Probiotics for dogs have many advantages, such as curing digestive programs and improving overall health. They can also help to prevent yeast infections, especially if your dog suffers from allergies or other illnesses that require medication.
About Probiotics
Probiotics are basically "good bacteria," which live in our dogs' intestinal tracts and protect them from any harmful substance that may enter the body. They destroy harmful bacteria ingested through ingesting poor diets or inappropriate items. They can prevent a wide range of health problems.
Probiotics are available in traditional ways, such as adding yogurt to your dog's diet, or through supplements, which many health experts claim is a more efficient way of boosting your dog's immune system.
You may have been encouraged to use probiotics if your dog has a poor immune system or was recently treated with medication, especially antibiotics, which kill all bacteria, even the good bacteria in the digestive tract.
Yeast Infections
Many dogs diagnosed with allergies are actually suffering from chronic yeast infections, which can enter almost any organ, form a fungus and continue to grow. This causes symptoms similar to allergies, such as:
- excessive itchiness
- red irritated skin
- loss of fur
- ear infections
Since many yeast infections commonly form in the digestive tract, the good bacteria in your dog's stomach provides a good defense. Yeast infections often form when antibiotics or other medication have destroyed this fauna, providing no defense against the fungus which can quickly take over the stomach.
If left untreated, this fungus can weaken the stomach lining, causing it to leak out into the body, causing a host of health problems, such as allergy-like symptoms, joint problems and autoimmune diseases.
Treatment of Yeast Infections
Probiotics alone will not treat serious yeast infections. Once the infections set in, they must be treated with antifungal medication or other treatment recommended by your veterinarian.
However, probiotics can prevent these problems from developing by providing a defense against fungus in the digestive tract. If you give your dog medication, always add a probiotic supplement.
In fact, you can supplement with a probiotic every day in your dog's food to further reduce the likelihood of these problems developing. This can be added in supplement form or through a couple of spoonfuls of probiotic yogurt with meals.
Selecting a Probiotic
Not all probiotics are effective. Many are low quality and won't have the desired effect, so it's important to do your research before selecting the supplement for your dog. One red flag to look for is if the product requires refrigeration. Many enzymes are unstable above 75 degrees, but it's warmer than that inside the body, and the product must be able to hold up to be effective.
Many health experts recommend Probiotic Miracle, which is a human-grade supplement that can be purchased at pet stores or online. It contains 11 strains of helpful bacteria and has a money back guarantee. It comes in powder form with one jar designed to last for 363 cups of pet food.
Another highly recommended product is MiracleZyme Plus Probiotic, which comes in tablet form, 90 to a bottle. This formula contains one strain of bacteria as well as 14 vegetarian enzymes and also has a money back guarantee.
It's never too late to begin using probiotics, but they are best used as a preventative. Thus, if your dog has allergies or frequent illness, look for a supplement, which will help prevent a more serious infection from forming.