They say that a healthy gut equals to a healthy immune system. This also applies to dogs to keep their health at its optimum by supporting their microbiome. Just like ours, a dog’s gut is composed of hundreds of bacteria – both good and bad. If more bad bacteria are present in the stomach, chances are it would weaken the immune system and in return, affect our furry companions in different ways. 

How do you keep your dog healthy? One of the best ways to balance and maintain their immunity and stomach is by using the right probiotics. Read on further to learn more about probiotics for dogs and its benefits.

Improve Your Dog’s Microbiome with Probiotics for Dogs

The community of bacteria and microorganisms that live in the stomach of your dog is called microbiome. They all work together to function like that of an organ to keep your dog functioning well and healthily everyday. This is one of the reasons why probiotics for dogs is important and essential in their diet.

Probiotics are the living bacteria and microorganisms that reside in the body that supports and benefits the health. It helps with digestion and to avoid any stomach issues that dogs may encounter. It usually contains a balanced population of bacteria that gets rid of harmful viruses and bacteria in the gut. 

These are common signs or symptoms of a weak gut health from dogs:

• Gastrointestinal problems like diarrhea, vomiting, bloating, constipation, etc.
• Lethargy
• Fatigue
• Excessive licking of various areas of their bodies
• Restlessness or unable to get proper sleep
• Poor coat or fur quality
• Weight gain or weight loss

When a dog’s gut has more bad bacteria, it can compromise the barrier of their intestinal health which then allows toxins, allergens, and other bad bacteria to pass through the walls. It then manifests itself in different symptoms.

These healthy bacteria can usually be found in meat and yogurt, as well as supplements and vitamins. The probiotics for dogs act as healthy microbiomes that convert plant-based sugars and Fibres in their diet into nutrients, vitamins, and fatty acids. They also help prevent respiratory tract and urogenital infections.

What are the Probiotics for Dogs?

There are specific species of microorganisms that are considered probiotics available that’s produced for dogs to ingest. Here’s what to look for when choosing probiotics for dogs:

• Lactobacillus

This species of bacteria helps ferment sugar into lactic acid to prevent formation of harmful bacteria in the gut. They are commonly found in food like yogurt or pickles. For dogs, they appear as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus, plantarum and Lactobacillus Rhamnosus, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus in supplements made for them. You may also look for those that contain Bifidobacterium Animalis, Bifidobacterium Longgum, Enterococcus Faecium, and Pediococcus Acidilactici that are rich in lactic acid to inhibit health-threatening bacteria, prevent allergies, improve coat health, and prevent leaky guts.

• Soil-based Organisms or Bacillus

These are probiotics for dogs that are naturally develop in soil and water, without the presence of herbicides, pesticides, and other chemicals. Soil-based organisms or SBOs can survive stomach acid, heat, and antibiotics exposure. The Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus indicus, and Bacillus subtilis are considered the safe SBOs dog probiotics. These are ideal for dogs who have allergies, especially if they are dairy-related allergies.

• Saccharomyces boulardii

Rather than bacteria, this dog probiotic is a beneficial yeast. It is helpful when it comes to treating diahrrea – from acute to chronic – as well as yeast infections. If your dog is currently taking antibiotics, Saccharomyces boulardii helps protect beneficial stomach bacteria that gets destroyed or weakened from antibiotics.

The following can be found in supplements that contains multiple strains of probiotics, especially for lactic acid probiotics. The amount of probiotics present in the supplements vary, depending on what you choose.

Food Sources of Probiotics

Feeding your dog a quality diet is important to keep them happy and healthy. Aside from that, you can incorporate other food sources to give them their daily needed intake of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fatty acids, and electrolytes. You can add different sources of probiotics into their daily diet to help strengthen their gut health and improve their immune system. 

Aside from probiotics for dogs, you can also add in food that contains prebiotics which are a great source of dietary fiber. They act as food source for probiotic bacteria to help foster beneficial bacteria, so the combination of probiotics and prebiotics is a great way to boost your dog’s gut health.

Natural sources of probiotics can also be found in: 

• Probiotic Yoghurt

This fermented milk-based food that’s made with treptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. Because this is a dairy-based food, it may not be suitable for dogs with dairy allergies. Some of them may also contain high sugar content, so make sure to choose one or at least proportion how you can give this to your dog.

• Fermented Food

These are usually rich in prebiotics and some of the known fermented food include kimchi, apple cider vinegar, kefir, borscht, among others. These are not ideal for dogs with SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) or yeast infections, so make sure to feed these to them in moderation.

• Prebiotic Food

Some of the acceptable and healthy food to add to your dog’s diet that is rich in prebiotics are mushrooms, dandelion greens, tempeh, MSG-free miso, chicory root, garlic, asparagus, bananas, and Jerusalem artichokes.

• Raw Food

You may also consider giving your dog raw meat. However, before doing so, there are precautionary safety measures when feeding raw meat to your dog. Not all microbiomes that grow on raw food are healthy.

Conclusion

Probiotics are healthy microorganisms that live in your dog’s stomach to help support their digestive system, absorb the essential nutrients and vitamins, ward off harmful bacteria, and overall boost their immune system. There are several probiotics available for your dogs that come in supplements and food. You may incorporate both probiotics and prebiotics in your dog’s diet to complement each other and improve your dog’s health. It can also be helpful in preventing stomach issues, health issues, and other symptoms that show as a result of compromised dog gut health.