Probiotics in Dogs and Cats
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Intestinal disease, including diarrhea, is one of the most common problems seen in both dogs and cats. It can have many different causes: stress associated with boarding or change in routine, inappropriate dietary choices, parasites, the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, diarrhea is messy and frustrating for most pet owners to deal with, especially when the dog is unable to get outside fast enough or the cat is unable to get to the litterbox in time.
Fortunately, probiotics may be able to help in these situations. Probiotics are products containing beneficial bacteria which are able to colonize and multiply in the intestinal tract.
What Advantages do Probiotics Offer for Dogs and Cats?
Probiotics function to improve the health of intestinal tract. They help to maintain a proper balance between the beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract and the pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria, making it more difficult for bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli and Clostridium difficile to overgrow and cause illness.
Probiotics also function to improve the health of the immune system through their actions on the immune functions present within the intestinal tract. They have even been found to improve the health of the skin, among other organ systems.
What Probiotics are Recommended for Dogs and Cats?
Probiotic bacteria are species-specific, with the normal intestinal microflora present in dogs being different than that found in cats or in people. What does this mean? It means that choosing a product which contains strains of bacteria normally found in the same species is likely to be more effective than choosing a product manufactured for another species. In other words, Activia®, the human probiotic yogurt endorsed by actress Jamie Lee Curtis, may be the best choice for you. But it may not be the best choice for your dog or cat.
The two probiotics which I have had success with are Prostora® and Fortiflora®. These are the two products which I have experience with and I am comfortable recommending both of them because I have personally seen that they function effectively. There are a number of other products available as well, some of which may be very good. However, I cannot comment on them simply because I have no experience with them and, as a result, I cannot vouch for them. I do know, however, that Fortiflora® and Prostora® both work and work well.
What can Probiotics Treat Successfully?
I have successfully used probiotics to treat diarrhea from many causes, including stress-related diarrhea and food-related diarrhea. By that I mean animals which are stressed by being boarded in a kennel or moving to a new home and pets which simply ate something which did not agree with them and caused diarrhea and digestive upset. I have also used them in cases of diarrhea where the cause was unknown. I have used them to control diarrhea in pets with parasites, although proper deworming of these dogs and cats is necessary (in my opinion) in addition to the probiotic treatment. I believe that probiotics have a place in treating many cases of diarrhea and would not hesitate to use them even in causes of inflammatory bowel disease or other causes of chronic diarrhea and intestinal disease.
What are the Dangers of Using Probiotics in Dogs and Cats?
That is one of the beauties of probiotics. There really are no dangers. Probiotics are perfectly safe products. They simply replace bacteria which would normally be found in the intestinal tract and help restore the original balance. So, there is no risk of side effects or adverse reactions. Probiotics are safe and effective and are a natural, holistic approach to managing gastrointestinal disease in the dog and cat.
Are Probiotics Used Alone or in Combination with Other Canine and Feline Treatments
Probiotics can be used alone to treat simple uncomplicated cases of diarrhea. They can be used long-term in cases of ongoing stress or other situations where the disease may be more chronic.
Probiotics can also be used in combination with other treatments as well. Whether additional treatment is necessary will depend on your pet’s situation and the cause of disease. Using antibiotics, such as metronidazole, with probiotics is a somewhat controversial topic. Some veterinarians recommend using one or the other but not both. Others feel that the two products can be used together. In this case, the worse case scenario is that the antibiotics might kill some or all of the bacteria contained in the probiotic, rendering the probiotic ineffective. (As I said, some veterinarians and researchers believe that probiotic bacteria are not within the spectrum that most of the antibiotics commonly used in intestinal disease kill, so the products can be used together.) Either way, using the two products together would never be dangerous for the dog or cat because of the combination of medications. (It should be noted, however, that antibiotics can have side effects and adverse reactions all by themselves.)
Other treatment options would depend on the disease and symptoms your pet is experiencing. But there are very few, if any, medications which would be contraindicated due to probiotic use.
Probiotics in Dogs and Cats
Probiotics have a number of beneficial effects for both dogs and cats. They are effective in treating many cases of simple diarrhea and are oftentimes much safer than using antibiotics or other medications to control the diarrhea.
Naturally, if your pet continues to experience diarrhea which does not resolve with the use of the probiotic, you should contact your veterinarian. In addition, if your dog or cat is showing signs of dehydration or is experiencing severe diarrhea or vomiting frequently, you should have him seen by your veterinarian immediately.
Want to know more about probiotics for dogs and cats?
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