VetPlus Sustain Small & Medium Breed Synbiotic Sachets for Dogs | Dual Probiotic Enterococcus faecium SF68 & Lactobacillus acidophilus, FOS Prebiotic & Beta-Glucan Immune Support | 30 Sachets

FOR ANIMAL USE ONLY — Administer as directed by a veterinarian or as per label instructions. VetPlus Sustain Small & Medium Breed is a veterinary nutraceutical synbiotic supplement — not a veterinary medicine. Persistent or severe GI signs in dogs (lasting more than 7 days, or with blood in stool, significant weight loss, or systemic illness) require veterinary investigation to exclude inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), protein-losing enteropathy (PLE), exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), and intestinal neoplasia before attributing signs to microbiome dysbiosis alone. Sustain Small & Medium Breed is intended for daily maintenance gut health and immune support in otherwise healthy small and medium breed dogs or dogs under veterinary management for GI or immune-related conditions. Keep out of reach of children. Store in a cool, dry place; keep sachets sealed until use.

VetPlus Sustain Small & Medium Breed Synbiotic Sachets for Dogs | Dual Probiotic Enterococcus faecium SF68 & Lactobacillus acidophilus, FOS Prebiotic & Beta-Glucan Immune Support | 30 Sachets

VetPlus Sustain Small & Medium Breed is a veterinary nutraceutical synbiotic supplement manufactured by VetPlus Ltd (UK), formulated for small and medium breed dogs (typically up to approximately 25kg body weight) requiring daily long-term gut microbiome and immune health maintenance at small-to-medium-breed doses. The Small & Medium Breed formulation delivers the same proven four-component canine Sustain synbiotic formula as the Large Breed version, at a dose calibrated for smaller body weight: (1) Enterococcus faecium SF68 (NCIMB 10415), (2) Lactobacillus acidophilus DSM 13241, (3) FOS (fructooligosaccharides), and (4) beta-glucans (β(1→3)(1→6)-D-glucan). The dual-strain probiotic design provides broader-spectrum mucosal colonisation and competitive exclusion than single-strain formulations: SF68 binds via Esp MSCRAMM/MUC2 mucin adhesion while L. acidophilus binds simultaneously at distinct fibronectin/collagen IV adhesion sites via its SlpA S-layer protein — delivering full-length mucosal coverage at the lower sachet dose appropriate for small and medium breeds. 30-sachet pack = 30-day supply at 1 sachet daily.

Small & Medium Breed Dogs: GI and Immune Characteristics

• Breed-specific GI predispositions in the small and medium breed weight class: small and medium breed dogs carry distinct GI disease predispositions from large breeds: (a) Yorkshire Terrier — protein-losing enteropathy (PLE; lymphangiectasia — primary intestinal lymphangiectasia → hypoalbuminaemia, ascites, chylous effusion; and lymphocytic-plasmacytic IBD); extrahepatic portosystemic shunts (PSS); (b) French Bulldog — brachycephalic breed aerophagia → chronic flatulence and intestinal dysbiosis; food hypersensitivity enteropathy (hydrolysed protein or novel protein diet dependency); (c) Miniature Schnauzer — hyperlipidaemia-associated pancreatitis (elevated plasma triglycerides → lipase activation → acinar cell necrosis → post-pancreatitis microbiome dysbiosis); (d) Cavalier King Charles Spaniel — protein-losing enteropathy and primary secretory diarrhoea; (e) Border Terrier — paroxysmal dyskinesia-associated GI upset; canine epileptoid cramping syndrome (CECS — suspected gluten/food sensitivity); (f) Cocker Spaniel — idiopathic lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis; (g) Poodle (Miniature and Standard) — food hypersensitivity enteropathy, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO); small and medium breed dogs also have faster intestinal transit times than large breeds (shorter GI tract length relative to body mass → faster luminal transit → reduced probiotic-mucosa contact time) — making the adhesion advantage of the dual-strain SF68 + L. acidophilus combination (two distinct mucosal binding mechanisms) particularly important for maintaining colonisation in small breeds; the small and medium breed sachet dose is calibrated to the proportionally lower intestinal volume and microbial load of dogs up to approximately 25kg
• Antibiotic-associated dysbiosis in small breeds: small breed dogs are frequently prescribed antibiotics for dental disease (the most common condition in small breed dogs; periodontal disease prevalence exceeds 80% in dogs over 3 years; perioperative antibiotic protocols for dental procedures — amoxicillin-clavulanate, metronidazole, clindamycin — cause acute and persistent microbiome disruption); metronidazole (widely prescribed for small breed GI upsets) causes documented canine microbiome dysbiosis persisting up to 4 weeks post-treatment (Suchodolski et al., JVIM 2020 — significant reductions in Fusobacteria, Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, and Clostridium hiranonis); concurrent and post-antibiotic Sustain supplementation supports microbiome reconstitution; the FOS prebiotic, beta-glucan, and immune components of Sustain remain effective during antibiotic co-administration regardless of partial suppression of live probiotic viability

