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By Donald Perez
Having successfully used probiotics in my own birdroom, The House of Crests and done much research, experimentation and testing for over 25 years, I have found that quite a few products available today are comprised of DEAD bacteria and most were not even developed for the avian gut! But then again, who really checks this "stuff" out anyway?
Who really knows if the product they are using will indeed improve the condition of their birds? When a bird dies, how many people take their birds to the vet to see if it died as a result of stress?
When a bird owner notices a bird that appears sick and decides to take it to a vet’s office to have it examined, the first item that that the vet may notice is that it’s weight may be below normal and that it may be dehydrated. The vet might notice this by holding the bird and feeling the breastbone and the rest of its body. The second thing the vet might do is look at the color and consistency of the droppings on the floor of the container or cage you brought it in. The third thing a vet might do is a culture to check for pathogens.
It's only a matter of time that a stressed bird will begin to lose its' "immunity" toward pathogens and viruses. A stressed bird will usually develop one or two problems that may be either respiratory or digestive. Illnesses sometimes arise from a lack of a specific or a variety or nutritional needs. Stress may also arise from environmental conditions like overcrowding. If there is a pathogen build-up in the digestive system of any bird, their ability to assimilate the nutrients from most foods is greatly reduced. This is especially true when loose, watery excrement is noticed.
Most symptoms are usually treated with some type of antibiotic. These antibiotics may be prescribed by a vet or purchased over the counter.
Most people are aware that the majority if not all antibiotics are either broad-spectrum or specific and many can cure the problem in most cases. What some people do not realize is that the pathogens survive in the digestive system will now become immune to the antibiotic, as is natural, then the next go 'round, should the bird not recover or becomes ill again, the bird will in most cases be given a different antibiotic.
We must also realize is that antibiotics deplete the system of most all the remaining beneficial bacteria as well. The patient even more so needs a live, avian-specific probiotic to immediately create the acid environment to replenish and over-populate the intestine with live, reproducing-capable "friendly" bacteria.
If a bird has died and it is taken to a vet, one should ask that their lab do an autopsy to see if the microflora of "friendly" bacteria was normal or if there was a plethora of pathogens in the intestinal tract.
So many breeders and pet owners believe that as long as they keep the bird cage or aviaries clean, feed the very best foods and provide the very best environment that they have done all that is necessary for their birds.
Many probiotics on the market state that the product is “live”. When was it “live”? Will it stay alive for just a couple months after date of manufacture and packaging? Was it freeze-dried? How was it processed? Is it a pathogen-free probiotic? Unless the probiotic was found refrigerated prior to purchase by the consumer, it pretty much is worthless in most all the products currently on the market.
Like most products in the world, there will always be differences in one product over another. Such is especially the case in probiotics. Read the article called, PROBIOTICS, There Is A Difference .
There is one product that is available from overseas that is in liquid form that claims to be live. There are many resellers in America of this product manufactured overseas. It was offered at a tad over $13.00 for 100ml of the liquid. My concern with a liquid probiotic would be the very limited shelf life of 3-4 months from date of manufacture. I'd be concerned as to the viability of said product when I received it and was ready to use it and how far this product would go for my pet bird or birdroom. I've heard of several positive testimonials on this product overseas where I am assuming they are using it prior to the limited expiration date.
Hopefully, if that product is shipped to America, it is shipped on dry ice to survive any heat that might be found in the trailers of delivery trucks and the holds of cargo ships depending on the time of year it is shipped from overseas. Then we must wonder how long it takes for the product to arrive in America and how long it sits in the container at the shipyard or airport before it is released by customs and how long it would sit on the shelves of the distributor/reseller and then finally, how long it would sit on the shelves of the agents who would have it available for resale to the consumer! Depending on the amount of birds one has under their care, 100ml does not go very far. If there are only a few birds in a home, before they use the liquid, most of the bacteria will have probably already died in the bottle.
Live bacteria needs to be kept refrigerated if not frozen. ( AVI-CULTURE™ a live, avian-specific probiotic is the only product on the market that is kept frozen prior to sale to vets and resellers.)
What some people do not realize is that not only must a probiotic for birds be alive to effectively work; it also must be comprised of avian-specific bacteria.
There are indeed other probiotics available from a variety of companies around the world as well as here in America. From all the research that has been conducted on these products, it’s been found that the majority of those "generic" mammal probiotics have been proven in labs here in America, not to be effective in our avian friends.
"Generic" probiotics contain bacteria strains that are similar in name, but that is where the similarity begins and ends and hence, really do not work in birds. These "generics" will not create the proper environment in the digestive system nor will the strains of bacteria adhere to the intestinal walls of the avian gut and simply will not multiply, populate and restore the flora needed to allow the birds to once again be able to assimilate most all the nutrients from the foods they are offered.
