You’ve probably heard of probiotics for yourself – yummy healthy live bacteria such as yoghurt that help to keep your gut balanced and improve your digestion. Well, it’s possibly no surprise that your beloved furry friend can also benefit from such yummy healthy live bacteria in the form of pet-safe probiotics.
If your dog is struggling with a sensitive tummy, we bet you’ve probably tried everything, from a new specialist diet to different pet foods and regular visits to the vets. But have you tried probiotics? If there is no underlying condition, such as an allergy to their daily food, probiotics can help to keep your pets digestive system running more smoothly, resulting in a happier and healthier pup, and a happier pup owner.
So let’s look at pet-safe probiotics in more detail…
What are pet probiotics?
A pet-safe probiotic is live microorganisms that when given to your pet they grab onto the good bacteria already in your pet’s tummy, adding to the population of it. This addition of more good bacteria can then help your pet; digest its food, fight off bad bacteria that can make them ill, and boost its overall immune system.
But you can’t just give them large amounts of any probiotics…
These live microorganisms need to be given to your pet in the right amount and they also need to be of the only strain registered by the EU as being the best for helping our beloved pets – the Enterococcus faecium – which is the main ingredient in all of our 100% natural probiotic supplements which you can find in our digestion support range.
Do not feed your pet human probiotics either, they will not give your pet the help they need and they could make them even more poorly, especially if they are actually allergic to them – did you know dogs and cats can actually be allergic to dairy, fish and other human foods?
Why might your dog need probiotics?
As your dog grows up from being a teeny tiny puppy to an adolescent and eventually an adult dog, its digestive system can get a bit of a bashing and the perfect balance of healthy good bacterias it was born with, can start to get mixed up with bad bacterias, causing an imbalance – hello sensitive tummy!
What can cause the bashing? Aside from an allergy to their daily food, which we mentioned earlier, medications, infections, stress, and eating things they shouldn’t can all affect your pets digestive system. Of course, an allergy to daily food needs to be identified and corrected first, but to help rebalance your pets digestive system, a probiotic might just be the right answer.
If you’re not sure if your pet is suffering from an imbalance or an allergy, read our blog What causes pet allergies and how can we treat them? – written by Dr Cristina Diaz-Madronero PgC(SAD) MVB MRCVS, vet and author of The New Pet Parent Book.
Signs of an imbalanced digestive system in your pup include the more obvious; a sensitive tummy with runny stools and smelly wind, as well as the less obvious; a dull coat, a lack of appetite and poor overall health.
What about prebiotics?
Prebiotics are slightly different from probiotics. Where probiotics are already strains of the good bacteria needed to help balance your pets digestive system, prebiotics are a specialist plant fibre that promotes the growth of the existing good bacteria, increasing its activity. You can find these growth-promoting prebiotics, alongside probiotics, in our Fibitotic Pro – giving your pet the best of both worlds.
Are probiotics just for dogs?
No! Cats are just as likely to suffer from an imbalance in their digestion and can benefit from probiotics and prebiotics in their diet, so they are perfectly suitable for them too. If you have even smaller furries – rabbits and guinea pigs – they can also benefit from probiotics and prebiotics in their diet.
We have vet-approved, 100% natural probiotic supplements suitable for your dog, cat, rabbit, guinea pig and other little furries so why not find out more about them by viewing our digestion range.
We hope you’ve found this useful. If you are looking for more advice, don’t forget all Broadreach members have access to free veterinary advice 24/7.
If you have any questions about any of our products, you can also contact us by calling 01223 855857 or emailing us at sales@broadreachnature.com.
Does my dog need probiotics?
You’ve probably heard of probiotics for yourself – yummy healthy live bacteria such as yoghurt that help to keep your gut balanced and improve your digestion. Well, it’s possibly no surprise that your beloved furry friend can also benefit from such yummy healthy live bacteria in the form of pet-safe probiotics.
If your dog is struggling with a sensitive tummy, we bet you’ve probably tried everything, from a new specialist diet to different pet foods and regular visits to the vets. But have you tried probiotics? If there is no underlying condition, such as an allergy to their daily food, probiotics can help to keep your pets digestive system running more smoothly, resulting in a happier and healthier pup, and a happier pup owner.
So let’s look at pet-safe probiotics in more detail…
What are pet probiotics?
A pet-safe probiotic is live microorganisms that when given to your pet they grab onto the good bacteria already in your pet’s tummy, adding to the population of it. This addition of more good bacteria can then help your pet; digest its food, fight off bad bacteria that can make them ill, and boost its overall immune system.
But you can’t just give them large amounts of any probiotics…
These live microorganisms need to be given to your pet in the right amount and they also need to be of the only strain registered by the EU as being the best for helping our beloved pets – the Enterococcus faecium – which is the main ingredient in all of our 100% natural probiotic supplements which you can find in our digestion support range.
Do not feed your pet human probiotics either, they will not give your pet the help they need and they could make them even more poorly, especially if they are actually allergic to them – did you know dogs and cats can actually be allergic to dairy, fish and other human foods?
Why might your dog need probiotics?
As your dog grows up from being a teeny tiny puppy to an adolescent and eventually an adult dog, its digestive system can get a bit of a bashing and the perfect balance of healthy good bacterias it was born with, can start to get mixed up with bad bacterias, causing an imbalance – hello sensitive tummy!
What can cause the bashing? Aside from an allergy to their daily food, which we mentioned earlier, medications, infections, stress, and eating things they shouldn’t can all affect your pets digestive system. Of course, an allergy to daily food needs to be identified and corrected first, but to help rebalance your pets digestive system, a probiotic might just be the right answer.
If you’re not sure if your pet is suffering from an imbalance or an allergy, read our blog What causes pet allergies and how can we treat them? – written by Dr Cristina Diaz-Madronero PgC(SAD) MVB MRCVS, vet and author of The New Pet Parent Book.
If your pet is suffering from stress, our calming range may also be of benefit too – which can be given alongside probiotics. You can also read our case study “How our calming range helped Florence the Cotswold Cocker” and see first-hand how our calming range can help with stress.
How can you tell if your pet needs probiotics?
Signs of an imbalanced digestive system in your pup include the more obvious; a sensitive tummy with runny stools and smelly wind, as well as the less obvious; a dull coat, a lack of appetite and poor overall health.
What about prebiotics?
Prebiotics are slightly different from probiotics. Where probiotics are already strains of the good bacteria needed to help balance your pets digestive system, prebiotics are a specialist plant fibre that promotes the growth of the existing good bacteria, increasing its activity. You can find these growth-promoting prebiotics, alongside probiotics, in our Fibitotic Pro – giving your pet the best of both worlds.
Are probiotics just for dogs?
No! Cats are just as likely to suffer from an imbalance in their digestion and can benefit from probiotics and prebiotics in their diet, so they are perfectly suitable for them too. If you have even smaller furries – rabbits and guinea pigs – they can also benefit from probiotics and prebiotics in their diet.
We have vet-approved, 100% natural probiotic supplements suitable for your dog, cat, rabbit, guinea pig and other little furries so why not find out more about them by viewing our digestion range.
We hope you’ve found this useful. If you are looking for more advice, don’t forget all Broadreach members have access to free veterinary advice 24/7.
If you have any questions about any of our products, you can also contact us by calling 01223 855857 or emailing us at sales@broadreachnature.com.