Active Ingredients & Mechanisms of Action

• Enterococcus faecium SF68 (NCIMB 10415) — anchor probiotic strain: (a) Esp MSCRAMM domain adhesion to sialylated MUC2 mucin glycoproteins in the canine intestinal mucus layer; (b) competitive exclusion via enterocin A, B, and L50 bacteriocins (class IIa/IId → voltage-dependent pores in gram-positive pathogen membranes → membrane depolarisation); (c) SIgA stimulation — TLR2/TLR9 DC activation → IL-6/TGF-β → AID-mediated IgA class switch → pIgA → pIgR transcytosis → luminal SIgA immune exclusion; (d) FoxP3+ Treg induction via DC IL-10/TGF-β → mucosal Th1/Th17 suppression; clinical evidence: Bybee et al. (JVIM 2011), Herstad et al. (JSAP 2010), Westermarck et al. (JSAP 2005)
• Lactobacillus acidophilus DSM 13241 — complementary lactobacillus with distinct adhesion, antimicrobial, bile salt hydrolase, and GABA production mechanisms: (a) S-layer SlpA protein adhesion (CWB2 motif / FNbp domains binding intestinal epithelial fibronectin and collagen IV — distinct from SF68 MUC2 binding → simultaneous dual-site mucosal colonisation); (b) acidocin and lactacin B/F bacteriocins → broader combined bacteriocin spectrum vs SF68 alone; (c) homofermentative L-lactic acid (EMP glycolysis) + NADH oxidase H2O2 → intestinal pH reduction + H2O2 antimicrobial activity; (d) bile salt hydrolase (BSH; EC 3.5.1.24) → deconjugation of glycocholic and taurocholic acids → selective pathogen growth inhibition in the small intestine + FXR/SHP/CYP7A1 gut-liver axis modulation; (e) glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) GABA production → enteric GABA-B receptor activation → reduced visceral hypersensitivity — particularly relevant for small breeds with stress-associated GI upset (French Bulldogs, Chihuahuas, miniature breeds with separation anxiety-associated diarrhoea)
• FOS (fructooligosaccharides, DP 2–4) — selective prebiotic for both probiotic strains and Bifidobacterium commensals: β(2→1) glycosidic bonds resistant to mammalian digestive enzymes → reach the colon intact; fermented by SF68, L. acidophilus, and Bifidobacterium spp. → acetate + lactate → cross-fed butyrate production (Roseburia/Faecalibacterium → butyryl-CoA:acetate CoA-transferase); colonic butyrate → colonocyte beta-oxidation, claudin-1/occludin/ZO-1 tight junction upregulation, PPAR-γ/NF-κB anti-inflammatory signalling; DP 2–4 FOS ferments preferentially in the proximal colon (caecum + ascending colon — primary canine colonic fluid absorption site → particularly effective for small breed diarrhoea management)
• Beta-glucans (β(1→3)(1→6)-D-glucan from Saccharomyces cerevisiae) — Dectin-1-mediated innate immune activation and trained immunity: Dectin-1 ITAM/Syk/CARD9-Bcl10-MALT1/NF-κB → IL-12/IL-23/IL-6/TNF-α; NLRP3 inflammasome priming; Dectin-1/TLR2 co-stimulation → MyD88/IRAK4/TRAF6/TAK1/IKKβ/NF-κB + TRIF/IRF3/type I IFN; trained immunity (Netea et al., Science 2016): Dectin-1/Syk/Akt/mTOR/HIF-1α/Warburg → fumarate/TET2 inhibition → H3K4me3 at IL-6/TNF-α/IL-1β promoters → sustained enhanced innate cytokine capacity; 30-day course allows cumulative epigenetic training of canine innate immune cells; NK cell NKG2D upregulation → enhanced viral and tumour surveillance

Indications

• Daily long-term maintenance synbiotic and immune support for small and medium breed dogs
• Antibiotic-associated dysbiosis — concurrent or post-antibiotic supplementation (dental procedure perioperative antibiotics, metronidazole for GI upsets)
• Stress-associated GI disruption — boarding, rehoming, new household introductions, veterinary hospitalisation, travel; particularly common in small breeds with separation anxiety-associated diarrhoea
• Food hypersensitivity and IBD-associated microbiome dysbiosis — adjunctive support alongside dietary and veterinary management (French Bulldog, Cocker Spaniel, Border Terrier CECS, Poodle)
• Post-pancreatitis microbiome recovery (Miniature Schnauzer)
• Post-illness or post-surgical microbiome and immune recovery
• Senior small and medium breed dogs (≥10 years) — age-associated microbiome senescence and immune decline

Directions for Use

• Administer as directed by a veterinarian or per VetPlus label instructions
• Mix the contents of one sachet into wet food, or sprinkle onto dry food daily
• 30-sachet pack = 30-day supply at 1 sachet daily; for extended maintenance use continuously or as directed by a veterinarian
• May be used concurrently with antibiotics; FOS, beta-glucan, and immune components remain effective during antibiotic co-administration

Safety Information

• For animal use only — keep out of reach of children
• Seek veterinary attention for GI signs lasting more than 7 days, or signs with blood, weight loss, or systemic illness
• Store in a cool, dry place; keep sachets sealed until use