If birds cannot assimilate the nutrients from their diet, regardless of how great that diet is, in most cases, research has shown that they will not have the required anti-oxidants or immune system that would be necessary to allow the birds to stay healthy, live longer or survive the stresses that a closed environment, a breeding season or even a molt may present.
There are several sources offering for sale many products that claim to be a probiotic. When you visit their shopping pages or manufacturer websites, you will find that they are offering a list of probiotics in jars all the way from a probiotic for puppies, one for dogs, one for birds, one for cats, one for kittens, one for horses, one for goats, one for swine and even one for rabbits! I doubt very much if they are buying and storing probiotics that are specific for each of those species of animals. I would venture to say that they or the manufacturer are just putting different labels on the same probiotic-filled jars depending upon the requested order. These are what are meant by “generic” probiotics.
An e-mail was received recently from a woman who was feeding a lactobacillus product found in the refrigerated section of a health food store for human consumption to her birds while another e-mail stated the breeder was feeding her birds yogurt and both had concerns as their birds continued to have loose droppings and appeared puffy!
What most pet or bird owners need to do is figure out what caused the illness in the first place. Pet owners and bird fanciers must also be educated on the quality and differences in probiotics as well as the benefits derived from their usage. We all need to be "pro-active" with our pets rather than be reactive! We need to make the right choice when we decide which probiotic to use. The best choice is a guaranteed, quality-tested, live, avian-specific probiotic to insure the highest level of effective results
Fact is, one can and may feed any or most all of the different types of dead or live lactobacillus made for any species of animal or man and the bacteria, if it is pure and does not contain any pathogens will harmlessly pass through the birds digestive system. No ill effects will be the result of such actions, provided the product does not contain any pathogens, that is. There also will be NO beneficial effects either! It all just passes right through them! Kind of like just flushing money down the toilet, I would think!
So many of the repackager/resellers of probiotics are now adding fillers such as whey, expired and outdated human-grade vitamins, garlic, electrolytes, "boosters' and other things to add volume and bulk to a probiotic. What they are really doing is reducing the costs and increasing profits, I would think! What one ends up paying for are ingredients, if they are of high quality that one may already be administering to their birds in other forms.
I believe that if a customer wants a live, avian-specific probiotic to use for the purposes indicated, then that is what they should receive!
One of the main reasons the bacteria culture banks of the world and probiotics were researched and developed was because of the problems experienced by animal farms that produce food for human consumption. With the stressful conditions that these animals live in and the diets they are put on, the focus has always been, "how quickly can we fatten them up and get them to market in the shortest time possible." Most are pumped up with growth hormones and antibiotics to keep the mortality levels down. This is especially necessary in the poultry industry not only with the huge consumption of chicken and turkey but the eggs- from the egg-producing chickens. It was for the cattle producers, swine producers, farm-raised fish producers, poultry producers and egg farms that the money was and continues to be made available for research, development and improvement of live, animal and avian specific probiotics. They were not researched and developed for rabbit, or dog or kitten pet owners.
A probiotic that is live and avian-specific is available to you today! It’s called AVI-CULTURE™!
AVI-CULTURE™ gives the educated pet owner or breeder a guaranteed live, avian-specific, beneficial probiotic. It claims these facts from the get-go and does not hide behind half-truths or possibilities that the product might work. Nor does AVI-CULTURE™ contain any vitamins or other additives or fillers in its attempt to add bulk to an already dead and inexpensive product.
AVI-CULTURE™ stands on its' own merit of being a true, live, avian-specific, American-made probiotic that starts to work immediately. As with all quality, healthy products, one gets what one pays for. We refuse to compromise on the quality of our product. It is the only avian supplement that is needed that will allow each and every bird to assimilate all the nutrients of all the foods that it consumes.
NATIONAL BIRD DESIGNS, INC.™ will only be selling quality products like AVI-CULTURE™. For more information on the value of probiotics, testimonials & endorsements and articles , please visit the AVI-CULTURE™ website.
Donald Perez
NATIONAL BIRD DESIGNS, INC.™
227 Oakwood Lane
Bloomingdale, IL 60108 U.S.A.
Telephone: 847-338-5660
information@avi-culture.com
www.avi-culture.com
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Your Exclusive Distributor For AVI-CULTURE™
In British Columbia Is: |
- Audrey’s Aviary
- 29420 Marsh McCormick Rd.
- Abbotsford, B.C. V4X 2B4 Canada
- (604) 856-0518
- www.audreysaviary.com
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