The Understated Probiotic: Benefits of Saccharomyces Boulardii

Presentation Description / Summary: The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics defines probiotics as “live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host”. Veterinary professionals have long acknowledged the benefits of probiotic administration in improving patient health, though the lack of selection of probiotic type has been lost in translation. As more research is arising on probiotic use in cats and dogs, veterinarian professionals can now compare probiotic functions to individualize their patients’ therapy. Rather than considering each probiotic to have the same benefit on all species, probiotic consideration can be based on the researched species or condition-based effects. This session will provide a general overview of probiotic terminology, research, and current applications in cats and dogs. Additionally, we will dive into the literature on Saccharomyces boulardii as an emerging yeast probiotic for application in small animals. This exciting probiotic has interesting application considerations as an immune-modulating therapy to influence many aspects of patient health.