Probiotics for Dogs

[iamwhoiam]

When I was at the vet today with my dog, it was suggested to me by another client that I try probiotics for my dog who has allergies. The vet overheard this and she thought it was worth a try. He is already taking Apoquel which has limited effectiveness although I do think that his u/d prescription diet has exacerbated his allergies since they have gotten worse since he has been eating this "stuff". I've used FortiFlora with my other dogs (digestive issues) but have found other brands that seem to have better reviews. Was interested in Vetriscience Mega Probiotic, Dr. Mercola's Complete Probiotics and Nusentia Probiotic Miracle. Has anyone used these?
Are there other brands you would suggest?
I have read that allergies can sometimes be due to digestive imbalances and that probiotics might be beneficial.

 

[CrazyBirdChick]

I'm sorry that I don't know, but I'm very interested to hear more about this. I have a friend whose dog has really bad allergies and she gives the dog 2 allergy pills a day, every day! I hate the thought of what that's doing to the dog

 

[macawpower58]

I'm not convinced that vet prescribed dog food is anything but a moneymaker for the vets and food corporations.

What allergies does your dog have? You could go grain free, or just corn/soy free, or even try a raw diet. There's many quality dog foods that you could use to isolate his allergies (if food orientated).

As for probiotics, I wholly support them. I had a dog with EPI, and many members of my EPI Yahoo group added probiotics to their dog's diets.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Geordie is on a special diet to prevent the development of calcium oxalate stones. He was on a different Rx diet for that previously but he had recurrent stones during a less than one year period so he was switched to u/d. He was diagnosed with allergies prior to the stone issue and was on a hypoallergenic diet which I think may have contributed to the stone development although his breed, Bichon Frise, are known for developing stones. When he was first placed on that diet there weren't a lot of limited ingredient diets available. He needs a diet that will help reduce his allergic reactions as well as not contribute to stone development. He was test for allergies via blood and saliva and the results differed but he had both food and enivronmental sensitivities.
I thought about trying him on Natural Instinct limited ingredient turkey formula or something similar and sent an email to the vet about that but we need to be very careful regarding the urinary tract stones so she suggested switching from the u/d to the w/d. However the ingredients in the w/d are similar to the ingredients in u/d. I am finding conflicting information regarding what to feed a dog who produces calcium oxalate stones and have found some recipes but there are conflicts with those, too. He has been stone free since we changed his diet but we also increased his water consumption and his daily dose of Potassium citrate so not sure if the Rx diet has been beneficial or if it was the other changes.

What brand of probiotics have you used or did members of the group use?

 

[iamwhoiam]

I'm sorry that I don't know, but I'm very interested to hear more about this. I have a friend whose dog has really bad allergies and she gives the dog 2 allergy pills a day, every day! I hate the thought of what that's doing to the dog

Geordie is on a daily allergy pill which I don't think is very helpful and I really don't like giving it to him.

 

[macawpower58]

I remember a couple names, Mercolo probiotics, and Primal Defense (that's a human one), some gave the children's version.

Prozyme is probably the one I've heard of most. I used it for a long time.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Thanks. Mercola probiotics was one that I was considering. The vet is recommending Fortiflora but I think there are better ones. I will do a bit more research before I order. She is also recommending adding fish oil to his diet and I will be ordering the Nordic Omega 3 for pets.

 

[iamwhoiam]

I had some Fortiflora in the house so I added that to his food this evening. I also started transitioning him to a different prescription diet and will try that food for a week to see if his allergic reactions decrease.

 

[CrazyBirdChick]

I read or seen somewhere (can't remember exactly where) that probiotics must be refrigerated in order to be effective and products that are not are virtually ineffective.

Not sure if fortiflora is a refrigerated product but I just wanted to mention it. Thanks for keeping us posted, @iamwhoiam I hope it helps!

 

[alshgs]

I have no help other than good luck. All of my dogs have issues with grain and therefore have to go grain free, but none of them have allergies where I can help.

 

[iamwhoiam]

I read or seen somewhere (can't remember exactly where) that probiotics must be refrigerated in order to be effective and products that are not are virtually ineffective.

Not sure if fortiflora is a refrigerated product but I just wanted to mention it. Thanks for keeping us posted, @iamwhoiam I hope it helps!

Refrigeration depends on the probiotic. Some require refrigeration and some don't. I hope it helps, too.

@alshgs Thanks. Good that your dogs don't have allergies. It's something that can be very hard to control.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Geordie is now getting daily Fortiflora in his food and fish oil which I put on an unsalted cracker. The w/d is absolutely disgusting, IMHO, but he seems to like it. I would actually prefer to have him back on Royal Canin S/O and will probably discuss this with the vet at our next appointment.