10.18.11
Do Pets Need Probiotics?
Now we know what pet probiotics are, do we need to worry about them? Should we be giving them to our pets on a regular basis?
Probiotics and Healthy Cats & Dogs
For most animals, and for most of the time, the answer is no! But, there can be times when using such products could help benefit the health of your pet.
The important thing to remember is that for much of the time your dog or cat’s digestive tract will be teaming with bacteria and enzymes, both good and bad. But, the balance of all those micro-organisms will be just right allowing your pet to digest their food, and deal with any nasty organisms digested easily.
For such a healthy animal adding a probiotic formula to their daily diet is unlikely to achieve much. Think about it, if your digestive system is in balance, why bother adding more good organisms, when you have enough already! Now of course the makers of such products would prefer owners to use them regularly to keep profits up. In truth it won’t hurt if you do give a canine probiotic or feline supplement whether needed or not. But it could well be a waste of your time and money to do so.
When Probiotics Can Help Cats & Dogs
The key is to understand that an additional boost of good bacteria is only likely to be of any use when the body is lacking in these organisms. As they are closely related to the immune system, the time when probiotics for dogs or cats are likely to be most useful, are when the immune system is under pressure, or not working correctly:
Stress
Stress is a key factor in weakening the immune system. When we’re stressed we’re more likely to come down with a virus or bug, and it is the same for our pets. So when moving house, bringing new pets into the family, or simply changing your animal’s food routine pro-biotics might be useful. If your pet displays signs of diarrhea following any such stressful times, offering a supplement will help the digestive system return to its normal balanced situation.
Antibiotics
Antibiotic medication is extremely useful but it is not able to tell good from bad when it comes to bacteria. So as well as removing dangerous microbes, it can also destroy beneficial ones such as those used in the digestive system. If your pet is taking a course of anti-biotics a probiotic supplement can be a simple way to restore balance to the system.
Weak Immune System
If the immune system is weak, the digestive system can become over-run with harmful bacteria. Adding a supplement can help restore balance in the digestive tract. Most healthy animals will not need such help. But there are times when the immune system can fail to deal with attacks from micro-organisms. It is very common for puppies to experience soft stools. They are continually coming into contact with bacteria in the environment and their immune systems are not fully developed enough to fight them off. Likewise elderly animals will often suffer from a failing immune system making them less able to maintain a healthy balance of bacteria in the system.
In all 3 cases some probiotic supplement may well improve systems of diarrhea brought on by the primary factor (stress, use of antibiotics, weakened immune system).
