How can probiotics potentially lessen our reliance on antibiotics for promoting and maintaining health in dogs and cats?
For decades, research has focused on fighting harmful bacteria in the body, primarily through use of antibiotics. Although antibiotics are often effective at killing pathogenic and harmful bacteria, they are not without problems. For example, antibiotics are not selective and kill beneficial bacteria as well as harmful bacteria, and it is not uncommon for patients to develop diarrhea while receiving oral antibiotics. A potential consequence of heavy reliance on antibiotics to control harmful bacterial infections is the development of strains of bacteria with resistance to many commonly prescribed antibiotics. The ever-increasing number of infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria is causing some to investigate alternatives to antibiotics. Probiotics provide a proactive approach to health concerns that may lessen reliance on antibiotics and reduce potential undesirable side effects associated with the use of antibiotics. It is becoming increasingly clear that beneficial bacteria pla
