What Are Probiotics?

Probiotics contain bacteria found naturally in the digestive tract and other body areas. Taking probiotics aims to keep good bacteria healthy. It helps prevent gastrointestinal problems and boost the immune system after being disrupted by illness, infection, antibiotic treatment, or other stressors.

Benefits

Probiotics have a wide range of health advantages, but some key benefits include:

  • Decreases incidences of diarrhea and flatulence
  • Improves bad breath
  • Helps recovery from illnesses and infections
  • Enhances immune response

It aids in treating numerous disorders, including inflammatory bowel syndrome and kidney disease.

Anti-inflammatory qualities reduce pain and swelling.

  • Enhances stress reaction

You might have a stomach upset when you start a new probiotic regimen. It is common to make any significant change to your diet for people and pets. It might be good to start with a less recommended dose, so your pet’s stomach can get used to the new food.

What To Look For

Because each dog’s health needs vary, look for a probiotic mix with bacterial strains that address your dog’s specific needs, such as intestinal infections, diarrhea, etc. We list the probiotic blends included in each product we review.

When considering a probiotic supplement, list the specific bacterial species and strains. The best formulas usually include several strains to help multiple digestive and immune systems simultaneously.

What Is CFU?

When comparing different probiotic formulations, looking at the number of colony-forming units (CFUs) contained in each product is common practice. CFUs are a unit of measurement that determines how many live bacteria cultures are present in a probiotic and how many of those cultures divide to form helpful colonies.

It is dependent on the intended purpose of the probiotics. A lower CFU count is good if your dog maintains healthy digestive and immune systems (between 3-10 billion CFU).

A high CFU count is desirable for treating various illnesses and health problems, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), food allergies, after treatment with antibiotics, and other instances. According to a number of studies, administering healthy dogs with probiotics containing a high count is not likely to result in any adverse effects.

Prebiotics

  • It will help if you are looking for a probiotic blend that includes a prebiotic. Prebiotics help probiotics grow, which helps keep harmful bacteria under control in the dog’s gut.

Probiotics For Specific Health Conditions

  • Allergies
  • Diarrhea
  • While Taking Antibiotics

Best Probiotics For Overall Dog Health

1. Nom Nom Probiotic Support Review


Nom Nom is a well-known business that delivers fresh dog food to customers’ homes. It comes with two distinct probiotic mixtures, one for dogs (full spectrum) and one for cats (GI-targeted). Their combinations are formulated by an experienced group of veterinary nutritionists and microbiologists who work together. In addition, the company offers a gut health test for dogs and cats, which can identify whether or not the animals require a probiotic.

The comprehensive probiotic remedy incorporates both a prebiotic and seven distinct types of live bacteria in its composition. It promotes healthy digestive and immune system function and maintains healthy gut flora.

The GI-targeted formula contains saccharomyces boulardii, which has the potential to help dogs that are suffering from diarrhea, Clostridium difficile, and inflammatory bowel disease. If your dog is currently on antibiotics, Saccharomyces boulardii may be of benefit to him as well. The use of antibiotics will not eradicate this beneficial yeast.

Pros

  • No dairy, rice, wheat, soy, or artificial additives exist.
  • Each batch is tested independently for 20 billion CFUs per serving, including strains from healthy dogs.
  • Made in the United States
  • Shipping is free.

Cons

  • No money-back guarantee

2. Nusentia Probiotic Miracle Review


Nusentia Probiotic Miracle is our number two pick for the best dog probiotics. It has a great combination of blends, and customers love it. Plus, it has a 60-day 100% money-back guarantee.

This formula has six different strains of bacteria and a prebiotic to help your dog with diarrhea, loose stool, yeast overgrowth, bad breath, constipation, itching & scratching, allergies, and gut-related problems.

Pros

  • There are no artificial or dairy additives in the formulas.
  • Each batch is tested for 20 billion CFUs per serving in an independent lab, including strains from healthy dogs.
  • American-made
  • Shipping is completely free.
  • Good for a variety of health concerns
  • 1 billion CFUs per serving
  • Tasteless and odorless
  • 60-day money-back guarantee
  • Safe for dogs and cats
  • Made in the USA

Cons

  • According to some pet parents, it disturbed their dog’s stomach and caused diarrhea.
  • Can get lumpy

3. Third Place: VetriScience Vetri Mega Probiotic Review


VetriScience is a respected brand of canine supplements, and its probiotic formula is no exception. If your dog doesn’t like to eat powder, VetriScience’s capsules could be a good solution.

There is a prebiotic, seven bacterial strains, and five billion CFU in each capsule. It is recommended to support digestive health, food sensitivity, and allergies. It also helps to maintain a healthy immunological and nervous system.

