The Dogs Bone

Probiotics are dietary supplements that contain harmless bacteria or yeast which can be useful in restoring the natural balance of bacteria in your dog’s intestine.  In order to be considered a probiotic, the supplement must actually deliver some measurable health benefit to your dog. Pro = in favor of, bios = life, so technically, probiotics are for the betterment of your life.

These dietary supplements are thought to be able to protect and treat dogs from dangerous bacteria by depositing harmless bacteria at the site of the infection, which is usually the gastrointestinal tract. The probiotics work in two ways: firstly, they directly kill the harmful bacteria, and secondly they stimulate your dog’s immune system to enable it to fight the bad bugs.

Probiotics have been known to help a number of dogs, especially those with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.  Quite a few vets have had a great success rate with them, especially with dogs that have loose stools and gas.

There have also been a few studies that suggest that probiotics are useful in the treatment of infections in other areas of the body, including the skin. They can also help restore the intestinal bacterial levels back to normal in dogs that are on long term antibiotic therapy.

As probiotics are actually living organisms, they can die on the shelf if they are kept for too long in storage. This means that the bottles may actually not contain the number of organisms that they claim on the label.

Some people have been known to give their dog natural yogurt, which contains lactobacillus, as a probiotic. However, scientific evidence suggests that different types of bacteria work better in different species of animal, and natural yoghurt may not help your dog at all. It’s not known whether probiotic bacteria that appear to be effective in humans will actually be useful in dogs.

These days, there are dog-specific probiotics available that help in getting your dog’s intestinal bacterial flora back to its original state, which can lead to a quicker recovery from diarrhea and gastric upset. One brand name is ‘Fortiflora’ by Purina. Some dog food manufacturers are now making food with a probiotic as one of its ingredients, so you feed your dog a probiotic every day at dinnertime.

Unfortunately, there are few studies that prove probiotics are genuinely beneficial to your dog. However, they are safe and noninvasive, they do not create resistant bacteria and they can be given to your dog in foods or drinks. Since there are no real downsides to using probiotics, there is no harm in seeing if they make a difference to your dog.

This guest post is brought especially to you be Dog Fence DIY's staff veterinarian Dr. Susan Wright. Dog Fence DIY will help you choose the right pet containment system that is right for you and your pet, help you with installation, and help train your pet to use the new pet containment system. Dog Fence DIY has a variety of underground fence wire systems at the best available prices.