Dorwest Herbs | Probiotics for dogs: What are the benefits?

Probiotics for dogs have boomed over the past few years, becoming a staple for pet owners seeking to improve their dog's overall health. With veterinary research and recent studies highlighting their ability to support digestive health, boost immunity, and even influence behaviour and skin health, probiotics are more than just a trend – they’re scientifically-backed. But what exactly are probiotics? How do they work? And what are the benefits for dogs?

What are probiotics?

Just like humans, dogs depend on a vast number of microbes (microbiome) in their digestive system to protect against harmful bacteria, help develop their immune system, as well as help break down food to release energy.

Probiotics are bacteria, or beneficial microorganisms, that live in the digestive tract. Billions of these bacteria live in the gastrointestinal system of dogs and help balance the internal environment to prevent disease. A healthy gut microbiome, which is all the microorganisms that live in the gastrointestinal tract, is essential for digestive health. Probiotics (and prebiotics) support the good bacteria in your dog's digestive tract and reduce the bad, promoting a healthy and balanced microbiome. This maintains normal gut function and helps to keep stools firm.

What are the benefits of probiotics for dogs?

Gastrointestinal microorganisms such as probiotics are essential in helping break down food to make nutrients and vitamins, reduce the risk of disease by fighting off pathogens and also help to strengthen immunity. There is also ever-expanding research showing the importance of a healthy gut microbiome for general health. This includes skin and behavioural effects, making a probiotic beneficial to any dog’s diet.

Does your dog need a probiotic?

A dog of any age will benefit from added probiotics in their diet. This is because supplementing with probiotics can help renew any good bacteria that may have become compromised, as well as helping to restore and maintain your dog’s microbiome to optimum levels.

During times of stress or illness, an imbalance of digestive microbes can occur. Supplementing a probiotic can therefore help maintain the balance naturally, as well as help build resilience by strengthening immunity within the gut by supporting good bacteria in a dog’s gastrointestinal tract.

Can probiotics be used for diarrhoea?

Probiotics can be useful to help improve stool consistency caused by stressful situations, including separation anxiety or routine disruption, or bacterial imbalances caused by antibiotics or changes in diet. If an infection results in a bacterial overgrowth within the gut, supplementing probiotics may help restore balance needed.

Are probiotics for dogs safe?

It is important to thoroughly research your probiotic supplier to ensure great quality and ethically sourced ingredients. Dogs have their own specific gut microbiota, and their digestive systems have different needs compared to humans, therefore any probiotic supplement must be specifically designed as well as ethically trialled specifically for dogs.

Our new Probiotic Plus only contains scientifically backed ingredients and, as with all of our products, each has a clear purpose, for a clean formulation, free of fillers and additives. We recommend to give daily to help maintain optimal gut health, it's ideal for dogs with sensitive tummies or loose stools and comes in versatile sprinkle capsules for easy administration. Try it today!

Formulated by nutritionists and vets for maximum benefits, it effectively promotes normal gut function by supporting the good bacteria in a dog’s gastrointestinal tract, including Calsporin®, a robust soil-based organism (SBO) which has been tested for safety and efficacy and has been proven to improve stool consistency in dogs.