Can You Use Probiotics For Dog Diarrhea
Yes, probiotics can be used to improve dog diarrhea caused by:
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Stress colitis from boarding, moving, or any disruption in routine
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Sudden changes to your dogs diet, like eating a new or unusual food
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A bacterial imbalance from long-term antibiotic use
Infections that cause a bacterial overgrowth may clear with probiotic use as well.
All Bugs Are Not Created Equal
The digestive tract is the largest organ that your dog has. You want to make sure that your pet is benefiting the most from their probiotic supplement. The bacteria in these supplements help your canine. There are specific strains of bacteria that you should look for in a dog probiotic to help your pet and include:
- Enterococcus faecium
- Bacillus coagulans
The bacterial strain Enterococcus faecium is beneficial to pets. A study conducted showed an improvement in gut flora. An increase in levels of an antibody created in their intestinal lining also occurred. This antibody defends them from bacteria and viruses. Its called fecal secretory IgA.
Bacillus coagulans is another strain of bacteria that is beneficial to canines. This strain can help protect dogs from different types of diarrhea. It also minimizes common digestive issues such as irritable bowel syndrome etc.
Information For Pet Owners On The Use Of Probiotics And Prebiotics For Dogs And Cats
What are probiotics and prebiotics?
Probiotics are live bacteria, generally used to improve the gut flora composition, when there is suspicion that the usual beneficial bacteria populations are altered.
Prebiotics are non-live compounds which are used to promote the growth of microorganisms seen as beneficial for health.
Probiotics and prebiotics are often, but not always, used concomitantly in commercial preparations, and these preparations are then called synbiotics. Prebiotics and, to a lesser degree probiotics, can be added as ingredients in a variety of commercial diets.
What are the indications to use probiotics/ prebiotics for my dog or cat?
These products have been used for many conditions or following antibiotic treatments, but are mainly used for management of patients with acute or chronic gut disease. Studies have shown that probiotics may shorten the duration of acute diarrhoea, especially for patients in kennels or shelters. Similar improvement has been seen with some form of chronic gut diseases, and a treatment trial with probiotics has been advocated by some specialists prior to performing further investigations in stable patients. Studies are lacking, however, to determine the ideal duration of treatment for each individual patient.
- Kidney function
- Gastro-intestinal signs following antibiotic treatment
- Constipation in cats
What are the risks in using probiotics/ prebiotics for my dog or cat?
What is the best probiotic to use for cats and dogs?
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Is Yoghurt A Good Probiotic For Dogs
Yoghurt is well-known for giving us humans the good gut bacteria we need. When it comes to dogs, yoghurt is a bit more controversial as an option for probiotic benefits, as dogs have different digestive systems to humans. Yoghurt is not toxic to dogs and as long as you offer it in moderation and avoid the sweetened versions, most dogs should be able to enjoy it every once in a while. However, yoghurt contains lactose which may cause digestive problems in some dogs, so it is important only to offer a small amount to start with and stop if there are any problems.
Lastly, its always a good idea to read the label and look out for ingredients that may be toxic to dogs, such as xylitol, and avoid these products entirely for your pet.
Find out more about the most common digestive problems in dogs with our easy guide, next.
Is A Probiotic For Dogs Worth It Yes For The Most Part
For the most part, probiotics have benefits in dogs just like they do in humans. While the evidence can feel a little inconclusive at times, studies show some benefits for digestive health in canines. That alone makes probiotics worth considering if your pup has digestive issues .
If you think your dog might benefit from probiotics, consider picking up a powder, chew, or probiotic dog food today!
If youre also looking into giving your dogs different types of supplement, check out our article about Omega 3 and salmon oil for dogs!
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How Probiotics Support The Immune System
Bacteria like to live in your dogs gut because they eat the same foods he does . Bacteria especially love to eat fiber because your dog cant digest it. When bacteria eat fiber, they poop out short chain fatty acids . So probiotics for dogs are a great way to get more healthy SCFAs into your dog. The three main SCFAs are:
- Acetate
- Proprionate
- Butyrate
Short chain fatty acids either remain in your dogs colon or they travel into your dogs body. Either way, they play a critical role in your dogs health and immunity. They can:
- Feed friendly bacteria and discourage the growth of harmful bacteria
- Help form the protective mucus layer in the gut
- Keep the cells lining the gut close together
- Reduce glucose levels, which protects against metabolic disease and obesity
- Build important T-cells in the immune system, which helps reduce chronic inflammation.
- Protect against food allergens
- Help the body absorb calcium, magnesium, iron and other nutrients
Since 80% of your dogs immune system is in his gut, bacteria are critical to your dogs health. Specifically, a diverse and well-populated bacteria population is critical to your dogs health
Best Customized Probiotic For Dogs
Save 50% Off Your First Month of Dandy with code TRYOURTREATS
Every dog deserves a probiotic designed to meet their individual needs. Dandy takes a personalized approach to your dogs wellness with their customized monthly treat supplements. Take a simple quiz on the Dandy website, and youll receive instant suggestions for the veterinarian-backed formulas that will benefit your pup the most. Or build your own pack of four daily supplements and be sure to include Dandys Happy Belly option. Each Happy Belly supplement contains prebiotics and probiotics to support your pups digestive system. A combination of slippery elm and ginger soothe digestion and tame inflammation in the gut. Best of all, Dandy ships direct to you so your dog receives a personalized 30-day supply of supplement treats every month.
