Guest Fasave Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 I'm curious what people are using for a prebiotic and probiotic. Having nursed a pup with IBD in the past, I know how important digestive health is to these guys. My boy Thunder who I've had for a little over a year has never had the best stools. Some of this I think is behavioral. He refuses to poop in the yard so we do two walks a day and he doesn't come home until he's pooped. With the snow and colder weather, the walks are getting longer and he's getting more stubborn. Over the summer, I spent long hours in the yard trying to get him to poop with no real results. He has no accidents in the house so I finally decided I was being obsessive and I should let him be him and make his own decisions about pooping. Of course, this eventually lead to some digestive upset and occasional screaming when he would finally poop. Now we walk 2x/day prior to each meal and things have been stable. Yesterday Thunder went in for his annual and checked out fine. The vet thought he might have an issue with his prostate but everything checked out fine. He is on Natural Balance adult premium with a scoop of canned of various varieties and I have been giving him Wysong Add-Life as a probiotic/supplement. Yesterday my vet recommended trying Proviable as a pre/probiotic. It's a cheaper option than the Add-Life product and less cumbersome (ex. not refrigerated) but I worry that it's missing some of the other supplements. However, I do think he's on a good quality food and maybe all the additional supplements are not necessary. So, what do other people use for pups with digestive upsets? Thunder is 5 and I'm hoping by stabilizing his digestive track early in life will lead to a healthier and longer life. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetdogs Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Do you think the Wysong has helped him? Have things gotten worse? There are a lot of ingredients in it. The Proviable sounds like it's just pre/probiotic in ingredients. You could probably even use something from the health food store that would be as good. And cheaper (especially online). I like to keep things simple & I'd rather give multiple supplements of single ingredients than one all inclusive. Easier to control adverse affects that way. I don't use probiotics on a regular basis, only after antibiotic use. They say 70% of our immune system is in the gut so I agree it's important to keep it healthy. From a pre/probiotic microrganism standpoint though, more is not necessarily better. Gut critters live in balance & too many good ones can be as bad as not enough. Have you had Thunder's stool tested for any unusual beasties? (I do have to laugh with recognition - my old boy is stubborn & it's only been in the past year that he has consistently & willingly used the yard. He would insist on being walked or driven to the park for his business & would hold it for however long it took me to get him there. Now since he's older, he agrees my way is OK. However with the snow, he will only do one item - I either get a pee or a poop for each trip out - not both. Stubborn old goat. ) Quote Deirdre with Conor (Daring Pocobueno), Keeva (Kiowa Mimi Mona), & kittehs Gemma & robthomas. Our beloved angels Faolin & Liath, & kittehs Mona & Caesar. Remembering Bobby, Doc McCoy, & Chip McGrath. "He feeds you, pets you, adores you, collects your poop in a bag. There's only one explanation: you are a hairy little god." Nick Galifinakis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhead Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Are you mixing any water into the NB and canned food? That might help things move along more easily. We never get pre-pro-biotics to our IBD dog because he never did well with them. But he does get some raw food daily, so that should take care of it. Our other dog gets the kind they sell at the vet, FortiFlora, but just when he's been on antibiotics. Also yogurt at that time. One of our vets says she uses human-grade probiotics on her dogs, which have the benefit of being cheaper than the veterinary kind! Quote Mary with Jumper Jack (2/17/11) and angels Shane (PA's Busta Rime, 12/10/02 - 10/14/16) and Spencer (Dutch Laser, 11/25/00 - 3/29/13). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest K9Cookies Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 I don't have any experience with IBD hounds, but we used human probiotics with Bonnie when she was receiving chemo. We did notice that the probiotics seemed to help keep things on a more even keel. I typically buy the 365 Whole Foods kind. We've experimented with the FortiFlora pet probiotics for Meana because she hasn't been eating well. I don't see as much of an improvement with those. I occasionally give her one of the Whole Foods probiotics (I take 2 a day myself). Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Fasave Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Thanks for the feedback. I loved the stubborn old goat story. Perhaps there's hope for Thunder yet. Just for clarification, Thunder is not IBD. My bridge boy had IBD/PLE/PLN and I would do just about anything to not have to live through that again. It's a very frustrating disease and I get nervous when my other pups show potential signs. To answer the question as to whether Thunder's "better" on Add-Life, I would say there is no noticeable difference. He stools are formed but a little mushy. The only real case of the Big D he has had was at Dewey this past year and stress could have easily been playing into that one. I do mix water with his meals and he is a huge drinker AFTER a walk. The vet did suggest adding some extra fiber to get things going. It looks like I'm going to just need to make minor adjustments and see what works out for him. Thanks again for all the advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubcitypam Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Rex did very well with the beet pulp ingredient in Iams as his prebiotic. It was all that worked for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kudzu Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Fastrack gel is the most effective & economical thing I've found. Here's the spec sheet. I get the livestock/nonruminant version for larger dogs, like any GH. Works just as well as the canine version with all the same key ingredients & far more economical. The keep the tube with unused portion in the fridge. They market a canine version but it is much less concentrated thus much more expensive. FYI-Canine version also contains egg product so not appropriate for dogs with sensitivities or allergies to egg. As an aid for dogs getting antibiotics or are just a little gassy at times I often just give human L acidophilus caps or yogurt if they handle it well. However, some don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4My2Greys Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 I wanted to mention that when Nadir's IBD flares up I give him Manuka honey with very good results. It gets his stools back to normal and his appetite back in no time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mcsheltie Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Rex did very well with the beet pulp ingredient in Iams as his prebiotic. It was all that worked for him. Besides being a good prebiotic beet pulp is also a gentle, easily digest form of fiber. People are always looking for canned pumpkin and I have always wondered why they didn't use this instead. I have always been curious about Manuka honey, but haven't done any research. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryJane Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 What has worked wonders for my own dogs and for ones I foster is to give them oatmeal (mixed with grits to keep the phosphorous down because I also have a greyhound with kidney issues). I use the 5 minute type and for fosters I give them a 1/2 cup or so in the morning. My own dogs get about 1 to 1 1/2 cups each morning with milk (and meat chunks with vitamins). I also give them apple peel. Both the oatmeal and apple peels are loaded with fiber which does help to "move things along". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MorganKonaAlex Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Rex did very well with the beet pulp ingredient in Iams as his prebiotic. It was all that worked for him. Is this a food? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LindsaySF Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 You can buy beet pulp at a feed or agricultural store. I got it at Agway, a 30 lb bag for $25. (They feed it to horses). Get the shredded kind, easier to mix into the food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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