Probiotics for Dogs

Probiotics for Dogs might sound a little 'new age' but in actual fact sales of canine probiotic dietary supplements are growing steadily. And, more importantly vet's are beginning to take them seriously as a natural, safe and effective way to help some of our more poorly pets.

There are many dog owners who advocate continual use of such probiotic products, both for themselves and for their pets. In fact, a healthy animal (canine or otherwise) should have a healthy gut full of lovely helpful bacteria doing their job properly. But there are many times when things in the digestive system do get out of balance. It is at these times that using probiotics for dogs might be of help.

Diarrhea in dogs is never pleasant, and in fact can be quite dangerous if ongoing. It leads to dehydration and a deterioration in health as nutrients remain undigested in any food eaten since it passes through the system so quickly. Occasional bouts of short-term diarrhea are on the whole perfectly natural occurrences, most likely related to something unexpected being eaten, or contact with bacteria in the dog park. But whenever diarrhea lasts for more than a day you should speak to your vet.

Dogs that experience recurrent bouts of diarrhea usually fall into one of a few categories...

• Puppies with not yet fully developed immune systems and a propensity for loose, watery stools.
• Dogs undergoing stress, such as a kennel stay or moving house.
• Change in diet, or more usually eating something they shouldn't.
• Elderly or ill dogs with weakened immune systems either from their age, health or from the use of antibiotics to treat another condition.

All these dogs may benefit from the use of canine probiotics to help improve the health and efficiency of their digestive system. Most priobiotics will contain additional ingredients such as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that all help improve digestive help too and allow the beneficial micro-organisms to stabilise the gut quickly.

Whilst a healthy dog really should only ever need very occasional treatment for diarrhea, a dog such as those above may well benefit from a more regular canine probiotic supplement. If their gut is not working regularly as it should, perhaps a little bit of help can only be a good thing?

There are a growing number of enzymes and probiotics for dogs available. Some are in liquid form, but more usually granules are supplied which are simply sprinkled onto Fido's meals.

Specialist dog foods may also be bought that claim to contain added probiotics and enzymes too. Whichever type of canine probiotic you prefer do speak to your vet before forking out any money. Yes, there are times in a pets life when such products will be extremely useful. But everyday use is often likely to be a waste of both money and extra nutrition. If your dog's gut is happy he doesn't need any more 'good bacteria'!

Though I do suggest discussing whether probiotics could help your pet, with your veterinarian prior to using them, I would not for one moment suggest you buy from them too. Prices for such supplements can be extremely high and your vet's office rarely has the best deals on any supplements or indeed pet meds. After discussing the situation I would suggest buying all pet meds online including probiotics for dogs such as fortiflora canine. The reason is simple, you get the same thing but at a fraction of the cost!

Your vet will probably recommend a particular product range that may be of use. Find out which beneficial bacterias and enzymes are included in it, and importantly the guaranteed volume of priobiotics in each dose. With this information to hand you can now peruse the alternative brands and see if you can get the same beneficial micro-organisms into Fido's gut at a reduced price. It is worth taking the time to looks as prices between product ranges really do vary considerably.

You might also like to consider the even more natural, though slightly less scientific approach, of giving your dog a spoonful of natural yogurt on a regular basis. Live yogurt contains oodles of naturally occuring beneficial micro-organisms and could help your pet's digestion in a much more simple way. Though many dogs have trouble digesting milk, yogurt which is a fermented dairy product tends to be far more acceptable and of course is a completely natural food source for both you and your pet.

With such a range of new healthfoods and dietary supplements available for our pets, here are a few pointers to help you choose the right canine probiotics for your pet...

• Use the knowledge of your vet. Product recommendations and indeed whether they think your dog will benefit from a probiotic supplement in the first place.
• Choose a dietary supplement rather than a special food that includes probiotics. That way you pay less as you will not need to give most dog's such a supplement on a daily basis. Also, many dogs with digestive issues do not tolerate changes in diet so well and switching foods might actually be more problematic in itself.
  
• Make sure there is a guaranteed minimum level of probiotic organisms included in each dose. Use this measurement to obtain accurate price comparisons between different brands.
• Remember healthy dogs that are neither very young nor very old should have no need for a canine probiotic and a spoonful of live yogurt now and again could be a more palatable and far cheaper option!

In the right circumstances, for the right pets Probiotics for Dogs can be an extremely effective way of alleviating diarrhea and digestive problems. They key is not to simply jump on the healthfood bandwagon and buy Canine Probiotics if Fido already has a perfectly healthy gut!