PROFOAL with a content of  specially selected lactoflora and potentiating substances that suppress the multiplication of conditionally pathogenic opportunistic microflora and support the growth of beneficial lactoflora with an optimizing effect on digestive processes and immune support.

Prevention of diarrheal diseases of foals and adult horses, digestion improvement, improvement of feed conversion, immunity stimulation. It is given especially during the first days of foals’ life, to pregnant and lactating mares, foal weaning and in horse breeding and breeding of other ungulates for prevention and supportive treatment of digestive problems and diarrhea, to improve mucosal immunity of digestive, respiratory and urogenital system, in convalescence, especially after infectious diseases following administration of antibiotics.

Composition

Tablet contains 5 x 108 CFU lactic acid bacteria and enterococci.
Malt dextrin 1%
Milk powder, whey, starch, magnesium stearate
Without veterinary prescription.

Package size: 120 g (2 x 20 tab.)

It is recommended to administer PROFOAL tbl.

Preventively:

• to pregnant mares during lactation
• to foals after birth as soon as possible and in the time of weaning
• always at feed change
• to support immunity and digestion it is recommended to administer the preparation once monthly, always for the period of minimally 7-10 following days

Therapeutically:

• at dietetic and infectious diarrheas
• after every administration of antibiotics and chemotherapeutics

Dosage

4 tablets/animal/day for a foal or adult horse for minimally 7-10 days

The effect of probiotics in horses briefly

• They prevent the multiplication of pathogenic and conditionally pathogenic microorganisms in intestine and urogenital tract through competitive exclusion.
• They support digestive processes in intestine, maintain optimal pH in individual parts of the intestine.
• They stimulate activity of the immune system, increase production of antibodies and activate cell immunity.
• Probiotics increase the resistance of organism to formation of spontaneous tumours.
• In many cases they substitute and supplement use of antibiotics, mainly in prevention and also in treatment of intestinal infections.

Multiplication  and growth of beneficial microflora is supported by various substances, such as e.g.: maltodextrin which supports the effect of lactobacilli in the small intestine, then omega 3-6 non-saturated fatty acids (the oil of evening primrose, fish oil), plant extracts, herbs and some spices and mainly fructooligosaccharides.

Further substances supporting colonization of the digestive tract of horses by probiotics are prebiotics. Prebiotics are non digestible food parts which proceed unchanged through the digestive tract up to the large intestine where they are utilised for multiplication of probiotic microflora (bifidobacteria and lactobacilli). As prebiotics are used oligosaccharides, most frequently fructooligosaccharides and some polysaccharides. To the natural food prebiotics belong fibre and also inuline which is naturally present in leek, garlic, onion, chicory, etc. in so called “ inuline plants”.

The benefit of prebiotics in the digestive tract of the horse

• They reduce the amount of toxic and precarcinogenic substances in the large intestine which occur as metabolic products.
• They reduce the amount of pathogenic and conditionally pathogenic microorganisms in the large intestine.
• They maintain optimal pH in the digestive tract.

Digestion in horses

The horse although he is herbivorous belongs to non ruminants. The digestive tract of the horse is a very specific system. The horse is anatomically classified as non ruminant herbivorous and is different from ruminants in several aspects. The digestive tract of the horse consists of oral cavity, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, cecum and rectum.

In the ruminants were formed proventriculi where is carried out the microbial disintegration of the feed and simultaneously new products are formed (microbial protein). These and other not disintegrated substances are subsequently subject to enzymatic disintegration in the small intestine. In horses on the contrary microbial digestion is carried out in the rear part of the tract in extended large intestine and in cecum. Here are subject to disintegration all undigested components of the feed which after disintegration by microorganisms can still be  utilised by the body.

Capacity of digestive tract depends mainly on the type and the amount of received feed and contains on average 15% of live weight of the animal. The amount of dry mass in the intestine corresponds approximately to the daily amount of received dry mass. The content of water depends on the ability and capacity of specific feed to bind water. At one sided feeding with grass, grass silage or early collected hay the horses may develop a so called “hay belly”.

The movement of bowels is enabled by smooth muscles situated in the walls of digestive tract. Sensors react to mechanical increase of pressure and similarly to chemical irritation. The length of passage of digested food through digestive tract is determined mainly by the type of received feed. Basically the time of passage of hay through the digestive tract is shorter than the passage of concentrated feed and with bigger rations of feed the time is shorter than with small rations. The horse receives food mainly by mouth and tongue and thanks to their great mobility he can separate individual parts of the feed and omit those which he does not like. On one side the careful choice of food reduces the risk of reception of foreign objects with the food, but on the other side long term one-sided use of pasture causes the decrease of valuable grasses.

