The SF SPCA hosted a Purina sponsored dinner on in December for our local referring veterinarians. Five local veterinarians attended the presentation along with several San Francisco SPCA staff members and doctors.
Dr. Shelley Adrian presented a lecture on the use of Fortiflora, Calming Care and Neurocare. Below is a synopsis of each:
- Fortiflora is administered to cats and dogs with diarrhea to help improve gastrointestinal health, and can be used in patients without gastrointestinal upset to improve their immune response. Fortiflora has been shown to have an immune modulating effect on puppies. Puppies that were given Fortiflora had a higher distemper virus titer compared to puppies that were not on Fortiflora. Cats with upper respiratory infections that were placed on Fortiflora had reduced frequency of conjunctivitis.
- Calming Care is a probiotic supplement that helps reduce anxiety. It is suspected that the bacteria work to improve gastrointestinal health, and may also produce local neurotransmitters that communicate with the vagus nerve and help reduce anxiety. There is a lot of research being done on the gut-brain axis in human medicine to help reduce anxiety in people. Dr. Sung presented two case studies on patients that were less anxious after starting Calming Care. One patient showed improvement, the owner discontinued the product and in several weeks the dog showed signs of increased anxiety. The signs of anxiety improved again after the owner placed the dog back on Calming Care supplement.
- Canine cognitive dysfunction is an underdiagnosed disease in dogs. Neurocare provides an alternate energy source for the brain. Purina provides a senior cognitive assessment (DISHAA) questionnaire that clients can fill out in the exam room or online and bring it in to discuss the problems with our clinicians. The DISHAA questionnaire helps the clients and clinicians keep track of the clinical signs that the dog presents so they can adjust the treatment plan as needed.
Want to learn more about the SF SPCA’s Behavior Specialty Service? Visit sfspca.org/behavior or email behaviorinfo@sfspca.org