It is widely known that natural substances are increasingly used by veterinarians to treat various pathological conditions and diseases of dogs and cats. The combination of antioxidants in animal diets, specially purified β-glucans and prebiotics can achieve appropriate category of food which improves digestion and protects body cells from damage.
What is the secret of the preventive action of the Optimeal rations? It is obvious that this action depends on the Immunity Support Mix complex, the components of which are respectively of immune-stimulating, antioxidant, and antimicrobial actions. These effects are achieved by a unique combination of its components - Rosemary extract, purified β-1-3 / 1-6-glucans and mannan-oligosaccharides in Actigen. Let us consider each of these components separately to form an idea about the qualitative composition of the Optimeal rations and their prophylactic effect on the organism of animals.
The first component is the natural anti-oxidants SubSTAR ULTRA based on rosemary. Essential oil and extracts of medicinal rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) are used as preservatives in the food industry due to their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity to prevent oxidation of food. However, it has been proved that the rosemary has an additional number of properties for improving the health of the animal's organism [1]. It is interesting to know that anthropologists and archaeologists have established the use of rosemary grass in medicine, cooking, and cosmetology in Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, and India. Rosemary essential oil is used in clinical medicine for improving blood circulation, as an anti-rheumatic and anti-inflammatory agent as well as for improving the condition of the skin [2]. Rosemary preparations have tonic, choleretic and antispasmodic effects. In animal studies, rosemary preparations were found to act as a light diuretic and increase biligenesis. Infusion, decoction, and tincture of rosemary leaves enhance the function of the organs of the digestive system: when infusion of the plant directly into the duodenal, the formation of bile was intensified and the secretion of gastric juice was increased. The German public health service proposes to use rosemary inside with a sense of overflow of the stomach, flatulence, mild gastrointestinal disorders, and spasms of the gall bladder and ducts [3].
According to the researchers at the Pars Bioscience Research Center (USA), rosemary has a wide range of therapeutic applications. Among other things, rosemary was recognized as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-diabetic, antidepressant, neuro-protective and anti-inflammatory. It was found that Rosemary essential oil and extract contain several biologically active compounds. Rosmarinus officinalis has great potential as a natural preservative for food and a therapeutic agent in the treatment of many diseases. The chemical composition of rosemary essential oils and the extract includes several compounds that are known to be strong antioxidants. Many biological properties of rosemary depend on this antioxidant activity. This is especially true of the anti-diabetic and anti-tumor mechanisms, which consist in the action against oxidative stress as a serious complication of these diseases. Consequently, the antibacterial, anti-fungal and antioxidant effects of rosemary, together with low levels of toxicity, make Rosmarinus officinalis a more promising food preservative with fewer side effects than artificial food supplements [4]. Thus, the use of Rosemary extract for the Optimeal diet is quite reasonable both as a preservative and as a component that has a positive effect on the body of dogs and cats, in particular, on the digestive system and on antioxidant protection in animals.
Another important component of the Optimeal diet - specially purified β-glucans. They are natural compounds that are contained in the cell walls of fungi and yeast, and have immune-stimulating properties. Spanish and English scientists conducted studies on the effectiveness of treating dogs for chronic inflammatory bowel disease using a supplement based on mannan-oligosaccharides and purified β-glucan. The introduction of an admixture in combination with a hydrolysed diet for 180 days was safe and led to normalization of blood biomarkers, which is an indicator of a decrease in the disease activity [5]. Studies by scientists at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Kosice (Slovakia) on puppies after vaccination have found that a higher level of protective antibodies against parvovirus infection is determined in the blood of those animals that were treated with β-glucan in combination with the vaccine [6]. According to the research by Polish scientists (University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Department of Clinical Diagnostics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine), purified β-1,3 / 1,6-D-glucans had the greatest clinical effect compared with the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease with other drugs (levamisole, β-hydroxy-β-methyl butyrate) and reduced the activity of inflammation [7].
The third component of the Optimeal mannan-oligosaccharide diet as part of Actigen prebiotics, is carbohydrates that are a component of the cell wall of fungi Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as a food ingredient widely used in livestock production. Since 1999, the use of mannan-oligosaccharides in animal feed has grown mainly due to the European ban on the prophylactic administration of antibiotics in animal feed. Mannan-oligosaccharides are able to bind and restrict colonization of pathogenic microorganisms, making them an effective solution for diets that do not contain antibiotics, and at the same time provide support for immunity and digestion [8]. American scientists from the University of Illinois found that the addition of mannan-oligosaccharides as a feed additive to the dog's diet improves its nutrition without disturbing the intestinal micro biota [9]. Brazilian scientists (Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande) found that mannan-oligosaccharides are effective for the elimination of pathogenic Escherichia coli in 85.71% of dogs with gastroenteritis, indicating their effectiveness in controlling the pathogenic colon as adjuvant therapy [10]. The results of studies of Indian researches have shown that the addition of mannan-oligosaccharides in the amount of 15 g / kg in the dog's diet intensified the immune response and altered the lipid profile of blood without any effect on the digestibility of nutrients, indices of fermentation and antioxidants, which indicates the positive effects of supplements on the organism of animals [11]. There is also a study that the use of oligosaccharides in rations positively affects the state of intestinal digestion, namely, improves the micro biota of the intestines in cats [12].
Thus, the prophylactic effect on the organism of animals is achieved precisely because of the use of the Optimeal unique Immune Support Complex in the animal rations, the function of which is to strengthen the immune system, improve the state of the digestive tract, thereby increasing the well-being and health of dogs and cats.