# WDJ Pro-biotic Recommendations



## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

The latest Whole Dog Journal includes recommendations for pro-biotics, based on types of cultures known to benefit dogs:


Thorne Research - Bacillus CoagulansVET - VSF758
Pet Dophilus
VETRI-PROBIOTIC EVERYDAY For Dogs, to Support Digestive Tract Health
Probiotic Supplement for Dogs : Canine Probiotic Supplements by Nusentia
FortiFlora® Canine Nutritional Supplements | Purina Veterinary Diets

It also reports that "dogs with serious digestive disorders, including small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)" have benefited from http://www.gardenoflife.com/Product...th/PrimalDefensesupsup/tabid/638/Default.aspx.

Finally, it mentions that yogurts and kefir, while they can contain beneficial organisms, contain lower quantities than found in supplements. It does not say whether the amount is sufficient to benefit dogs.

Apologies if this is a repeat.


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## PDXdogmom (Jun 30, 2010)

Thanks for the information. I recently picked up some Pet Dophilus to try on my dogs . . . so glad to see it's listed.

I guess I don't understand how the garden of life product is different from the probiotics. Any ideas?


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## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

PDXdogmom said:


> Thanks for the information. I recently picked up some Pet Dophilus to try on my dogs . . . so glad to see it's listed.
> 
> I guess I don't understand how the garden of life product is different from the probiotics. Any ideas?


Not really. On their website they claim that their blend "provides probiotics our pasteurized, irradiated and disinfected food no longer provides," and that "the key probiotics in Primal Defense can thrive in the toughest digestive environments and are undeterred by stomach and bile acids." Well, blah, blah, blah. Just because they capitalize "Homeostatic Soil Organisms" and stick a trademark on the term, doesn't give the term any real meaning. Without research to support their claims, it's just gobbledygook (not saying that they don't have the research, just saying that they haven't shared it).

Unfortunately, the article only lists a handful of the organisms known to benefit dogs, and all the recommended probiotics contain organisms not on that short list (except the Thorne Research supplement that only contains one strain of organism). Several weeks ago I picked up Aunt Jeni's Enhance on the recommendation of a friend who owns a holistic pet store. My foster has been doing better since I added the probiotic, and it has some of the strains listed in the article (and some not listed). No idea why it's not on the list - is it not as good as the others or have they simply not heard of it? I lean towards the latter, but perhaps that's merely wishful thinking. Sh*t's expensive after all.

In the end, I guess I don't look at this list as definitive, but merely a recommendation of a few blends which either aren't total crap or are less likely to be total crap.


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## ShanniBella (Jul 1, 2011)

Yes, i find our yogurts and kefir that we eat dont benefit a dog enough. I've been giving digest all from the wholistic pet which has pro and prebiotics  thanks for that info!


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