The health of your pet’s gastrointestinal (GI) tract is essential to his or her wellbeing. In this post I discuss in detail the topic of probiotics for pets, along with tips on purchasing probiotics for dogs and cats.
Approximately 70 percent of the immune system is located in the GI tract, and the beneficial bacteria (microflora) that live there play a significant role in fighting disease and infection. For many years, science has concentrated on killing harmful bacteria through the use of antibiotics. But with the negative side effects and antibiotic-resistant “superbugs,” more emphasis is being placed on preventing and treating disease by promoting good bacteria through the use of probiotics.
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History of Probiotics
Humans have been eating fermented foods containing living bacterial or yeast cultures, such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchee and miso, for thousands of years. The word “probiotics” means “for life”, and with good reason. The concept of probiotics was developed in the early 1900s, after the Nobel laureate Elie Metchnikoff observed the health benefits people experienced when consuming fermented foods.[1]
What are Probiotics?
Probiotics are living microorganisms (bacteria) that exert beneficial health effects when consumed. Due to the important role the gut plays in overall health, the benefits of probiotics are widespread and systemic, from improving gastrointestinal health to enhancing immune function.[2]
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a product must meet the following criteria to be considered a probiotic:
- Must survive passage through the digestive tract.
- Must be able to proliferate in the gut.
- Must be resistant to gastric juices and be able to grow in the presence of bile in the intestines, or be able to survive passage through the stomach and exposure to bile.[2]
Products that meet these criteria have been shown to possess a wide variety of health benefits when consumed. According to the WHO, probiotics have been shown effective in treating the following:
- Gastrointestinal tract disorders, including prevention of diarrhea caused by certain pathogenic bacteria and viruses.
- Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD), including Crohn’s disease.
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
- Constipation.
- Cancer (preliminary evidence suggests that probiotics can prevent or delay the onset of certain cancers).
- Conditions involving an immune response, such as allergies.
- Cardiovascular disease.
- Urogenital tract disorders, such as infections of the vagina and bladder, yeast vaginitis and urinary tract infections.[2]
Lack of Regulation
The popularity of probiotics has led to an explosion of products on the market, and a lack of regulations means that some of these probiotic products are not necessarily good for your companion dog or cat. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies probiotics as dietary supplements, so they are not regulated for humans – and therefore not for pets. One study analyzing 19 commercial dog and cat foods (13 dog foods and 6 cat foods) that claimed to have been supplemented with probiotics showed appalling results:
- None of the products contained all of the bacterial organisms listed on the label.
- Five of the products (26%) contained no relevant bacterial growth.
- Eleven products contained species not listed on the label.
- Thirteen of the diets claimed to contain Lactobacillus acidophilus, yet it was not found in any of these.
- The bacteria, Lactococcus lactis, was found in seven products, despite not being included on the label of any product.
- If the listed microorganism was found in the product, it rarely met the amount of beneficial bacteria the label claimed.
- Five of the products misspelled one of the listed species.
- Three of the diets claimed to contain Bacillus licheniformis, yet it was not isolated from any of them.
- Four of the diets contained Pediococcus spp., even though it was not listed on any of the labels. Alarmingly, Pediococci bacteria have not only failed to show any beneficial properties; they are actually considered to be opportunistic pathogens.[3]
Probiotic Purchasing Tips
Given issues with probiotics regulation and misinformation by manufacturers, how can you be a savvy probiotics consumer and purchase the best product to help optimize your pet’s health? Following are my probiotics-purchasing tips:
- Target your pet’s species: Animals’ intestinal tracts contain species-specific microflora that differ from our own. While it is possible that a human probiotic will contain the same strains needed by a dog or cat, probiotics designed for humans aren’t necessarily beneficial for your companion animal. To take the guesswork out, I advise selecting a product specifically formulated for your pet’s species.
- Select a multiple-strain product: Each bacterial strain serves a specific function: for example, some enhance the immune system, while others aid in digestion. A multiple-strain product will help ensure that you cover all the bases.
- Know the product’s bacterial species: You want to see each species of bacteria listed individually, so you know what you are getting. In other words, you don’t just want to know the genus of the organism, such as Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium; you also want to know the specific species (e.g, acidopholis, animalis). Better yet is to drill down even deeper so that you know the specific strain of that species (see below). The reason is that just because one species of Lactobacillus bacteria may help a certain condition, this doesn’t mean that another species will have the same beneficial effect.[4] So, you need to know the specific species (and, again, hopefully the strain as well) associated with each bacterial type.
- Go for potency: Be sure the product discloses the number of bacteria in Colony Forming Units (CFUs) per serving.[5] To be considered a probiotic, a product must contain a minimum of 1 billion CFUs of live bacteria per serving. However, in my opinion this is not enough. I advise purchasing a product containing at least 10 billion CFUs of beneficial bacteria per serving.