Pros

  • All-natural and non-dairy
  • Promotes healthy digestive, immune and neurological systems
  • 5 billion CFUs per capsule
  • Safe for dogs and cats

Cons

  • It contains rice flour (some dogs are sensitive)
  • Several pet parents said it caused diarrhea

4. Honorable Mention: PetHonesty Digestive Probiotic Chews


Enzymes aid digestive health, immunity, and nutrient absorption by probiotic chews. They are available in two flavors: duck and pumpkin, and they are free of wheat, corn, soy, dairy, hazardous chemicals, preservatives, and artificial flavoring. Each chew has five bacterium strains and three billion CFUs.

This product is made in the USA in a certified Good Manufacturing Practices and FDA-approved facility. You can trust that you give your pup a safe and trustworthy supplement. They also have a money-back guarantee and subscription option to save 20% on recurring purchases. You can also save 10% if you buy three at once.

Pros

  • All-natural with no wheat or dairy
  • Promotes healthy digestive and immune systems
  • 3 billion CFUs per chew30-day money-back guarantee
  • Save 20% with auto-shipping
  • Made in the USA

Cons

  • It contains fewer strains than our top 3 picks.

5. Honorable Mention: Honest Paws Pre+ Probiotic


Honest Paws is a company that makes premium CBD oils and treats. They have a vet-formulated probiotic powder blend that contains a prebiotic, six strains of bacterial probiotics, and Solarplast. This spinach leaf extract promotes cellular restoration and repair.

Each serving of this product contains five billion CPUs. It comes in a single packet, making it easy to dose. All-natural ingredients make up the chicken-flavored product because it was only released in 2021 and did not make our top picks. There aren’t many consumer evaluations about its effectiveness.

Pros

  • All-natural and non-GMO
  • Promotes healthy digestive and immune systems
  • 5 billion CFUs per serving
  • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • Save 15% with auto-shipping
  • Made in the USA

Cons

  • Rice husk and rice extract combination are included (some dogs are sensitive)
  • Because it’s a new product, there aren’t many consumer reviews.

6. Zesty Paws Aller-Immune Bites Review


Zesty Paws Aller-Immune Bites can help your dog with its allergy issues. The product combines a five-strain probiotic formula with unique ingredients that help to combat more severe allergy and immunity problems.

These tasty nibbles contain organic licorice root, apple cider vinegar, colostrum, and immune-boosting vitamins. Wild Alaskan salmon oil is used in the peanut butter chews to help your dog’s health and allergies.

Pros

  • Budget-friendly
  • The formula is free of grains, corn, and soy
  • It contains antioxidants to relieve itchy skin
  • Chews are easier to administer than powders, and we promise your complete pleasure.
  • The peanut butter and lamb flavored chews are popular among customers.

Cons

  • Not dairy-free
  • The CFU count is lower than the other items we’ve looked at (250 million per chew)
  • A few reviews that it upset their dog’s stomach

7. Purina Pro Plan FortiFlora Review


Veterinarians have been recommending Purina FortiFlora to their patients for years to help regulate dogs’ digestive systems when things go wrong. This product contains 100 million CFU (colony-forming units) per gram of Enterococcus faecium and other beneficial ingredients such as vitamins E, B, and C, antioxidants, beta-carotene, and zinc.

Pros

  • Effective against flatulence and diarrhea
  • It comes in pre-measured packets
  • Made in the USA

Cons

  • Because there is just one strain, it can be hit or miss depending on your dog’s gut makeup.
  • It doesn’t include a prebiotic

8. Full Bucket Review


If your dog is taking antibiotics, FullBucket has a yeast-based powder probiotic that’s a good option. This all-natural product contains five billion CFUs of Saccharomyces boulardii, a yeast probiotic that antibiotics won’t kill. The product also includes prebiotics, digestive enzymes, and L-glutamine. This essential amino acid helps provide energy and supports cell repair.

Pros

  • Ideal for dogs taking antibiotics
  • All-natural, vegan, gluten-free, and non-GMO
  • Save 20% with auto-shipping
  • Made in the USA

Cons

  • It doesn’t contain any bacterial probiotic strains
  • Some users say it wasn’t practical for their dogs

Most Beneficial Bacteria Strains For Dogs

Probiotics for dogs often contain the bacteria species Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus.

