Prebiotics & Probiotics for dogs - How can they help my dog's gut health?
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Most people have heard of prebiotics and probiotics, with many of us regularly enjoying yoghurts aimed at ‘’improving gut health’. But do you know what these terms actually mean? And what’s more, do you know how pre and probiotics could help your dog too? Let’s look at digestive health and the gut microbiome in more detail.
Table of contents
What is the gut microbiome?
All animals, including dogs and people, have millions of bacteria in their guts. These ‘friendly’ gut bacteria help your dog to digest food as well as provide natural defences against the invasion of potentially harmful microbes. The bacteria inhabiting the intestines are referred to as the gut microbiome. We are learning more and more about the benefits of a healthy microbiome, but we do know that it has a huge impact on the overall well-being of our dogs.
Healthy gut microorganisms perform the following functions:
- Break down food as part of digestion
- Compete with more harmful organisms, preventing infection
- Help with a healthy immune system
- Production of vitamins
If the population types of intestinal bacteria shift away from normal, this could negatively affect your dog’s health. The change in bacteria numbers is known as intestinal dysbiosis. Intestinal dysbiosis can occur for many reasons including gastrointestinal disease and the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics.
What are probiotics for dogs?
Probiotics can be used to top up the levels of ‘friendly’ bacteria and improve the gut microbiome. This can be particularly helpful if your dog suffers from a digestive disorder, or their gut flora has been disturbed by medication.
Probiotics are live microorganisms often given to dogs as a supplement. They may come in powder, paste or tablet form with bacteria specific to improve the gut health of dogs. However, some high-quality diets have probiotics included in their recipes, which can save owners from having to administer any separate treatments, depending on their dog’s needs.
What are prebiotics for dogs?
Prebiotics are non-digestible fibre sources that can increase the number of specific bacteria populations. As these bacteria metabolise prebiotics, the by-products made can have local anti-inflammatory effects on the gut lining and produce energy for your dog. Dietary fibres can also help improve stool consistency, improve the mucus lining of the digestive tract as well as helping improve the health of cells in the intestines.
Simply put, prebiotics help good gut bacteria to grow and multiply. Prebiotics are therefore often given at the same time as probiotics.
Are pre and probiotics good for dogs?
Yes! Pre and probiotics for dogs can be excellent at improving digestive health.
They are often used to:
- Help treat sudden onset, uncomplicated diarrhoea cases
- Prevent stress-induced diarrhoea
- Manage chronic gastrointestinal disorders (e.g. inflammatory bowel disease) alongside medication and dietary changes
- Increase levels of gut bacteria following courses of antibiotics
Probiotics and prebiotics are considered very safe for dogs. Their proven benefits mean that even healthy dogs could show an improvement in gut health, with decreased flatulence and improved stool consistency.
If your dog has a diagnosed health complaint, then you should discuss the management of this with your vet.
How do we use pre and probiotics for dogs at Years?
We help to support your dog’s digestion by providing the right level of probiotics and prebiotics for your dog, in every one of our puppy and adult recipes. These include:
Probiotic E. faecium good bacteria – this can help increase the amount of your dog's healthy gut bacteria (up to 400 million CFU).
Beta-glucan prebiotics – to further aid and encourage healthy gut function by feeding the good bacteria in your dog's gut.
Natural prebiotics – ingredients like quinoa, sweet potato and chicory root further improve your dog’s digestive health
By improving your dog’s gut flora, your dog’s overall health can benefit too. Better digestion leads to increased absorption of nutrients, which in turn can lead to an improvement in skin and coat condition, energy levels and mobility.
Summary
The benefits of dog probiotics are clear; the gut microbiome is an important part of your dog’s overall health. Both pre and probiotics for dogs can help to improve digestion and stool consistency, as well as reduce excess flatulence.
Our high-quality recipes are specially formulated with added pre and probiotics to support your dog. If you still have questions about our recipes then contact us – we can’t wait to speak to you!
About the author
Dr. Becky
Rebecca MacMillan – BVetMed BSAVA PGCertSAM MRCVS
Rebecca is a companion animal vet who graduated from the Royal Veterinary college in 2009. Since then, she has gained a wealth of experience in first opinion small animal practice, in both clinical and managerial roles. She currently works in the South West and deals with a variety of routine and emergency appointments, but particularly enjoys medicine cases. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, including her bouncy flat coated retriever, George!
