[doginthedesert]

I am of the opinion that a good human pro-biotic product is probably better than a dog specific product. Products that claim to have probiotics for humans are more closely regulated, so personally I use a human product when one of my dogs are on antibiotics. With a pet product you really don't know what you are getting. It also seems that they are more useful if given a few hours after you give the antibiotic, because if you give them with it the antibiotic will just kill off all the good bacteria before it can get anywhere.

 

[doginthedesert]

Do you have any links to information about studies showing what bacteria are usefull to dogs. Because even holistic vets I have talked to have told me a good human product with lots of different strains is the way to go.
I am on my phone, so my posting of links is a little limited, but the company I get all my supplements from Natures Farmacy, has a dog probiotic product and I remember googling the bacteria vthey provide and finding it in several human products. Since the human products are subject to random testing to prove they do in fact have live bacteria in them I tend to truse them more. Also it could be that in an effort to loook like a good product a lot of these things are throwing in every strain they can get their hands on regardless of how able they are to survive in the human system. Therefore some of the strains are good for dogs- just a thought.

What you are saying makes sense to me, as dogs digestive systems are totally dofferent from ours, I just have always heard something a little different when it comes to the strains in our products. I always am intirested to learn more!

 

[doginthedesert]

I just wanted to be clear too- that the oversignt of human products is not govermental, but is conducted by a trade organization with the copyright of the "live and active cultures" seal that is on many products in the US. No seal, then there is probably no guarantee what's in there. I am nearly sure this trade organization is only in the US and I am not sure what the comparable thing would be in other countries, or if there are government regulations other places.

Also apoligies for the grammar, I am on the phone cause the real internet is out and I can't scroll up to spell check! Grrr

 

[doginthedesert]

Hmm, let's see, I studied for endless hours skipping & searching all over the place so it's hard to recall what I read & where.

The main points that sunk in to my addled brain is that the dog PB's are "stabilised" which gives them the chance to get right deep into the gut before reacting rather than being destroyed by low pH or other acids before they got into the true digestive part of the stomach. Also, another important factor is that every single dog's gut flora is different based on their diet, among other things.

I also recall reading about some dog PB's advertise so many different wondrous strains in terms of billions & trillions of "live bacteria" and it's all a crock, merely an advertising farce. There is one particular PB in dogs, Enterococcus faecium, that's not in human PB's to my knowledge, and it's mentioned in the first link provided below.

As an aside: The other thing I remember is that with enzymes, mix them into the food and let it stand for about 10 minutes to give them a chance to start developing is most beneficial. Also, apparently enzymes die as we get older and are not replaced so, to my mind, they are super beneficial to the digestion of young pups and older dogs. I actually make my own enzyme fruit juice drink that I'm about to start drinking - hopefully it'll clear the fog in the head and these unco fingers that don't type what the brain is dictating lol

Probiotics For Dogs - Canine probiotics - Pet Probiotics

Interesting info on strains & technical mumbo jumbo from one of the brands I was hoping to get: Probiotics for Pets: Understanding Strains and CFUs

A great article on herbal PRE-biotics, to help PB's along, in the form of inulin: Probiotics for Dogs - Whole Dog Journal Article

Canadian Vet Uni article showing how some PB strains "adhere" in humans but probably not dogs: Preliminary evaluation of Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain GG, a potential probiotic in dogs

I'll add more as I come across them at a later date.

Interesting. A lot of those articles are from people who sell probiotics or are raving about the Purina product- and never was there a more evil and less trustworthy company than nestle. But the whole dog journal article and the vet one were interesting. I still must be missing something here though, cause all of the strains listed in those articles are also found in human products except that one you mentioned. And human products that are suspended in any sort of fruit juice are all stabilized.

It seems to me that everyone is jumping on this pro biotic bandwagon and putting whatever in their products hoping for the best (for dogs and humans). The scientific evidence about any of this stuff is so lacking it is impossible to tell what from what. At least with a human product you have some assurance that there actually is live bacteria in it, and that is why I think they are the best bet. Most of the dog probiotics out there are either dead and useless bacteria, or so little bacteria that it makes no difference at all. I just re-read the chapter out of a book I look to often "Feed your pet right" by Marion Nestle and she says about the same thing in that book. She even seems to believe studies have shown the probiotics in yogurt do survive dogs digestive process but I would need to see more studies on that. Unfortunately even there all the studies cited are from people who make money off selling probiotics. 90% of what is out there in google is just people writing things without any proof behind it, it is difficult to sort through.