# Probiotic questions



## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Murphy just started on an antibiotic for an upper respiratory infection. I wanna get him on a probiotic to put the good bacteria in his gut.

A few questions:

1) When do I start him on it, and for how long should he stay on it? 
2) I have a probiotic (in pill form) for myself that I take. Can I give him this? Or do you think it's best that I pick him up a dog specific one? And if I do give him the human one...what's the dosage?


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

I have heard people talk about Garden of Life's Primal Defense. I don't know if it's a human or dog product. I use Mercola's but I think you can only order.


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## PDXdogmom (Jun 30, 2010)

I gave Jarrow Petdophilus when one of my dogs was on an antibiotic. I gave it spaced apart from the antibiotic by about 2-3 hours and started it the 2nd day she was on antibiotics. I kept giving it for the next month, but I don't think it would hurt to give it routinely.

Jarrow Formulas : Pet Dophilus

My vet said that the pet manufactured probiotics tend to have the strains most important for dogs which is somewhat different than humans. The vet was selling Purina's FortiFlora, but I bought the Jarrow at a local store for a much better price and without some of the ingredients that seemed somewhat egregious to me.


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

PDXdogmom said:


> I gave Jarrow Petdophilus when one of my dogs was on an antibiotic. I gave it spaced apart from the antibiotic by about 2-3 hours and started it the 2nd day she was on antibiotics. I kept giving it for the next month, but I don't think it would hurt to give it routinely.
> 
> Jarrow Formulas : Pet Dophilus
> 
> My vet said that the pet manufactured probiotics tend to have the strains most important for dogs which is somewhat different than humans. The vet was selling Purina's FortiFlora, but I bought the Jarrow at a local store for a much better price and without some of the ingredients that seemed somewhat egregious to me.


I strongly suggest that anyone looking at probiotics compare what can be found at a regular pharmacy vs what is at the pet stores. Most specifically, look at the strains listed on the labels. Most of the time they are IDENTICAL. However, because you are buying the "pet stuff" at a "specialty store", you will be paying "specialty store prices"!

FWIW,


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## thegoodstuff (May 12, 2010)

> There are several animal-specific probiotics, but you can also use human acidophilus *Plus* mixtures -- any mix containing all or some of the following: L. Acidophilus, L. Bulgaricus, B. Bifidum and B. Longum


I was wondering the same thing myself. Now I know.

Bravo Raw Diet


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## PDXdogmom (Jun 30, 2010)

SubMariner said:


> I strongly suggest that anyone looking at probiotics compare what can be found at a regular pharmacy vs what is at the pet stores. Most specifically, look at the strains listed on the labels. Most of the time they are IDENTICAL. However, because you are buying the "pet stuff" at a "specialty store", you will be paying "specialty store prices"!
> 
> FWIW,






Actually, I buy one bottle of probiotics for myself and a different bottle for my dogs at my grocery store. Both happen to be Jarrow products.

A primary difference between the two is that the Jarrow Petdophilus contains e. faecium, but the Jarrow human formula does not. The E. faecium strain has been identified as especially important for dogs.


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

I use the Garden of Life Primal Defense Ultra (it is for people). Cabo is on doxy right now for ehrlichiosis. He gets the doxy twice a day so he gets a probiotic pill twice a day. He gets the probiotic at least two hours after the antibiotic. 

When he is off the doxy I will keep him on a daily probiotic for awhile, and will also start giving him milk thistle to detox from the antibiotics.


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

Just today, I found out about a human probiotic by Swanson Health Products. It has 15 strains which is good and is much cheaper than Mercola. 
I was told that for dogs 10-36lbs, give them half the human dose (1/2 capsule daily or one capsule every other day)


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

Swanson Probiotics Dr. Stephen Langer's Ultimate 15 Strain Probiotic with FOS 60 Veg Caps - Swanson Health Products

sorry, forgot the link!


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## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

Just a heads up on pet probiotic products. Many of them have been found to deliver nothing what is promised on the label and in marketing material. Some products are bordering fraud. I posted a link some time back to an independent lab test of some 20 - 30 products. I'll see if I can dig up the link later tonight. Fortiflora was one that came out favorably in terms of delivering what the packaging said. If it's a great product I do not know. Probiotics as used for pets is one area I'd love to learn more about.


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

Please do post the link if you find it Viking. I used FortiFlora once, vet sold it to me and I remember it being costly. It may not be if found online.