Highlights
- Veterinarian formulated in conjunction with food scientists and dog lovers for digestibility and bio-availability
- Take Dandys free 2-minute quiz to receive veterinary-backed recommendations
- Consider Dandys pre-made packs including Wellness Care for probiotic and immune-boosting blends
- Easy home delivery so your dog never misses a probiotic dose
Things to Consider
- Dogs should be at least 6 months old before administering Dandy.
- Speak with your veterinarian before starting any new supplements
Also Check: Biogaia Probiotic Where To Buy
How Often Should Your Dog Take Probiotics
Almost all dogs would be healthy if they take probiotics daily. However, this depends on the breed of your dog. According to Veterinarians.org, dogs that take meals with high starch or kibble can take probiotics daily.
Those that have excessive gas or an overgrowth of small intestinal bacteria should not be fed with probiotics every day. This does not mean that they should not take probiotics, but they have to be limited to ensure that their health is not affected in any way.
The best way of handling this is to consult your veterinarian. They will advise you on what is good for your dog and even provide the right probiotics for you to use.
How To Find The Best Probiotic Supplement For Your Dog
If youre interested in finding the best probiotic supplements for your dog, then we have a few things that you should look at. It is important to note the probiotic strain so you know what type of bacteria are found in these supplements. Keep in mind that each strain of bacteria perform different functions. Some strain has strong anti-inflammatory properties, while others are known for their immune stimulants.
The next thing to look for is the guaranteed analysis, which is how many bacteria will exist at the end of the shelf-life. This is important because there could be a possibility that by the time you have purchased the supplements, the microorganisms may have already died in the probiotic. This would be completely useless if that were to have happened.
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What Are The Side Effects Of Probiotics
Usually, probiotics dont cause a lot of side effects. If you provide the correct dosage, probiotics are generally safe for dogs. However, every dog is created differently, so some may react negatively towards the supplement.
If your dogs consume a huge amount of probiotics, they may experience extreme nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Another issue is that probiotics can multiply very quickly. This can result in severe infection or inflammation. That is why its not a good idea to give your dog probiotic supplements from the local drugstore, but instead, you should consult your veterinarian or buy supplements from the pet store.
Benefits Of Giving Your Dog Probiotics
- Helps control yeast and yeast related skin problems
- Aids in healthy digestion
- Supports a strong immune system
- Helps prevent diarrhea, loose stool, and constipation
- Helps eliminate smelly stool and gas
- Helps reduce bad breath odors
- Helps in counteracting the destructive side effects caused by taking antibiotics
- Prevents scratching and shedding
- Improves your dog’s smell overall
- Reduces excess gas
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The Benefits Of Giving Probiotics To Pets
There is growing evidence supporting the use of probiotics for dogs and cats. Giving your pet healthy bacteria may positively influence chronic gastro-intestinal abnormalities, obesity, liver disease, mental attitude, dental disease and behaviour disorders. A daily probiotic supplement may also provide some ancillary benefits for dogs such as better skin and coat appearance, a reduction in intestinal gas, improved breath, a reduction of allergies, a reduction in yeast-associated disorders, assist in maintaining healthy bacteria within the reproductive tract and help in regulating bowel function.
What To Watch Out For When Using Dog Probiotics
Probiotics can be extremely beneficial for dogs in a variety of ways, and they are very popular with dog owners these days. The fact is that probiotics are considered to be an essential supplement for good overall dog health, but there are some things that you will want to watch out for when giving them to your pet.
While it is true that probiotics can come with a number of benefits, there are some side-effects that you should be aware of.
Some of the adverse side-effects of probiotics in dogs include digestive discomfort like diarrhea, bloating, gas, and constipation. Sometimes a dogs symptoms might get worse before they get better when giving them probiotics, though this is not always the case. It can also sometimes become difficult to administer probiotics to a dog, especially in tablet form.
At first there may be a bit of a trial and error period where you have to find the right probiotics for your dog before an ideal solution is discovered. Most owners dont have issues when it comes to getting their dogs to take probiotics, as they can be put into any type of dog food without issue.
Probiotics do not usually require a prescription from a vet, and you can get them either at a pet supply store or online . There are a number of different websites that sell probiotics specifically for dogs, but not all dogs react the same way to them.
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Before Giving Your Dog Probiotics
There are a few things to consider if youâre thinking about giving a probiotic to your dog.
Research. There isnât much research on how probiotics affect dogs. Dogs have many types of bacteria in their gut, but a lot of research has only looked at single types of bacteria rather than several types and how they work together. This means we donât fully know how probiotics in dogs work.
Quality. The way probiotics are made and packaged or how they are added to food and treats can change how they work. This could mean you might waste your money on a supplement that might not work.
