If your dog has stomach related issues like room clearing gas, has itchy or infected skin, allergies, eats poop, has frequent diarrhea or yeast infections a probiotic may be the answer to these problems.
There are billions of microorganisms and bacteria living in the intestinal tract. Some are harmful (pathogenic) and others have plenty of benefits. In a human or animal, the amount of good microorganisms vastly outnumber the harmful ones and this helps to maintain an intestinal balance.
The good bacteria also create vitamin B, produce various antifungal and antibacterial substances, and help you digest food by creating numerous enzymes including lactase.
Why Probiotics are important for Dogs
The number of microorganisms can easily be reduced by various things including: stress, poor diet, diseases, taking cortisone and/or antibiotics, and when colonic pH levels are too alkaline.
When you don’t have enough good microorganisms to keep the harmful ones in balance, they quickly increase their numbers astronomically and that causes intestinal diseases. Humans and animals have major issues when this happens.
Having a healthy digestive tract maintains your overall health and is among the biggest factors doing this.
The digestive process breaks down your food into energy you can use and it processes all elements that support every system in the body. This process will also expel toxins and other bad elements from your body.
If your dog’s digestion process isn’t a healthy one, numerous problems may occur such as: gas, heartburn, stomachache, “leaky gut” (letting food that has only been partly digested to get into the blood and causing allergic reactions); decreased creation of B vitamins; extra growth of fungus and yeast; Low assimilation of minerals and vitamins causing nutrient deficiencies; a build up of toxins; liver and kidney stress;
Underactive adrenal functionality that can cause arthritis, fatigue, skin disease, premature aging and so on.
What are Probiotics?
The word “probiotic” means a living microbial feed supplement that helps the host creature by positively balancing his intestinal microbes. A Russian zoologist named Elie Metchnik (1845-1916) is considered the first human to officially document the positive benefits of probiotics. He noticed that people who consumed yogurt as a regular part of their diet often had a longer lifespan.
Metchnik conducted more research that demonstrated that when live beneficial bacteria was administered, it could help renew the intestinal balance so you would end up in better health. Clinical trials showed that when viable probiotics were regularly administered, pathogenic microorganisms were kept in balance, allergies were limited, fungal and yeast infections were better controlled and overall health was generally better.
What are the Best Probiotic Products for Dogs:
There are numerous different products in today’s marketplace that actually contain probiotics. Ensure that you only buy products that are made by reputable companies that guarantee the amount of Colony Forming Units (CFUs) on a clearly displayed label. One billion or more CFUs for each serve is an ideal number. Quite a few of the probiotic supplements contain so little CFUs that they’re almost useless.
A study that was published in a 2011 copy of the Canadian Veterinary Journal explained that only two out of 25 probiotic pet supplements that were studied actually contained what the label said they did.
It’s important to refrigerate your products to improve shelf life and avoid contact with direct light, moisture, heat and oxygen because these elements kill good bacteria faster. Destroy the majority of products within one or two years because only a few CFUs will exist after that period. Freeze dried products may still be viable if stored in perfect conditions.
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