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Perhaps you’ve heard that probiotics work wonders (not only for humans but also for dogs).
Is that actually true? Are these live micro-organisms really that beneficial for gut health? For pets too?
Yes, yes, yes!
Difficult-to-diagnose gastro symptoms could be the result of your dog’s stomach having all sorts of bad microbes in which case probiotics may help.
Introducing the right bacteria could turn around their quality of life in a very big way!
Are you desperately looking for answers for Fido’s frustrating health problems?
Probiotics Work For Dogs Too
Stomach-related symptoms often ease by introducing certain live micro-organisms. They are a key form of supplemental nutrition that can benefit humans and animals alike.
Probiotics are particularly useful for the following conditions:
- Intestinal inflammation
- Diarrhea
- Unexplained allergies
- UTIs
Dogs with these stubborn problems often respond favorably to probiotics. Going that route may greatly improve gut problems.
How Probiotics Help Dogs
First thing’s first:
Your dog’s digestive tract is in a constant battle between friendly and harmful bacteria.
The gastro-intestinal system works with the immune system, both of which need to be healthy for well-being.
The good news is these can be strengthened (and even thrive) with a good canine probiotic.
Here’s a reality check…
Your dog likely is not being exposed to much harmful bacteria. So, Fido is susceptible when they do come into contact with certain microbes (bad actors).
You read that right!
Environments with good hygiene tend to weaken a dog’s ability to fight bad bacteria. This is a generally accepted theory which strongly makes the case for pet probiotics.
Micro-Organism Miracles
So we know that digestive disorders are improved with the right probiotics.
Candida (a yeast overgrowth) also responds to good bacteria. Dogs with itchy skin or other allergies may need these organisms.
You could also get positive results for bad gas and bad breath issues, even stress!
Probiotic Safety For Pets
Valuable micro-organisms in probiotics are generally safe for dogs when properly administered.
Play it safe by checking with your vet before starting such a treatment plan.
Get a quality probiotic. One that is specially formulated for pets.
The human kinds are sometimes inappropriate and often less effective for dogs.
FYI: Looser stools indicates a need to reduce the probiotic dose.
Good Bacteria For Dogs
Science has identified specific types of healthy bacteria that fight stomach problems:
Enterococcus faecium is a popular probiotic strains for dogs. It occurs naturally in the gut. Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus can also be given.
But they require refrigeration! If not, they could be harmful and/or ineffective.
There is also Dinovite which is well-known to many dog owners.
The trend is to provide a mix of the best bacteria for use as a canine health supplement.
The Bottom Line
Dogs can benefit from probiotics. Live micro-organisms are increasingly being used on animals for:
- Stomach issues
- Infection recovery
- Antibiotic therapy
- Post-surgeries
These products can even be combined with conventional medicines.
The best course of action is to talk with your vet about the possibility of a probiotic for your dog.
Can a probiotic formulated especially for dogs help with bad breath?
I’ve read that poor gut health can cause dogs to have bad breath. I brush my dog’s teeth regularly, use a chlorhexidine rinse applied to her gums, and provide healthy chews. Yet she still frequently has bad breath. I feed her a high quality food, and she gets the Missing Link Skin and Coat, along with a scoop of plain pumpkin on top of her kibble daily.
I rotate feed my dogs’ food, but the bad breath issue continues and doesn’t seem to be related to her food. She also has some skin allergy issues and cannot eat chicken. Sometimes I see her nibbling on her feet. She gets Benadryl twice a day.
As she is a therapy dog, I check her breath before we leave for visits. I’ve not had another dog with this issue. She is 3 years old and, at her last vet exam a few weeks ago, my vet said she does not need a teeth cleaning.
Everyone needs supplemental vitamins in order to be at their optimum best. We accept that for ourselves yet question it for our pet babies? Of course dog probiotics are helpful to our pups! Prescriptions can be harmful and we need to understand that chemicals are bad for our pets as well.
I had my dogs on Iams Grain-Free and both of my dogs were just not healthy. My older dog was having stomach pains and her stomach was making a lot of noise.
I finally figured out it was the dog food. Regardless of whether it was expensive or not, it was hurting my dogs.
I am keeping them on a rice and chicken diet and beef vegetable soup and also human yogurt with a human probiotic added in for now. The older one is already doing better.
My older dog of 8 years has a licking and scratching problem. Can probiotics help in this case?
Hi Andrea. A probiotic may help but I wouldn’t expect it to be a cure-all for habitual licking and scratching. Consider having your dog’s problems properly diagnosed by a vet so you can pin point the issue.
My dog has had chronic diarrhea since we adopted her 2 years ago. FortiFlora probiotic was recommended by several vets. It was a daunting task trying to find out what was wrong with her.
Long story short, I read an article that said that some dogs get lose stools from FortiFlora. So I stopped it and her stools got firmer immediately. That wasn’t the only reason for her chronic diarrhea but changing it definitely helped.
My 90 pound yellow Lab named Zack has been vomiting for two days. He is happy and lively but is not keeping his food down. Can I give him a probiotic for his indigestion?
When my dogs have this problem, I feed them cooked rice with chicken until their digestive systems settles down. I like to stick with natural things.
Hopefully you mean cooked brown rice and not the instant “boil in a bag” variety.
Take your dog to the vet if they’ve been vomiting so long. If I’d done this, my dog might still be alive. I thought he’d get over it, too. It turned out that he had eaten a part of a fence, and we didn’t realize it until it was too late.
I had switched my dog to Rachael Ray food. As a result, she started having loose stools and was throwing up. I stopped giving it and began chicken and rice. Now she’s better.
If he has just been vomiting for 2 days, a probiotic is not going to help right away. You need to address the vomiting first! Try Pepto Bismol and fast him for a bit. Then add a bit of chicken broth for a day (canned sodium-free works well), then white rice cooked in chicken broth, and finally after a day or two some boiled chicken.
If the vomiting continues then immediate vet attention is required! Probiotics are a long term solution, but will do little to solve an immediate problem. Certainly they are a great thing to give your dog on a daily basis, but they are not fast-acting.