These days, probiotics are recommended for almost everything.\u00a0Dog has diarrhea? Probiotic.\u00a0Had antibiotics? Probiotic.\u00a0Gas? Probiotic.\u00a0Sensitive stomach? Probiotic.\u00a0Stress? Probiotic again.<\/p>\n
And on the pet-store shelf, jars stand side by side: one promises one billion, another ten billion, and a third contains such a bacterial army that the packaging makes it look as if the product with the biggest number simply wins.<\/p>\n
But does it?\u00a0Not necessarily.<\/p>\n
A probiotic can be a very useful tool.\u00a0It can also be a completely unnecessary expense.<\/p>\n
The issue is not whether probiotics \u201cwork\u201d or \u201cdo not work\u201d. The issue is that the word probiotic does not describe one substance with one specific effect.<\/p>\n
It is a little like saying \u201cmedicine\u201d.\u00a0Which medicine?\u00a0For what?\u00a0At what dose?\u00a0For whom?<\/p>\n
Exactly the same questions apply to probiotics.<\/p>\n
The effect of a probiotic can be strain-specific. That means the bacterial species name alone may not be enough.\u00a0If a study used one specific strain of Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium, the result cannot automatically be applied to every bacterium belonging to the same species.<\/p>\n
For example, one controlled study in dogs used a specific combination of three canine-derived Lactobacillus strains and observed normalization of stool consistency in dogs with acute diarrhea.<\/p>\n
That demonstrates the effect of that particular combination in that particular situation.\u00a0It does not demonstrate that \u201cLactobacillus helps with diarrhea.\u201d<\/p>\n
So one of the first things I ask when I look at a label is: does the manufacturer list only the bacterial species, or the specific strain as well?\u00a0The more precise the information, the better our chance of judging whether there is any meaningful evidence behind the product.<\/p>\n
10 billion.\u00a050 billion.\u00a0100 billion.<\/p>\n
From a marketing perspective, that looks impressive. From a biological perspective, not necessarily. CFU, or colony-forming units, tells us about the number of viable microorganisms. And that does matter.\u00a0But a large number alone does not tell us:<\/p>\n
One hundred billion random microorganisms are not automatically better than a much smaller amount of one well-studied strain.\u00a0A probiotic is not an auction where the highest number wins.<\/p>\n
By definition, a probiotic must contain live microorganisms. So it is not enough to know how many CFU were in the capsule on the day it left the factory. What matters is how many viable microorganisms are still there when you give the product to your dog.\u00a0ISAPP guidance on probiotics emphasizes that adequate viability should be maintained throughout the product\u2019s shelf life.<\/p>\n
So it is worth checking:<\/p>\n
The most impressive strain list and the biggest CFU number will not help if the microorganisms in the jar left the game a long time ago.<\/p>\n
Not necessarily.<\/p>\n
A multi-strain combination can be excellent. But only if the combination itself makes sense and, ideally, has been studied.\u00a0A long ingredient list is not a quality marker in itself. Sometimes one specific, well-studied strain can be a much more rational choice than a blend of ten microorganisms when nobody really knows what that blend does at that dose and in that combination.<\/p>\n
The same applies to practically all supplements:\u00a0more ingredients do not automatically make a better product.<\/strong><\/p>\n This may be the most common problem.\u00a0\u201cI want to support my dog\u2019s gut.\u201d But what does that actually mean?<\/p>\n Does the dog have:<\/p>\n These are very different situations.\u00a0And there is no reason to assume that one probiotic is suitable for all of them.<\/p>\n Veterinary reviews published in 2024 likewise emphasize that different biotics may be useful, but the appropriate product and its effect depend heavily on the individual patient, the goal, the strain and the dose.<\/p>\n So before buying a jar, I would ask:\u00a0what am I actually trying to change with this product?<\/p>\n If there is no answer to that question, it is quite difficult to judge whether the product works at all.<\/p>\n The dog has had diarrhea for a month. Let\u2019s try a probiotic.\u00a0Didn\u2019t help.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s try another probiotic.\u00a0Didn\u2019t help.<\/p>\n A third one?\u00a0This is where it is worth putting on the brakes.