- Skip the additives: A high-quality probiotic product should not contain additives, such as artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, sugar, salt, corn, wheat, soy or other undesirable ingredients.
- Avoid Enterococcus faecium or anything with Enterococcus in the name: The use of Enterococcus is controversial, since it has been identified as possible opportunistic pathogens and can cause infections because of its resistance to certain antibiotics in humans. Whether or not Enterococcus has the same effect in dogs and cats is unknown. In my opinion, it is best to avoid it altogether until more studies have been conducted.[3]
Beneficial Strains
The following bacterial strains are among those that have been shown to meet the criteria described above for probiotics in dogs and cats:
- Lactobacillus fermentum LAB8 (dogs)[6]
- Lactobacillus salivarius LAB9 (dogs)[6]
- Weissella confusa LAB10 (dogs)[6]
- Lactobacillus rhamnosus LAB11 (dogs)[6]
- Lactobacillus mucosae LAB12 (dogs)[6]
- Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. Lactis (dogs)[7]
- Bifidobacterium animalis AHC7 (dogs and cats)[5]
- Lactobacillus animalis LA4 (dogs)[5]
- Lactobacillus acidophilus DSM13241 (dogs)[5]
- Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain GG (dogs)[5]
- Bacillus CIP 5832 (dogs and cats)[5]
Two Frequently Asked Questions
These two questions often come up when talking about probiotics:
- Question: Do I need to rotate the probiotics? Answer: No studies have shown that there are benefits to rotating probiotics, as long as your dog or cat is doing well and that the bacteria contained in the product you are using suit his or her individual health needs.[8]
- Question: Should I give it with or without food? Answer: It is best to give probiotics with food because they can work in tandem to exert the most benefits. However, do not give probiotics with hot food, as this decreases the potency.[9]
You may be wondering which pet probiotic I recommend. I know that many people have their favorite product, and there are certainly several excellent ones on the market. My favorite pet probiotic is Probiotic Live by Just Food for Dogs (and, as always, I receive no compensation of any type for making my product recommendations). It meets my criteria and I trust the company’s commitment to quality manufacturing standards and integrity.
As always, I hope that you enjoyed this article and that it helps you and your four-legged companion to enjoy many healthy, happy years together!
Do you have something to add to this story? Voice your thoughts in the comments below!- [1] Prothera, Inc. (2012). Probiotics: An Extraordinary Record of Safety, Probiotic Perspectives, Retrieved from, http://www.klaire.com/images/Probiotic_Safety_Update_Summer_2012.pdf. ↩
- [2] Prothera, Inc. (2012). Probiotics: An Extraordinary Record of Safety, Probiotic Perspectives, Retrieved from, http://www.klaire.com/images/Probiotic_Safety_Update_Summer_2012.pdf. ↩
- [2] Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO). (2001). ‘Health and Nutritional Properties of Probiotics in Food Including Powder Milk with Live Lactic Acid Bacteria’, Report of a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Evaluation of Health and Nutritional Properties of Probiotics in Food Including Powder Milk with Live Lactic Acid Bacteria. ↩
- [3] Weese JS & Arroyo L. (2003). ‘Bacteriological Evaluation of Dog and Cat Diets that Claim to Contain Probiotics’, Canadian Veterinary Journal, vol. 44, no. 3, pp. 212 – 215. ↩
- [4] National Institutes of Health (NIH). (2016). Probiotics: In Depth, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, Retrieved from https://nccih.nih.gov/health/probiotics/introduction.htm. ↩
- [5] Lefebvre S. (August, 2011). ‘Literature Review – Probiotics’, BARK – Banfield Applied Research and Knowledge Team, Banfield Pet Hospital. ↩
- [6] Manninen TJK, Rinkinen ML, Beasley SS & Saris, PEJ. (2006), ‘Alteration of the Canine Small-Intestinal Lactic Acid Bacterium Microbiota by Feeding of Potential Probiotics’, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, vol. 72, no. 10, pp. 6539 – 6543. ↩
- [7] Bunesova V, Vlkova E, Rada V, Rockova S, Svobodova I, Jebavy L and Kmet V. (2012). ‘Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis strains isolated from dog faeces’, Veterinary Microbiology, vol. 160, pp. 501 – 505. ↩
- [8] Prothera, Inc. (2011). ‘No Evidence to Support the Practice of “Rotating” Probiotics’, Probiotic Perspectives, Retrived from http://www.klaire.com/images/Probiotics_Update_Summer_2011_2.pdf. ↩
- [9] Prothera, Inc. (2011a). ‘Should Probiotics be Taken with Food or on an Empty Stomach?’, Probiotic Perspectives, Retrieved from http://www.klaire.com/images/Probiotics_Update_Summer_2011_3.pdf. ↩
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