With firework season – including Bonfire Night, Diwali and New Year’s Eve – approaching, Protexin is encouraging veterinary practices to start conversations with pet owners early to help them prepare animals that may struggle with noise-related stress.
For pets with known sensitivities to fireworks and other loud noises, taking action before the first bangs begin can give owners more time to put appropriate behavioural, environmental and nutritional support in place.
Protexin, one of the UK’s leading pet gut health supplement brands, is encouraging veterinary practices to prepare for increased demand for calming support by stocking Protexin SereniCare, a supplement formulated to manage stress and anxiety while supporting normal behaviour and gut health in dogs and cats.
SereniCare contains a combination of PRIOME MW postbiotics, Fibersol prebiotic, alpha-casozepine – a bioactive peptide derived from hydrolysed milk protein – and L-tryptophan. These ingredients have been selected to help support pets during stressful situations while recognising the important relationship between the gut and brain.
Supporting the gut-brain connection
SereniCare has been developed using growing scientific understanding of the gut-brain-microbiome axis: the two-way communication network linking the gastrointestinal tract, its resident microbiome and the brain.
Through neural, immune and metabolic pathways, the gut can influence processes associated with mood and behaviour, while stress and emotional changes can also affect digestive health. Supporting the gut microbiome may therefore have a role to play in maintaining both digestive and emotional wellbeing.
L-tryptophan is an essential amino acid and a precursor to serotonin, a chemical messenger involved in the regulation of mood and behaviour. A large proportion of the body’s serotonin is produced within the gastrointestinal tract, while the gut microbiome can also influence tryptophan metabolism and serotonin signalling.
SereniCare also contains alpha-casozepine, a naturally derived peptide from milk protein hydrolysate that has been studied for its calming properties in humans, dogs and cats.
The role of postbiotics
Protexin has extensive experience in using postbiotics to support animal health. Postbiotics are preparations containing inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that confer a health benefit on the host.
Protexin SereniCare contains PRIOME MW postbiotics (a blend of inactivated Bifidobacterium longum CECT 7347 and inactivated Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus CECT 8361), which helps to help manage stress and anxiety-related behaviour.
Although gut health is often considered primarily when a pet experiences digestive problems, supporting the gut microbiome can contribute to wider health and wellbeing. SereniCare combines Protexin’s expertise in gut health with ingredients specifically selected to support pets during periods of stress.
Early preparation is important for stressful events such as fireworks. SereniCare should ideally be introduced at least two weeks before the anticipated event, although it can be started earlier where additional support may be beneficial. It can be mixed easily with food and is available in convenient sachets, making it suitable for everyday administration.
Veterinary teams can also use consultations ahead of firework season as an opportunity to discuss practical measures owners can introduce at home, including providing safe hiding spaces, maintaining familiar routines and preparing ahead for known periods of firework activity. Where animals show more severe signs of fear or anxiety, owners should be encouraged to seek veterinary advice on the most appropriate individual management plan.
Dr Ronan Fitzgerald BVetMed MRCVS, Senior Veterinary Technical Advisor at Protexin, said: “As a vet, I have seen many worried pet owners seeking help for animals that become distressed during firework season. Signs can range from avoiding interaction, hiding and reduced appetite to destructive behaviour, attempts to escape and, in more serious cases, defensive aggression.
“The important point is that firework season is a predictable event. If veterinary teams know a patient has struggled previously, there is an opportunity to speak to owners before firework season begins rather than waiting until their pet is already distressed.
“SereniCare has been formulated to support normal behaviour and emotional balance during challenging situations, while also recognising the close relationship between gut health and the brain.
“As it can be easily mixed with food, it provides owners with a simple and convenient way to support their pet before and during periods of increased stress. I’d encourage veterinary practices to prepare early and help owners put an appropriate plan in place well ahead of the main firework season.”
