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All dog owners who have had to clean up after their beloved pooches know that people aren't the only ones who experience gastrointestinal disorders. Many animals, including man's best friend, also suffer from both short-lived and chronic digestive woes. As a result, some veterinarians have begun prescribing supplements containing friendly bacteria, or "probiotics," to ease related symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, gas and bloating. But some animal experts say there is little solid evidence that the supplements are effective.
Gastrointestinal (GI) issues are the second-most common health problem in dogs after skin diseases, according to Richard Hill, a small-animal internist and clinical nutritionist at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in Gainesville. He notes that common causes include parasites such as hookworm, whipworm and giardia as well as "dietary indiscretion," which could mean anything from gorging on table scraps to drinking from the toilet to raiding the garbage.
Canines may also suffer from chronic diarrhea, stemming from a bacterial imbalance or infection such as salmonella, campylobacter or Escherichia coli, says Susan Wynn, a nutritionist at the University of Tennessee's College of Veterinary Medicine in Knoxville.
To resolve both acute and chronic GI conditions, some vets are now turning to supplemental probiotics, the gut-dwelling "good bacteria" that may assist in digestion and help fend of gastrointestinal maladies in animals as well as people. Wynn says there is evidence that probiotics help stave off infections in chickens, pigs and other farm animals but no "hard clinical evidence" that they do so in dogs. She notes, however, that preliminary research indicates that they may benefit pups, as well.
Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble makes a soft, chewable probiotic supplement called Prostora Max containing a special strain of Bifidobacterium animalis that kills the disease-causing bugs salmonella and Clostridium difficile in laboratory studies, according to Liam O'Mahony, an immunologist at the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Center at University College Cork in Ireland. O'Mahony, who led the team that discovered and isolated the strain, says that results from a yet-to-be-published clinical study suggest the bacterium helps clear up diarrhea in various canine breeds.
The recent study included 31 dogs—10 German shepherds, 11 Labrador retrievers, two golden retrievers, and eight Labrador–golden retriever mixes—suffering from the trots. The 13 dogs given probiotics recovered about 40 percent more quickly—in four instead of seven days—than did the other animals. The reason? Mahoney speculates that the good bacteria outcompete those responsible for causing the GI upset, or perhaps the probiotics fortify the gut barrier in some way.
Meanwhile, Purina has developed a product called Fortiflora containing Enterococcus faecium that it claims may boost doggies' immune responses. Some research suggests that taking E. faecium leads to higher blood concentrations of certain antibodies—proteins that fight pathogens.
"There is accumulating evidence that probiotics do something," Hill says. But at this juncture "there are still as many questions as there are answers."
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8 Comments
Add CommentThe comments so far seem to have missed the main point of the article: probiotics do "something" but there's a lot more we don't know about them than we do know. As usual, the products are out there for sale, with people arguing over the best one, way before the science to justify their regular use is available. Anyone interested can find a more detailed review of the current evidence at the site below.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBrennen McKenzie, MA, VMD
http://www.skeptvet.com
The comments so far seem to have missed the main point of the article: probiotics do "something" but there's a lot more we don't know about them than we do know. As usual, the products are out there for sale, with people arguing over the best one, way before the science to justify their regular use is available. Anyone interested can find a more detailed review of the current evidence at the site below.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBrennen McKenzie, MA, VMD
http://www.skeptvet.com
The comments so far seem to have missed the main point of the article: probiotics do "something" but there's a lot more we don't know about them than we do know. As usual, the products are out there for sale, with people arguing over the best one, way before the science to justify their regular use is available. Anyone interested can find a more detailed review of the current evidence at the site below.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBrennen McKenzie, MA, VMD
http://www.skeptvet.com
While I agree with the good vet. Most veterinary probiotic research papers that ive read that showed little to no positive effects of probiotics had some very basic errors in them. One is that the researchers failed to keep the probiotics chilled, and in a dry dark place before the study began. Also, they used probiotics that came in inferior packaging that were sold, stored or shipped to them at ambient temperatures. Light, heat and moisture will kill off lactic acid producing bacteria in a few hours. In every paper that I read that showed positive effects .The authors of that paper used probiotics that were sent to them in a chilled state. They were pachaged in moisture proof and light blocking containers. DFMs are living organisms and those three stressors can start their life cycle and kill them off before they are of any use. That is why I like the Natren probiotics due to their cold shipping and packaging methods. They are the only animal probiotic company that does that.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have working with dogs for about30 years.And I have been recomending acidophilis for fifteen of them. Other than an occiasional parasitic condition I have had a 100% success rate in solving minor digestive problems. I have also noticed that these problems do not re-occur with long term use of this suppliment(3 to 6 months).
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLab Beagles, which are still used in the United States, were found to have high concentrations of " Bad Bacteria " a term used by two distinguished scientist from Great Britain. The point was, that in four (4) out of four (4) Lab. Beagles tested( all were obtained from different parts of the country, all had high incedence of diarea. The research was to determine why and a possible source, or common denominator. The variation in the condition of the dogs was as varied as their locations. One thing was certain and that was the count of Good Bacteria vs. Bad. The bad increased while the Good decreased. Fortiflora or even a Drug Store line of acidophilis, which works fine on my system, worked on my "Lab Beagle" also, only "Sara" required 4 weeks to my one and has been on a maintenance dose up to now. Blood work and stool samples have been negative. By the way, the imbalance will not show up in blood work, more often than not. The saliva test using sugar levels will almost always show positive. The Beagle layperson need not bother with any testing, we will know immediately from the odor.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf you want to ensure live bacteria probiotics for dogs, just put a bowl of kefir down for them to eat. Plain is fine and if they don't like that, just mix some bovril or cesar dog food which has a very strong taste because it's made of organ meats. If my dogs won't each I just mix a bit of beef cesar dinner in and they chow it down.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYou can also put kefir on itchy skin. I kills the itch almost instantly. For very dry irritated areas, castor oil is great but put a coat or collar on the dog or they will lick it and it's a laxative.
I find it interesting that this article calls out Prostora and FortiFlora, which I find to be the most lacking probiotics for dogs out there. I'm curious if this article is hyping these products, or if they just picked the biggest pet brands out there to quote. Both products contain awful ingredients and I can't imagine they did much useful research to develop them. Big companies like these are notorious for using the cheapest animal-grade ingredients available.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe point is, probiotics are essential and they do benefit greatly—for dogs there is no "placebo" effect so they either work or they don't, period. Me and many of my friends can attest to it.
A bowl of kefir or yogurt is not going to do the trick or offer any significant benefit. Sorry. If someone were to actually do their research, they would find there is plenty of scientific research in dogs with regards the benefit of probiotics. The only one I find that comes close are the Nusentia probiotics.
We discovered this when we had two boxers both with tummy issues from when they were puppies. Anecdotally speaking, we tried all the "vet recommended" remedies, which only improved the problem to make it worse later. We supplied the Nusentia probiotics twice per day and miraculously the problems went away after a few weeks and never came back. Our next puppy, we started immediately on a probiotic regimen and never had to deal with these issues again.
There is so much research on probiotics, its amazing, because when the gut is supported, the whole body works better—this is why its referred to as the "second brain". I wish these "articles" could do justice to the great effects of probiotics and supporting the gut, and I hate hearing "we don't know what" they do when there is plenty of sensible evidence showing that they work! I agree in being skeptical, but just do your own research, don't believe the marketing hype. Get your dogs off prednisone and antibiotics, its ruining their health.