Recommendations For Probiotic

[phall]

My three year old girl, Joey, has had ongoing loose stools and a finicky stomach. After bloodwork and fecal tests that came back okay, my vet and I have decided to try putting her on a probiotic. My vet offers Proviable, but I'd like to get recommendations from others who have used probiotics on their greys.

 

If you've used a probiotic that you like and worked well on your grey, please let me know what it is.

 

Thanks.

 

Pat

[chelseasmom]

I use a product from Animal Essentials recommended by my vet. It's called Plant Enzymes and Probiotic. It's a powder which I like. No need to try and get pills down their throats. I use it anytime my dogs are on an antibiotic. Just mix a quarter teaspoon to each 30 pounds of body weight into their food. www.animalessentials.com. You can purchase it on line or check locations for retailers. Good luck.

[NeylasMom]

I highly recommend Vetri-probiotic BD from Vetriscience. If you do a google search, you will find them at a few online pet supply sites for a decent price. I recommend starting with those and then once you've had a few months of good digestive health, you can try switching to their every day probiotic.

 

Both contain probiotics and prebiotics (which feed the probiotics and help them flourish in the gut), but the BD formula has other supplements to help repair the gut, which is why I recommend starting with that one.

 

I've also had good success with Synacore if you prefer a powder, but it's a bit pricier.

[MaryJane]

I used Forti-Flora from my vet but has since ordered it online for about 1/2 the cost. I don't give it every day and when I give it, I split one packet among the 3 dogs.

[sabrina]

Sabrina has used FortiFlora with very good results. It is a 30day treatment. It is a powder that you sprinkle on their food once a day. It on her food hasnt stopped her from wanting her dinner. Good luck to your pup

[Guest verthib]

Fortiflora is made by Purina...not a fan of theirs, and it contains 'animal digest'. It's a non-specific ingredient, so who knows what's in it.

 

 

 

 

From Wikipedia : Animal Digest is a cooked-down broth made from specified or unspecified parts of animals (depending on the type of digest used). If the source is unspecified (e.g. "Animal" or "Poultry", the animals used can be obtained from any source, so there is no control over quality or contamination. Any kind of animal can be included: "4-D animals" (dead, diseased, disabled, or dying prior to slaughter), goats, pigs, horses, rats, miscellaneous roadkill, animals euthanized at shelters, restaurant and supermarket refuse, and so on.

 

I've used this with good results. It's all natural.

[KF_in_Georgia]

The dogs and I all take Phillips Colon Health capsules. It's "1.5 billion cells: Lactobacillus gasseri, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Bifidobacterium longum." We each take one capsule at dinner. At Costco, a bottle of 90 capsules is about $28.

 

For me, the capsules have been as effective as Activia yogurt--but they're more convenient and actually are cheaper per dose than the yogurt. And they're lactose-free, for those people and dogs that are lactose-intolerant. For the dogs, I noticed an immediate effect when we started the pills. When I started giving the pills, I was giving them (and taking them) at breakfast. By the second day, when one of my dogs suddenly started to poop in the house during the day, I realized that they were a little too effective to give to dogs having to stay home while I went to work. I switched from morning doses to evening ones, and the poop accidents stopped.

 

The FortiFlora contains vitamins that the Colon Health does not contain, but I think my dogs are getting adequate vitamins from their food.

[greymatters]

I highly recommend Vetri-probiotic BD from Vetriscience. If you do a google search, you will find them at a few online pet supply sites for a decent price. I recommend starting with those and then once you've had a few months of good digestive health, you can try switching to their every day probiotic.

I second the recommendation for Vetri-Probiotics - we give Merlin the Everyday Softchews for maintenance and they seem to work well for him. Our vet highly recommends both FortiFlora and the Vetri-Probiotics and has suggested that we try rotating between the two, so we've started doing that. (NeylasMom, thanks for the info on the Vetri BD formula - I've been thinking of trying that for flare-ups.)

 

FWIW, here's the best price I've found for Vetri Chews, and the FortiFlora is reasonable there too.

[racindog]

I love Primal Defense. It has "earth" factors or something-anyway many of them will chew it up and eat it like a treat. I only use it as needed(antibiotic therapy, old seniors, etc. and every now and then I give to all of them and even take myself just to keep them in good shape. I give them 1 /day when I use it.

[phall]

Thanks, everyone, for your advice and guidance on this. You've given me some good products to check out. I'll be talking to my vet more about this later today. In the meantime, keep the recommendations coming.

 

Pat

 

Hey Greygeek - thanks for your input on what you give Merlin. We've met on a few of the Greyhound Adventures walks, so I know a little of what you deal with Merlin. (You may remember me as the owner of Star - my big, goofy boy who is into everything). Joey is my other grey (along with Faye).

 

Pat

 

I highly recommend Vetri-probiotic BD from Vetriscience. If you do a google search, you will find them at a few online pet supply sites for a decent price. I recommend starting with those and then once you've had a few months of good digestive health, you can try switching to their every day probiotic.

I second the recommendation for Vetri-Probiotics - we give Merlin the Everyday Softchews for maintenance and they seem to work well for him. Our vet highly recommends both FortiFlora and the Vetri-Probiotics and has suggested that we try rotating between the two, so we've started doing that. (NeylasMom, thanks for the info on the Vetri BD formula - I've been thinking of trying that for flare-ups.)

 

FWIW, here's the best price I've found for Vetri Chews, and the FortiFlora is reasonable there too.

