All About Probiotics for Your Pet

Pet owners love their pets like a family member, so having a healthy pet is very important.  Unfortunately, many people with otherwise great intentions feed their pets processed foods with basically no nutritional level.  If you think you might be guilty of picking your household budget over your dog’s correct nutrition, you can fix this by feeding your dog an organic diet.

If that is too much for you, then switching to a better quality canned food is the best alternative.  You will notice a dramatic improvement in your pet when you switch them to the appropriate diet.  Not only will their coat, nails and digestion change for the better, but allergies, ear infections and any minor chronic conditions will most likely disappear.  

Probiotics play a very important role in human health, and pets are no different when it comes to needing a healthy gut.  Supplementing your pet’s diet with probiotics it is critical to having a healthy pet no matter the breed.

What Are Probiotics?

Probiotics aid your pet in keeping the bad bacteria in check and the good ones reproducing, so they can achieve a proper balance in their body.  This will boost your pet’s immune system and regulate their digestive system as well as decrease your pet’s chances of getting diseases.  Studies show that adding probiotics in your pet’s diet will increase the production of an important antibody that is produced in the lining of the intestine and protects your pet from bacteria and viruses.  

It is NOT recommended to feed your pet ‘human’ probiotics or any pet food product that contains probiotic additives, because it is virtually useless, making it a big waste of money.  Probiotics that are made for humans are specifically made to fortify the specific bacteria for the human gastrointestinal (GI) track; therefore it wouldn’t be a good idea to feed them to your beloved pet.  

How to Choose a Probiotic For Your Pet

You have to be really careful and read the ingredients to make sure you are giving your pet a high quality product.  Things you want to look for in a high quality pet probiotic are: the correct strains of bacteria and in a high amount; enough that the bacteria can colonize your pet’s intestines for proper reproduction.  

Finding a probiotic that is easy to give to your pet is very important as well, as it will be a daily routine and you want your pet to be comfortable taking it.  The probiotic you buy should have at least 14 strains of “live” bacteria, it must NOT have any mold (believe it or not, this is something you have to watch out for) and look for any spelling mistakes on the container (that is the sign of a home-produced, non-regulated strain, and should be a red flag!).  If the probiotic doesn’t pass all of these standards, don’t buy it.

The Benefits of Probiotics

If your pet is suffering from any intestinal disorders of chronic bowel disease, then adding probiotics to their diet will help tremendously.  Look to see if your pet passes foul gas often, also take a look at the poop and see if it looks “wet,” because these are signs that your pet’s gut has bad bacteria and would benefit from probiotics.  

Did you know that intestinal health is one of the top reasons why owners bring their pets to the vet’s office?  By having a healthy gut, your pet will be able to achieve better strength and fitness, not to mention overall better health.

The Probiotic that it is highly recommended is “Complete Probiotics for Pets.”  You can buy at www.shop.mercola.com.  This probiotic contains more than 58 strands of “live” bacteria in every serving. It has 10 of the most powerful strains, giving your pet the best possible beneficial bacteria, and it earned the GMP compliance certification assuring you that it is a high quality product.  Try adding probiotics to your pet’s diet and you will be amazed at the health benefits it will bring your pet.