Probiotics are sensitive. Probiotics are very sensitive to temperature, air, and moisture. Live probiotics are usually better and should be kept in the fridge, so make sure to read the labels.
Check the type of probiotic. There are many different types of probiotics. Make sure to read the label to know what type youâre giving your dog. Check with your vet to make sure it’s the right kind.
Expiration date. After a certain amount of time, probiotics might not be as effective. Check the use-by date and make sure you finish up the probiotics before then.
Diet can affect the microbiome. Many dogs eat a high carbohydrate diet. This can cause changes to the bacteria in your dogâs stomach. It is important to talk to your vet to make sure your dog is getting the right kinds of food.
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Risks And Considerations When Using Probiotics For Pets
There are not many known side effects to administering probiotics to your dog, but rare things may occur. The risks to the average dog are exceptionally low and probably are only potentially relevant in very young puppies and maybe animals with highly compromised immune systems.
Perhaps the most important consideration is to take care that a probiotic contains what its claimed to contain both the species of bacteria that are present and the numbers of viable organisms. For this reason, it is important to do your research and talk to your veterinarian to make sure that you are giving your dog a probiotic supplement from a reputable brand.
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Choosing A Probiotic Supplement
The amount of probiotic you give your dog depends on the type of probiotic you choose. For the lactic acid bacteria, youll want to look for a supplement with several strains. Most studies on probiotics use a mix of strains because results with single strains arent as good.
Because lactic acid bacteria are easily destroyed in the gut, you will need a product with a large number of colony forming units . Youll usually want to see at least 10 billion CFU for any live probiotics to survive in your dogs gut. This is fine for healthy dogs, but if your dog has digestive or immune problems, then look for about 25-50 billion CFU for a medium to large sized dog. Saccharomyces boulardii is much hardier than the dairy based probiotics, so a smaller amount can be given. In general, you can give a half billion to 5 billion CFU.
If youre considering a spore forming dog probiotic, you can also use a smaller amount of CFUs because they easily survive the gut acidity. Look for about 1 billion CFU.
Is It Okay To Give My Dog Probiotics Daily
Yes, You can. Be sure a well-balanced supplement with the gut health complexes is included. If you want a stand-alone probiotic, you should talk to yourveterinarian about how often you should give your dog a probiotic because they will be able to accurately dose your dogs breed and size.
It can take several weeks of a daily probiotic to take effect. Thats why being proactive in giving your dog a probiotic becomes so essential to fortify against and reduce any digestive issues. Want to boost your dogs overall health? Rogue Pet Science offers Origins Canine 5 in 1 Supplement that promotes positive gut health through natural foods.
Pre-biotics Foundation Fertilizer for Probiotics
If you cant keep Probiotics alive, you cant keep them around.
Rogue Pet Science
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Nusentia Probiotic Miracle Supplement
NUSENTIA Probiotic Miracle Supplement is a powdered probiotic supplement that is suitable to serve both cats and dogs alike. And this product is designed to last on your shelf for a long time.
Instead of individual packets, this product comes with a pre-measured scoop ladle in a 44-gram or 131-gram container. The 44-gram container, which costs $26, offers 120 individual servings. And the 131-gram container, which costs $40, offers 360 individual servings.
To serve, just sprinkle a serving onto one of your pet’s meals each day. If your pet weighs under 50 pounds, sprinkle one scoop onto their meal. And if your pet weighs over 50 pounds, then just sprinkle two scoops of probiotic powder on their meal.
If you have one pet, the 131-gram container could last you for six months or even a whole year. If you have a multi-pet household, buying two or three containers will be financially convenient for you in the long term.
NUSENTIA Probiotic Miracle Supplement features six different strains of probiotics. And each scoop contains over one billion colony forming units or CFUs.
This product is affordable, scientifically proven to improve your pet’s gut flora, and is manufactured in the United States.
Whats The Difference Between Human
Human-grade probiotics are dog probiotics made with high-quality ingredients or ingredients that pass all the requirements for human consumption. Generally speaking, the best probiotics for dogs are made with human-grade ingredients.
On the other hand, human probiotics are supplements formulated explicitly for humans. They have good bacteria that are specific to the human GI tract and digestive health.
In simple words, the main difference between human-grade probiotics and human probiotics is in the type of probiotics within the supplement.
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Recommended Doses Of Probiotics For Dogs
If youre giving your dog Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium, its best to look for supplements that contain several different strains. Studies on probiotics in dogs use a mixture of strains because using only one doesnt have as positive of an effect.
Because Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium get destroyed by the gut easily, you typically want to see around 10 billion CFU in your dogs gut for the live probiotics to survive.
Saccharomyces Boulardii is significantly hardier than dairy-based probiotics, so your dog doesnt need as large an amount: ideally, you want to see .5 to 5 billion CFU.
When it comes to soil-based probiotics, you can use smaller amounts of CFUs since they survive much more easily in your dogs gut. These probiotics also work better if you utilize more than one strain. Around 1 billion CFUs is ideal for soil-based probiotics.
