For the past few weeks I’ve been fighting some sort of sickness. I visited my grandmother who had pneumonia and since then I’ve had a cough and congestion I just can’t seem to shake. I don’t often turn to medicine; usually I let my body fight off illnesses itself, but this week I finally caved and bought some day and night cold and flu medicine.
The thing with cold and flu medicines though is that they make my already irritable stomach more upset. It got me thinking about probiotics and their uses, not only for us, but for our furry, four-legged friends as well.
Caesar has been on antibiotics for a kidney infection for around six weeks now. During his first round he stopped eating his food around a week and a half into the medication. Little did I know, some common symptoms of antibiotics are diarrhea, nausea, and loss of appetite.
Caesar stopped eating his food on a Saturday night. However, I noticed he was still okay with eating “people” food or wet food, but I didn’t want to cave and give into things that would spoil him.
In addition to loss of appetite, Caesar had been throwing up in the morning. I knew something was not quite right in his stomach.
On the following Monday, I took to Facebook and called my vet for advice. A friend suggested I try a probiotic. She was even nice enough to give me two doses of the probiotic she uses for her dogs to help Caesar regain his appetite. My vet said the probiotic would be good to use and that I should mix his wet food with his dry food for a few days to entice eating.
Wet food can actually spoil a dog and make it so they refuse dry food the future, which is another reason my vet told me to mix 1 part wet wood with 1 part dry food.
What is a probiotic?
Probiotics are good bacteria and yeasts that work to support gut health. There are many different strains of bacteria that can be found in a particular probiotic depending on which probiotic you opt for. Probiotics can also actually be found in yogurts with live cultures.
Probiotics can increase digestion, fight off bad bacteria, provide nutrients, and help boost the immune system. When Caesar stopped eating, they were the perfect answer to help with his upset stomach.
Probiotics can come in different forms such as capsules, chewables, powder, and even dog foods.
I bought probiotic capsules from the vet which I had to place in pill pockets. These, which I can’t recall the name of, worked just fine but it was a hassle if I didn’t have pill pockets on hand. Caesar can be difficult to trick into eating a pill.
After I ran out of the capsules I tried GNC Pets Ultra Mega Probiotic, which are chewables that I purchased at Petsmart. While they worked well, they were not cost effective. A 15 day supply was $30. That can add up fast!
Finally, I decided to settle with Purina’s Fortiflora, which was the original probiotics my friend gave Caesar to try. Fortiflora works well for Caesar and was very cost effective since I bought it on chewy.com. The probiotics have actually seemed to increase Caesar’s appetite, and have prevented other issues caused by antibiotics like vomiting and diarrhea.
No matter which brand I chose, all of the probiotics had the same effect: they kept my dog’s gut healthy enough that he didn’t stop eating. I can’t say enough about the positive effects that probiotics have. They seem to have counteracted all of the negative side effects of the antibiotics. I highly suggest asking your vet about probiotics if your dog has stopped eating, especially while on an antibiotic. And if you are experiencing gut issues too, maybe it’s a good idea to ask your human doctor as well!