diarrhea that needed to be treated medically was decreased from about 10% to about 1%.

Other clinical trials are also being conducted on large farms throughout the state of California with favorable results being seen. This product can also be used as a daily supplement in all ages of horses. Using 5cc once a day has been shown to be effective in improving overall general health in adult horses. Probiotics have also been used concurrently with the administration of antibiotics to maintain adequate numbers of beneficial bacteria in the intestine. We don’t know all of the benefits of probiotics in horses, but as we use them we discover more benefits. For more information on this product you can talk with one of the doctors at creekside, or visit www.probiok.com.