Probiotics: how useful are they

[Cassie Abbott]

This is more of an intellectual exercise since I don't currently have a dog, but I'm curious to get some input from others.

[Note: after reading this over I realized that I'm aiming this more towards a species appropriate raw diet, which I take to mean no carbs/veggies]

From what I've learned probiotics for dogs seem rather unnecessary on a regular basis, yet they're very popular. Dogs have a short GIT where food is primarily digested in the stomach by acid and the small intestine by enzymes. The large intestine has a small amount of bacteria, but really isn't equipped to effectively digest fiber (which is what bacteria are mainly for). So to me it seems like feeding probiotics on a regular basis is a waste of money since your dog isn't going to be consuming a lot of fiber, and even if he was he wouldn't be absorbing a lot of it no matter how much bacteria was present. The GIT of a dog is designed to digest and absorb primarily fats and proteins, which don't require bacterial digestion.

Does anyone know of any articles with scientific proof that regular supplementation with probiotics is helpful with any diet? I can find tons of articles by companies selling these products but haven't found anything yet on the usefullness of probiotics in carnivores (I do have a scholarly article on pigs and probiotics, but they're omnivores). Also, what about kibble and probiotics? I could see why probiotics would be helpful in this case because of the fiber in these diets.

 

[Spiritus]

I don't know of any articles so can't help you there. Sorry.

But... I do use probiotics on occassion, particularly when I have a dog on antibiotics. Antibiotics destroy bacteria, both the bad, AND the good. Probiotics puts "good" bacteria back into the stomach and intestines. And because I live on a farm and my dogs regularly get into things that could upset their GI tracts (ie. fresh "goodies" from the cows/horses/etc.), I do feed cottage cheese or yogurt on occassion, which are natural probiotics, just to help balance the good bacteria.

From what I have learned about antibiotics and stomach/intestinal bacteria, I am at the point that I personally will add cottage cheese, yogurt, or acidophilus to my diet to help maintain good bacteria levels.

 

[Cassie Abbott]

But... I do use probiotics on occassion, particularly when I have a dog on antibiotics.

I can completely understand using a probiotic when the immune system is compromised, I'm just wondering if there's any benefit to daily supplementation with a healthy dog.

From what I have learned about antibiotics and stomach/intestinal bacteria, I am at the point that I personally will add cottage cheese, yogurt, or acidophilus to my diet to help maintain good bacteria levels.

Humans are omnivores and have more bacterial digestion to account for that, so for us it makes sense to consume friendly bacteria. I'm in an Animal Nutrition class right now and we primarily cover livestock animals (omnivores and herbivores; lots on ruminants ), so I'm always looking to apply what I learn to the animals I really care about: carnivores!

 

[Zoom]

I add yogurt to my foster's food because she got into something a few months ago that really upset her GI flora and now has issues with vomiting if she eats anything besides her kibble and some specific treats. I'm looking into a good quality to add for some added protection, since I use homemade yogurt and it may not have quite as high of a probiotic count.

 

[jupiter11600]

I *DO* use probiotics on sierra on a daily basis. She has IBD though so she needs them.

A healthy dog should not need them on a regular basis unless there is a reason like a upset tummy or antibiotics.