Probiotics
 

My pups are on Merrick's chicken canned and dry food mixed together, with some Weruva canned chicken added on top because they love the taste. They get various treats, all made in USA good ingredients. They get occasional bites of people food but only occasionally.

They are strange eaters. You can never predict when they will want to eat. We put a bowl of food out several times a day and keep putting it back in the fridge when they don't eat it. They will turn their noses up at their good food and then go outside and eat all kinds of stuff they find in the ground, but mostly the little round balls that fall off the pear tree.

Their poop is mainly solid but occasionally it's runny. Do you think they would benefit from probiotics? If so, can anyone recommend some. I see Chewey.com has FortiFlora which I know is good but pretty expensive. Do you use probiotics all the time or only when problems arise? Thanks

https://www.chewy.com/purina-pro-pla...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

Probiotics totally changed Tibbe's life. Went from all kinds of GI problems from painful gas where he would jump up from the shooting gas pains, couldn't lie still, to nausea, spitting up to vomiting to diarrhea. Since started Dogzymes Probiotics Max, he stopped all of that! Definitely try them.

Thank you Jeanie! Where do you get them?

Lisa(lisaly) is the one who talked me into using them. She'd used them for years with her Yorkies and now with Katy and she sent me a supply to try out. I was sold and when her "donation" ran out, bought exactly the same kind on Amazon. The last batch I got came from Chewys when I ordered Tibbe's food. It's a different brand from Dogzymes - can't remember the brand but it came up first on search on their site - but works just as well. Have used them all summer and Tibbe's still having no GI problems at all, which is saying a mouthful, lol.

I tried several ones with Callie and all of them upset her stomach and made her have diarrhea. I personally don't think probiotics are all that they are chalked up to be. I also tried them for myself and it did nothing for me.

That's interesting. That seems to be the opposite effect that it's supposed to have. I always heard good things about probiotics.

Does Merrick's already have probiotics within the formula? My puppy tried the kibble out briefly and I thought I remembered seeing something about probiotics in the ingredients. Wouldn't waste your money if its in there otherwise.

Thanks for mentioning that. I will check on it tomorrow.

Probiotics?
 

Hi Jean,
Just like everything else,not all things out there meant for our use works the same for each person or animal. Myself I use and would not stop using the probiotic brand I found for my Joey. He has been on Dr. Merrick's complete probiotics for years because of his health problem. As far as there being probiotics in some dog food I have read that it may not be all that good that way. This is something I would suggest your reading up on to see what information there is on the pros and cons of it's use put in to dog food and then you can make an informed decision on what you learned. You could even do that regarding how good it is to use probiotics on there own. Hope you make the best choice for you.

Thanks Sherri that's great advice. I will definitely do that. I know you have looked into this for Joey.

My vets have recommended them for Tibbe for years but I was skeptical. After being on the supply (Lisa)lisaly shipped to us to try for only a few days, Tibbe stopped taking Cerenia - at least once a week, diarrhea ANY time he foraged in the yard or grabbed a bit of even plain saltine cracker off the kitchen floor - a cracker piece would give him 2 days of GI upsets from retching, nausea, listnessness and diarrhea. After being on probiotics, he grabbed a bit of bread(a past for-sure GI upset) off the floor and NO issues, though I was ready with the Cerenia and K-pectin. Tibbe took maybe two total Cerenia tabs last year, has had one this year but that was only for retching - didn't even throw up and K-pectin has been needed. Since he's been on probiotics, though he forages as before, no more tummy issues!

Probiotics work for Tibbe. I cannot say it's coincidental - they work for him and have changed his life. We haven't been to the vet for tummy issues since Tibbe's been taking probiotics. He's a different dog since Lisa sent us some to try out. Course if they gave him diarrhea, I wouldn't use them either but for Tibbe, they help big-time.

We tried ones from the vet and three other ones and they made her gassy and have diarrhea and everything else. My mom had the same issues when my dad pushed her to use them. I don't think they work for everyone.

No, even basic aspirin doesn't help everyone, just most, but makes some sick. Sounds like both your skin and fur family both have issues with probiotics except for Dad. How much of a teaspoon of probiotics did you give her?

But boy they sure have helped my Tibbe's life and thus, mine! Just the amount of worry when he was sick - just losing that - makes me eternally grateful to Lisa for encouraging me to start Tibbe on them. Not to mention the anguish of his suffering and my sitting by nursing him, trying to comfort him, sick with worry and endless trips to the vet all hours of the day and night. And oh, after watching him unable to get up out of the potty crouch as he had running diarrhea, his little ears back, eyes wide w/fright, that forcing huge doses of K-pectin down him only to have him spit it ALL back up all over the couch or floor! Don't think I don't celebrate the day he started on probiotics, especially since he couldn't take anything that didn't upset his GI tract - even oral antibiotics! I was so scared they would give him a bad GI upset but started him out on tiny, low, low bits of doses and built up to the 1/8 teaspoon. He did have some gas the first day or so but figured the digestive bacteria and enzymes were working and his tummy had to adjust.