[tbhounds]

Rx Biotics

[turbotaina]

I highly recommend Vetri-probiotic BD from Vetriscience. If you do a google search, you will find them at a few online pet supply sites for a decent price. I recommend starting with those and then once you've had a few months of good digestive health, you can try switching to their every day probiotic.

I second the recommendation for Vetri-Probiotics - we give Merlin the Everyday Softchews for maintenance and they seem to work well for him. Our vet highly recommends both FortiFlora and the Vetri-Probiotics and has suggested that we try rotating between the two, so we've started doing that. (NeylasMom, thanks for the info on the Vetri BD formula - I've been thinking of trying that for flare-ups.)

 

FWIW, here's the best price I've found for Vetri Chews, and the FortiFlora is reasonable there too.

 

 

I'll third the Vetri-probiotic BD. My boy had to take some antibiotics for a nearly severed carpal pad and the antiobiotics threw his gut out of whack. We had done a round of panacur, bland diet, etc., but within the first dose of the probiotics, his poop firmed up. Pretty miraculous. We don't give it every day, however, because he drinks 16.47 tons of water when he takes them. That doesn't occur with most dogs, btw. He's just a freak When his stool gets a little loose, we put him on them for a few days and he's fine.

[Guest verthib]

The vetri chews have chicken. Just be aware of that in case your dog is allergic to chicken. I try to steer towards supplements that are strictly supplements, and no added mystery digest, meat flavoring, by products or silicon. Then you get truer/purer results because there's less opportunity for your dog to have issues from the ingredients.

ETA What about trying Perfect Form?

Edited March 1, 2012 by verthib

[Guest Mom2Shiloh]

I use a product from Animal Essentials recommended by my vet. It's called Plant Enzymes and Probiotic. It's a powder which I like. No need to try and get pills down their throats. I use it anytime my dogs are on an antibiotic. Just mix a quarter teaspoon to each 30 pounds of body weight into their food. www.animalessentials.com. You can purchase it on line or check locations for retailers. Good luck.

 

Yes Pat, this one!!! My vet strongly recommends it and I've used it for years with huge success. I usually find the best price on Amazon. Oh and I give it to Agnes who is 10 and has tummy issues fairly often regularly, I give it to Bravo who tends to inflammation and was close to pancreatitis at one point (he also gets Acetylator regularly), Callan, who is 5 and isn't currently having any issues, only gets it when he's on antibiotics for something.

Edited March 1, 2012 by Mom2Shiloh

[greymatters]

Hey Greygeek - thanks for your input on what you give Merlin. We've met on a few of the Greyhound Adventures walks, so I know a little of what you deal with Merlin. (You may remember me as the owner of Star - my big, goofy boy who is into everything). Joey is my other grey (along with Faye).

 

Pat

Pat - you're welcome and of course I remember you! It was nice to see you, Star, and Joey in Carlisle a couple of weeks ago.

 

Off topic re Merlin, I've sent you a PM .

 

Michele

[rschultz]

vetri probiotic

[NeylasMom]

Just thought I'd add this since they make some brand recommendations: Whole Dog Journal article on probiotics. Happy to see the one I recommended on there. While I don't love Purina products in general, I have had good success with Fortiflora, which someone else had already mentioned. And Thorne Research makes some great products - I've used their bound curcumin and milk thistle supplements. Never thought to look for probiotics made by them. Anywho, thought the article might be of interest.

[silverfish]

We have used Forti-Flora, and yes, it is good.

 

Right now we have a tub of Protexin Pro-Fibre. Though it doesn't sound like it, it is a probiotic. I like the pelleted formula, too.

 

It's got Jeff through an extended course of Clindamycin (Antirobe) at a very high dose with nothing more than a few softish stools and a dropping off of appetite. This antibiotic is infamous for causing gut problems, sometimes very major gut problems - when Sid had it at a normal dose he developed colitis c/w bloody, mucousy stools and screaming at every bowel movement, poor guy.

[Guest Naty]

Hi Pat,

 

Tasha always had problems with potent gas and loose stools. We used Fresh Digest 2 months ago and she did very well on this for quite sometime until a couple of weeks ago when the gas came back. I will be trying Prozyme on a friend's suggestion. She has a golden but hopefully, will get the same results. I'll keep you posted.

 

Hope all is well with your 3.

 

Naty

[Guest GreysAndMoreGreys]

I know quite a few kennels and farms use

Health Guard

 

Along with a few owners on GT as well.

We seemed to have good results in the kennel and I'm going to give it a try here at home as well.

Not sure if this is what you were looking for but figured I would put it out there.

[Guest Celestrina]

Has anyone tried the GNC probiotic pills for dogs?

[Cricket57]

We use DOGZYMES for Mulligan.

 

Cricket

[JenniferS]

Pat, Razzy has been on Fresh Digest for quite some time with greyt results. You can buy it at Petco. Link

Edited March 7, 2012 by JenniferS

[fritofeet]

optigest

 

We use and recommend Optigest here.

[Floofy]

optigest

 

We use and recommend Optigest here.

 

 

This is my first post -- just wanted to say that we also are big fans of Optigest. When we first got Luke three years ago, we could not find a food that agreed with him -- but after trying about a dozen different foods, we finally found a winner. Holistic Select Anchovy, Sardine, and Salmon Recipe. Between the great food, a daily pumpkin and yogurt kong, and the Optigest, Luke has "firmed up" beautifully. If we run out of Optigest, it only takes a day or two for his stool to be noticeably looser.