Probiotics and Pets

Pets Are People Too: Can probiotics help my Dog stay healthy?

Dogs hold a special place in our hearts.  As a boy, I remember my dog Prince – he and I were inseparable.

We all know that dogs will eat all kinds of things when we're not looking, and according to most vets, gastrointestinal (GI) disorders are the most common health issue for dogs after skin conditions. Dogs often develop similar GI problems to humans, such as gluten allergies, IBD, IBS, bloating, and gas. Research has shown that regularly giving your dog a probiotic can really help treat GI problems and prevent these issues from starting in the first place.

Probiotic supplements are a natural and organic way to add “good” gut bacteria to your dog’s gut, which in turn ensures GI health and allows them to more efficiently absorb nutrients while at the same time eliminating toxins from the body. Additionally, research has demonstrated that probiotics can also address canine skin disorders as well as a variety of other issues.

As the gap between human and pet health food narrows, the market for canine probiotics in food, treats, and supplements is growing rapidly. We’ve taken a look at some of the more popular Canine probiotic products, and have put together a short list of things to remember.

1. A dry supplement that can be added to food is probably going to contain the most viable probiotic bacteria. The process of manufacturing dog treats and foods often kills the bacteria.

2. Check to see how many CFU of probiotic bacteria are included in a dose/serving. 3-10 billion should be fine.

3. When choosing a probiotic for your dog, make sure it has multiple probiotic strains. Research shows that the best probiotic strains for dogs are Bifidobacter animalis and lactobacillus species like L.acidopholus, L.reuterii, L.salivarius, L.fermentum and L.rhamnosus.

4. Just like the Spirulina in SuperBio Probiotic, your dog’s probiotic should contain a prebiotic. A prebiotic is a vital probiotic food source that gives the probiotic bacteria the best chance to survive and efficiently provides its benefits.