Nowadays, there are endless pet probiotic products on the market, which is dizzying. Probiotics give people a sense of health, and it seems that feeding dogs probiotics will make them healthier. Are probiotics really as useful as advertised? Is it really good for dogs to eat probiotics? Today we will briefly talk about probiotics.
In fact, the research on probiotics is only in its infancy. The following are some reports that we know about probiotics being beneficial to dogs:
Help dogs digest; regulate the immune system; inhibit harmful bacteria and maintain intestinal health by producing short-chain fatty acids; in addition, they also have the following functions:
assist in the treatment of diarrhea and intestinal inflammation; prevent urinary tract infections; reduce allergic reactions by reducing intestinal permeability and controlling inflammation; these are the main uses of probiotics for dogs, and we will talk about them in detail below.
What are probiotics for dogs?
The so-called probiotics refer to beneficial microorganisms living in the digestive tract of dogs.
Hundreds of millions of microorganisms live in the dog’s digestive system, which is filled with both beneficial and harmful microorganisms. These beneficial microorganisms play an important role in maintaining the internal balance of intestinal bacteria, preventing diseases, and promoting intestinal health.
The tasks they undertake are as follows:
Help break down food; produce various nutrients; fight off potential pathogens; strengthen immunity★ What are prebiotics
You may have also heard of prebiotics. What is the difference between the two? Prebiotics are actually a type of fiber that nourish and promote the growth of good bacteria already living in your gut. In other words, prebiotics are food for probiotics.
Do dogs need probiotics?
Probiotics exist to maintain an ideal intestinal microbial balance. In general, a healthy dog should be able to maintain a balanced intestinal microbiome naturally and does not need the help of probiotics. However, this is only for healthy dogs.
If the dog is in a disease state, or under special circumstances such as malnutrition, the balance of intestinal microorganisms will be disrupted.
At this time, supplementing the dog with probiotics will have a good effect and help restore the balance of the digestive flora.
★What are the benefits of probiotics for dogs?
Many studies have shown that certain types of probiotics can indeed bring specific benefits to dogs.
The roles that lactobacilli and bifidobacteria can play:
Improve diarrhea and food allergies; enhance the immune system; reduce anxiety; in addition, Bacillus can also maintain the dog's immune system.
★Can probiotics be used to treat diarrhea in dogs?
Probiotics can improve diarrhea caused by the following reasons:
Stress colitis due to changes in the environment; dogs cannot adapt to diarrhea after a sudden change in diet; bacterial imbalance caused by long-term use of antibiotics;
Other related questions
★Can puppies eat probiotics?
We believe that puppies can also take probiotics. This will contribute to the balanced development of intestinal bacteria and improve the puppy's immunity, reducing the incidence of diarrhea, constipation and digestive tract infections.
★Can I feed human probiotics to dogs?
In fact, as far as the current situation is concerned. Dogs can take probiotics that humans use and they are not harmful to dogs.
★Can dogs drink yogurt or eat other foods rich in probiotics?
Some human foods, such as yogurt and fermented vegetables, are indeed rich in probiotics.
We recommend that you feed your dog yogurt, but when choosing yogurt, be sure to pay attention to the formula table behind the yogurt.
Original yogurt is the best choice. Do not choose yogurt with xylitol added. Regarding the feeding amount of yogurt, we recommend the following:
Small dogs drink 1 teaspoon per day; medium-sized dogs drink 2 teaspoons per day; large or giant dogs drink 3 teaspoons per day;
Of course, not all dogs can accept probiotics, and some dogs may suffer from indigestion, diarrhea and other symptoms after consuming probiotics. The probability of this happening is very low. If this happens to your dog, stop feeding it.