  • Bifidobacterium animalis is a type of bacteria that helps improve the overall health of your dog’s intestines. It can help to prevent inflammation and infection, as well as resolve canine diarrhea.
  • Enterococcus faecium helps to digest food and keep the stomach healthy. It also helps stop harmful bacteria, like Shigella, E. coli, and Salmonella.
  • Lactobacillus acidophilus helps protect the gut from bacteria and fungus. It can also help stop diarrhea that is caused by antibiotics. Finally, it may help reduce cholesterol levels and improve weight gain/growth in puppies and younger dogs.
  • Some bacteria, called L. fermentum, L. rhamnosus, L. salivarius, L. reuteri, L. Plantarum, and L. casei, are essential for gut microbiomes. They provide solid anti-microbial activity in the gut. They can also improve the gut’s health when it is unhealthy.
  • Pediococcus acidilactici is a bacteria that can treat constipation and diarrhea, relieve stress, and enhance the immune response. It also protects the small intestine from other harmful bacteria, like E. coli and Salmonella.

Probiotics for Dogs: The Health Benefits

Why do dogs need good microbes? Magic or mystery? Probiotics create healthy waste products because the bacteria thrive in the dog’s intestines. Stay with me; it’s weird. These microorganisms convert dietary fiber and plant-based sugars (FOS, MOS, GOS) into valuable metabolites. What’s the benefit? Microbes’ metabolic products helped build Nutrigenomics and advance health studies.

These byproducts are dog gold. No, they’re not gold particles but enhance your dog’s intestinal biology. Your dog doesn’t synthesize vitamins and short-chain fatty acids. The functional existence of microbial byproducts is directly and indirectly. Enhances body organ feedback mechanisms, cell wall strength, and immune function support, making these metabolic byproducts incredibly valuable. Life-dependent.

Many probiotics can positively impact canine intestinal health in ways we know and don’t know yet. If you believe I’m selling snake oil or puff science, think again. Probiotics need proper support to work. Reanimate, split, and thrive on fighting harmful bacteria aiming to destabilize the system (Think yeast species). Your dog makes probiotic-rich excrement without other support.

We call it “necrobiosis” when there are more good microorganisms in an animal’s stomach than bad ones. It is a natural state of the gut ecosystem. It is different from “dysbiosis,” in which potentially harmful microorganisms take over and make you sick. (1) Think about yeast overgrowth, bloating, and overgrowth of fungi in the GI system.

What Science Reveals About Probiotics

We can obtain additional information about rollovers from studies and data that do not focus on dogs. Since humans have a single-gastric digestive system, we get new knowledge and applications about gut bacteria (canines, swine, and poultry). In addition, human and production animal research receives more funding than canine research. Therefore, let’s examine what we do know.

So, what do the well-established studies reveal regarding the crucial function of Probiotics?

  • Allergy and atopic illness mitigation or prevention
  • Prevention and treatment of respiratory tract infections (common cold, influenza) and urogenital infections
  • Gut reduction of cancer-causing enzymes and bacterial metabolites
  • It enhanced metabolism activation, favorable effects on fat metabolism, and mineral absorption stimulation.
  • Lactose intolerance and antibiotic-associated diarrhea can be prevented and reduced in length.
  • Having inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Leaky Gut Syndrome, EPI, a Helicobacter pylori infection, or bacterial overgrowth can have some sound effects.

Significant scientific advances indicate that probiotics have a greater impact on the health of all animal species:

1. The poultry industry funds numerous studies to measure the effect of pre-& probiotic injection into embryos. To better understand early animal gut microbiome development and create better food formulas and effects due to the importance of early gut microbiome development in fostering immune system development. (3) When was the last time you heard of pet food firms investing this much effort into producing dry food formulae for puppies?

2. Infection prevention of hazardous Lactobacillus strains prevents human UTI and bladder infections. Large intestine Campylobacter infection, bovine respiratory illness from Mannheim. Frequency of Salmonella infections in chicken enterprises.

3. Oral immunization provided mice 80 percent protection against E. coli 0157:H7 infection. Yeast, staph, and strep strains are more likely to cause oral infections when probiotics are in the toothpaste. Mouthwashes with probiotics help denture wearers with yeast infections.

4. Even researchers have investigated the effects of feline excrement microorganisms on dogs’ digestive health. Perhaps we will finally comprehend whether cat feces are harmful to dogs.

Comparing the Top Probiotics Factors for Dogs

What to search for:

With the current state of pet care advising consumers to feed highly processed, high-preservative dry kibble as the majority of a pet’s diet in addition to highly processed treats, the dog’s intestinal environment has no chance of achieving a healthy balance for long-term health effects. To ensure you’re not wasting time, money, or your dog’s health, we’ve developed the following guidelines to help pet owners catch up with 22 years of sophisticated feeding techniques. While creating Origins 5in1, we prioritized these criteria to ensure that it works in pet diets.

5 Rules of Probiotic Inclusion: Concentrate on “Probiotic Needs.”

1. pH Diet is the primary determinant. pH is essential for probiotics’ intestines. Dry dog food is not your dog’s friend since it quickly changes the stomach pH.

