Probiotics for dogs: Health Benefits

The use of prebiotics and probiotics has really taken off in recent years. This is true both in human medicine and in the veterinary sector alike. People are gaining a whole new perspective on the many potential benefits that probiotics can offer.

Prebiotics are fibre that act as a food source for the ‘friendly’ bacteria and yeast known as probiotics. Probiotics are medically beneficial and can have a positive impact on health. Perhaps best known for their use in supporting gut health, they also play a key role when it comes to other systems including the central nervous system, skin and immune system.

The goal of consuming both probiotics and prebiotics is to improve the number of good bacteria in the gut, to help digestion (and importantly the ratio of good bacteria to bad bacteria). Probiotics are the bacteria themselves, so adding them directly increases the number of good bacteria. Prebiotics are essentially food for the good bacteria, so adding prebiotics enables the probiotics to thrive and increase in number. We recommend using products such as the Bionic Biotic supplement, or Pooch & Mutt’s grain-free dog food, which combine both probiotics and prebiotics.

Recently, there has been a lot published about the ‘Gut-Brain Axis’ and how good gut health can encourage good mental health. It is the teeny-tiny bugs within the intestines that have the biggest influence over this. This recent discovery is especially important for those dogs who suffer with stress and anxiety. When probiotics are used in conjunction with behaviour modification programmes and other calming techniques, they really come into their own.

Giving dogs prebiotics and probiotics at potentially stressful times to prevent an upset stomach offers us a chance to stop diarrhea even before it begins.

We all know that there are certain things that our dogs may find hard to cope with. They become anxious and can then develop loose poo for a few days after the event. Different dogs will have different triggers and these can change during their lifetime. For some, it will be the groomers or the vet; for others the boarding kennel or a ride in the car. By feeding our dogs’ probiotics, we may well be able to prevent a stomach upset from ever occurring.

Are human probiotics good for dogs?

There are some strains of probiotics that are recommended for dogs, Enterococcus faecium and Bacillus subtilis, both are commonly used probiotics in humans. The same probiotics should be in most products labelled as probiotics for dogs whether they are from the more expensive ‘veterinary brands’ or less expensive pet shop brands. Many people do feed their dogs probiotic yoghurts and these may help, but they will not help as much as feeding a product like Bionic Biotic, which contains the correct strain of probiotics for dogs.