The further specific element of digestion is that the saliva of the horse does not contain enzymes. The horse perfectly chews and mixes the feed with saliva while the wet substances such as e.g. proteins and sugars from the feed mechanically separate and so encourage further digestion. Their disintegration starts already in stomach and small intestine and their utilisation is significantly higher in comparison with microbial processing and utilisation in large intestine. Through use of probiotics it is possible to increase the effectiveness of digestion and resorption of nutrients since the lactobacilli in probiotics create favourable conditions for digestion and nutrient resorption. The presence of probiotics in feed decreases the formation of metabolic gases and prevents tympany in horses.

The stomach of the horse is considerably small and adjusted to continuous consumption of small rations of food. It is divided into front part of stomach with mucous membrane without glands and rear part of the stomach (fundus and pylorus) whose mucous membrane contains glands producing stomach juices. Diagonally into the stomach walls enters oesophagus with strong sphincter which contracts as a reflex to the stomach pressure. In a very congested stomach begins a long term contraction what makes vomiting impossible. The stomach fills through layers of food in non glandular part and fundus, later however proceeds into deeper parts and changes into fluid. It is excreted only after receipt of further food. The stomach of the horse due to its small dimension and structure is rather predisposed to damage, therefore carefulness at feeding with mainly fast received, concentrated feed is inevitable.

Pancreas produces secretes which contains in comparison with other kinds of animals only low concentration of enzymes. The bile produced by liver continuously, without further dilution, pours into the small intestine, which in horse substitutes the missing biliary vesicle. The bile due to the content of mineral substances and bicarbonate also serves for neutralisation of the content of small intestine and bile acids support the digestion of fats.

The small intestine of the horse is approximately 20m long and is divided into duodenum, jejunum and ileum. The mucous membrane of small intestine is equipped by 0.51 mm big villi whose transparent one layer oval epithelium contains fibre protuberances. Due to their presence significantly increases the total surface of mucous membrane of small intestine. To villi are bound bacteria of milk fermentation (probiotic bacteria) which are natural microflora of the digestive tract.

Lactobacilli and enterococci colonise the wall of small intestine on each free millimetre and so they prevent pathogenic viruses and bacteria to adhere, multiply and produce toxins in intestine. Under mucosa lies a muscle layer which enables through movements of bowel shift the digested food in caudal direction. The mucosa also contains numerous intestinal glands which produce digestive enzymes.

Due to peristaltism of the small intestine the food is mixed and consequently transported into  ileum. Here the content is gathered and shifted to cecum. The large intestine of the horse is voluminous, significantly varied together with colon, cecum and rectum. The cecum is located in the right part of the horse´s body. To the cecum is connected the extended part of the large intestine which enters into wide sack and subsequently enters into small intestine and rectum. In the last part of the tract between the large intestine and the rectum water is absorbed from the content of the bowel and the content more or less cumulates. The sack shape of the last part of the large intestine forms the typical shape of horses´ excrements.

The feed ration must assure plenitude of necessary substances, their balanced ratio and high digestibility. When planning it we should take into account above all the level of performance, the level of metabolism and actual fitness of the horse. The properly selected feed ration composed of harmless components will enable him to perform optimally, however it will not improve his inborn abilities. Unsuitable or harmful feed may significantly reduce the resistance and the performance of the animal.

Between feeding and training there should be a time span enabling the digestion of food. In the organism of the horse after feeding are going on processes which may restrict his ability to perform physically. The blood flow is dispersed into bowels and so the flow into muscles and organs is decreased.  The glycogen level in the blood is increased which is connected with increase of insulin level. If the horse is training in such condition, we can observe during the first phase of training decrease of glucose in blood which can result in fast fatigue. It is important to leave the horses peacefully digest the received food for 2-3 hours.

Composition of physiologic microflora changes in dependence with

• the age of the individual – from the moment of birth the digestive tract is without microbial flora. Its settlement starts in oral way immediately in the first days after the birth when is settled the oral cavity, stomach, mucosa of respiratory ways and skin. The main source of microflora is the mother, the form of delivery (the significance of delivery in natural way) and breast milk. The further source of microorganisms is the environment. In the young ones of mammals is known the significance of presence of lactobacilli in front parts of the digestive tract (mouth, stomach, small intestine…) where they by several mechanisms prevent adherence of pathogenic microorganisms, mainly the pathogenic E.coli. By forming a lactobacilli film on the mucosa of stomach is supported the digestion of milk and maintained optimal pH in the stomach until sufficient amount of hydrochloric acid starts to form in the young. This can last several weeks depending on several factors. The microflora of the digestive tract of foals later changes and develops depending on the type of food. Feeding with natural food and in natural way supports the development of physiological microflora what assures the healthy growth and development of individual.
• The section of digestive tract. In the front parts prevail aerobe and facultative aerobe  microorganisms (lactobacilli). In the large intestine prevail strictly anaerobe microorganisms (bifidobacteria, eubacteria) while the ration of symbiotic and conditionally pathogenic microflora is very important for the health of the individual.
• Type of feeding – microflora of the  adult individual is dependent on the composition of feed ration and the location of long term stay. In the adulthood decreases the amount of bifidobacteria in the large intestine and increases the number of clostridia, sulphurbacteria, bacteroids, methanogenes…