2. Diet Dry dog food fails our dogs. Species-appropriateness is crucial! Raw meats, bones, organs, and fermented foods create an excellent intestinal environment (yogurt, apple cider vinegar, Fermented turmeric & ginger).

3. Prebiotic support Keeping microbes need food. Microbes eat prebiotic fibers and plants. Bug-feed!

4. Bacteria Diversity Lactobacillus strain diversity improves overall canine health (skin & coat, allergies, metabolism, etc.). Certain sporulating strains act as “directors” for gut bacteria.

5. Potency Some numbers are important. As a metric, CFU should be utilized. Total CFU numbers matter since the adequate amount fluctuates based on the qualifiers. Origins 5in1 can improve health and performance with less CFU. Systems thinking is powerful.

The Best Rules for Probiotic Use

Probiotics need a conducive environment to work, but few know this. Probiotics require an appropriate environment to be effective. You’re wasting your money on probiotics. Suppose you’re feeding only dry dog food and expecting it to address pH or provide food for the organisms IF they try to develop. Separate these two points.

pH Role in the Gut Health Complex

Due to gut acidity, probiotics struggle. Unavoidably, some will perish. It’s called the “kill rate.” Figure 1 shows the canine digestive system’s pH range. These changes in gut pH support different microorganisms, creating diverse health effects. A bad diet of processed items and additives changes the small intestinal pH of the colon. Microbes’ lives depend on pH. Fish out of water? How may probiotic bugs grow in an unsuitable environment?

Diet Focus: Beneficial Partner or Benefit Leaching Blob

No supplement or pet food business tells you this. A bad diet can eliminate probiotic benefits. Prebiotics are important but useless without a comprehensive gut mentality (refer to rules above). Don’t squander money on kibble-only diets. Why?

Kibble becomes a big non-nutrient mass in the intestines, trapping nutrients, vitamins, and medications. It also adjusts pH to favor undesirable microorganisms and encourages disease growth (E. coli, Yeast, Campy, etc.). Origins 5in1 from Rogue Pet Science addresses all five probiotic rules in a kibble-based diet.

What Sources Can I Give My Dog As a Probiotic?

Pills, freeze-dried powders, and food-based probiotics are available for dogs. As marketing hype, some dog food producers add prebiotics.

Read labels to discover an easy-to-administer probiotic for your dog. Consider:

Probiotic Dog Food

It could be probiotic-fortified dog food or a topping. After leaving the facility, packaging and storage may reduce this probiotic’s efficacy. Probiotic dog food firms don’t brag about transforming lives unless it is in their marketing.

Probiotic Treats

You can use Soft treats to give your dog probiotics. Some treats may have additives that make probiotics ineffective—research before buying.

Probiotic Pills

 You can hide the Probiotic pills in dog food or treats. But be alert. Some dogs spit up pills.

Probiotic Powders

Live probiotic powder is easy to keep because the package controls oxygen and moisture, but giving it to your dog may require imagination. It is necessary to address the five foundations of gut health.

Natural Probiotic Food

These foods include probiotic microorganisms. Fermented foods like kefir include probiotics. Dogs shouldn’t eat all-natural probiotic meals. Contrary to popular belief, commercial yogurt and goat milk contain no probiotics.

Visit this link for more information regarding probiotics for dogs.

Frequently Asked Questions About Dog Probiotics

Should Dogs Take Probiotics?

A healthy balance of bacteria is essential for your dog’s overall health. Probiotics for dogs have many benefits, like helping them digest food, absorb vitamins and minerals, and keep their immune system strong.

What Type of Probiotic Is Best for Dogs?

Probiotics are suitable for your dog’s health and help it stay healthy overall. Lactobacillus acidophilus is a bacteria found in probiotics that promote gut health.

Is It OK To Give Dogs Probiotics Every Day?

Dogs can take probiotics every day to promote good digestive health and well-being.

How Do I Know if My Dog Needs Probiotics?

If your dog is taking antibiotics, it is good to give them probiotics. Antibiotics can change your dog’s gut health. It can lead to things like diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.

Do Probiotics Make Dogs Poop More?

Some benefits of probiotics for dogs are similar to probiotics for humans. Probiotics can help regulate constipation, diarrhea, flatulence, and bloating. It is helpful because the same probiotics are used for both species with slight modifications.

Is Pumpkin a Good Probiotic for Dogs?

Some people may recommend adding probiotics and supplements containing live bacteria. Pumpkin helps to increase the effectiveness of these probiotics.

Can I Give My Dog Yogurt for Probiotics?

Yogurt is a good source of protein and calcium. It also helps with digestion. If you give your dog yogurt, make sure it is plain and has no added sweeteners.

How Many Probiotics Should I Give My Dog a Day?

Colony-forming units, or CFUs, are used to measure probiotics. 1-10 billion CFUs per day is the current advice for dogs.

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