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## MNBark (Jan 23, 2013)

DaViking said:


> Just a heads up on pet probiotic products. Many of them have been found to deliver nothing what is promised on the label and in marketing material. Some products are bordering fraud. I posted a link some time back to an independent lab test of some 20 - 30 products. I'll see if I can dig up the link later tonight. Fortiflora was one that came out favorably in terms of delivering what the packaging said. If it's a great product I do not know. Probiotics as used for pets is one area I'd love to learn more about.


I'm looking forward to reading this.


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## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

Found it. Assessment of commercial probiotic bacterial contents and label accuracy The table in the middle will give you a breakdown of the products. Unfortunately the review can only scratch the surface.

"
At the time of writing, no published studies had demonstrated a positive health effect for any commercial probiotic for companion animals. Thus, it is unclear if any of these products would be effective at any dose or whether different doses would suffice for different organisms. Colonization and clinical studies involving dogs and cats, which tended to use empirical dosing, have used doses of 200 million to 500 billion CFU/d (6–9), levels that are unachievable with most of the tested products.
"


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## SaharaNight Boxers (Jun 28, 2011)

I don't mean this in a way to discredit the study, but it seems like that college has some ties with Purina? I'm not sure if it created a bias or not though. It just seems strange only Purina would live up to the study's intentions and was listed first. They also seemed to use some "off brand" for lack of better word probiotics.


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## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

SaharaNight Boxers said:


> I don't mean this in a way to discredit the study, but it seems like that college has some ties with Purina? I'm not sure if it created a bias or not though. It just seems strange only Purina would live up to the study's intentions and was listed first. They also seemed to use some "off brand" for lack of better word probiotics.


Read it again, it is not a study, it's a test. A test you pretty much can replicate in your home if you have some time. Iams is the first one on the list, not Purina. Seriously, do you think Purina or Iams make so much money on these two supplements that they need a lab to lie about the findings? Do you think the lab have any interest in lying? This is lab findings, you can be biased in a discussion not lab findings.

Funny how fast one often are accused of practically buying everything, hook, line and sinker, a big corporation is saying but no one comments on how often consumers, including many here, are taken for a ride by small companies with big promises. This test shows how true this is. "We want to believe" is as relevant as ever.


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## SaharaNight Boxers (Jun 28, 2011)

Like I said I don't mean it in a way to discredit it, just curious. I do think it was interesting either way though. It does make you wonder.


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

SaharaNight Boxers said:


> I don't mean this in a way to discredit the study, but it seems like that college has some ties with Purina? I'm not sure if it created a bias or not though. It just seems strange only Purina would live up to the study's intentions and was listed first. They also seemed to use some "off brand" for lack of better word probiotics.


I guess you didn't do any research on the University of Guelph.

The University of Guelph Agriculture Dept is one of the premier institutions of its kind in North America; possibly the world. Their Food Sciences degrees are held in very high regard. And the Veterinary College there has an amazing (and well earned) reputation. It's like the Mayo Clinic for animals.


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## thegoodstuff (May 12, 2010)

*RrreoowwWW*


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## monster'sdad (Jul 29, 2012)

DaViking said:


> Found it. Assessment of commercial probiotic bacterial contents and label accuracy The table in the middle will give you a breakdown of the products. Unfortunately the review can only scratch the surface.
> 
> "
> At the time of writing, no published studies had demonstrated a positive health effect for any commercial probiotic for companion animals. Thus, it is unclear if any of these products would be effective at any dose or whether different doses would suffice for different organisms. Colonization and clinical studies involving dogs and cats, which tended to use empirical dosing, have used doses of 200 million to 500 billion CFU/d (6–9), levels that are unachievable with most of the tested products.
> "


Let me add to that, there are few studies that show a very minor degree of effectiveness with dogs with common diarrhea. However, the strains of bacteria used were live, native strains not the dead stuff in bottles. Native means they were cultures taken from other dogs.


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## Sheltielover25 (Jan 18, 2011)

My doctor tried to give me some probiotics and I laughed and said I'll eat fermented foods. Why people think you can eat horribly, screw up your gut flora, and then simply fix something so complex with a pill is beyond me. Fermented products, like Kefir, are the best probiotic out there and there's no doubt they don't work as I've witnessed them firsthand. I use to give my dogs the kefir grains when they grew too big and they loved them. Now that's a probiotic


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