<\/p>\n If a dog has:<\/p>\n the cause needs to be investigated, because a symptom and its underlying cause are two different things.<\/p>\n Those symptoms can be caused by many different problems, from parasites and infections to pancreatic disease, chronic enteropathy or adverse food reactions.<\/p>\n A probiotic can be part of a treatment plan.\u00a0But it is not a diagnostic test or a universal treatment.\u00a0A pretty jar should not become the reason the underlying cause is never investigated.<\/p>\n Older discussions about probiotics sometimes include the idea:\u00a0\u201cIf the bacterium does not permanently live in the gut, the dog simply poops it out.\u201d<\/p>\n That is too simplistic.<\/p>\n Many probiotic microorganisms may be temporary residents of the gut. They do not necessarily have to colonize it permanently in order to have an effect while passing through the gastrointestinal tract.<\/p>\n So the fact that a microorganism later leaves the body does not prove that the probiotic was useless.<\/p>\n No.\u00a0But that does not mean the prebiotic is unimportant.<\/p>\n A prebiotic is a substrate that certain microorganisms can use and whose use must confer a health benefit on the host. Put simply, it can be thought of as \u201cfood\u201d for the microbes we want to support.<\/p>\n And this is where, in my opinion, one practical nuance matters.<\/p>\n When we give a dog probiotic microorganisms, it is not only important that they reach the gastrointestinal tract alive. The environment they enter also matters, including whether suitable substrates are available there.<\/p>\n A probiotic can have an effect even if it does not permanently colonize the dog\u2019s gut. So a probiotic does not automatically become useless simply because a prebiotic has not been added to the same capsule.\u00a0At the same time, it is not irrelevant whether a microorganism enters an environment where it can function actively and use suitable nutrients, or an environment that does little to support it.<\/p>\n That \u201cfood\u201d does not necessarily have to come from the probiotic jar. A dog can also obtain suitable substrates from its regular diet, and a prebiotic may support both the dog\u2019s resident microbes and, in some cases, the microorganisms given alongside it.<\/p>\n So for me the question is less:\u00a0\u201cDoes the probiotic product absolutely have to contain a prebiotic?\u201d\u00a0and more:\u00a0\u201cDoes the environment in the dog\u2019s gut give this microbe a real chance to do the job we sent it there to do?\u201d<\/p>\n A probiotic and a prebiotic can together form a synbiotic strategy, but the absence of a prebiotic from the same product does not automatically make the probiotic useless.<\/p>\n For a more detailed look at prebiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics and food-based microbiome support, see the FendaF article \u201cBeneficial Bacteria and Probiotics for Dogs\u201d<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n A picture of a dog on the jar is not a clinical trial.\u00a0The quality of pet supplements varies.<\/p>\n I would like a product to provide as much of the following information as possible:<\/p>\n The less real information a manufacturer provides, and the more the front of the package relies only on words such as:\u00a0gut health, immunity, balance, wellness, natural, billions…\u00a0<\/strong>the more cautious I become.<\/p>\n Maybe it is an excellent product.\u00a0Maybe it is simply a very long label.\u00a0Ask:\u00a0have those strains been studied in that exact combination?<\/p>\n Because adding together studies on individual strains does not automatically prove that a mixture made from them behaves in exactly the same way.<\/p>\n \u201cNatural probiotics\u201d is a very common search term, and in everyday language people often mean kefir, fermented dairy products or other fermented foods.<\/p>\n Scientifically, however, not every fermented food is automatically a probiotic. To qualify as a probiotic, a specific live microorganism must be present in an adequate amount and its health benefit must have been demonstrated. A fermented food can still be a valuable part of food-based microbiome support even if it does not meet that stricter definition.<\/p>\n If the goal is long-term support of a healthy dog\u2019s microbiome, food-based approaches can be very interesting. But if the goal is a specific clinical problem, a standardized and studied probiotic has an advantage: we know much more precisely which microorganism we are giving and at what dose.<\/p>\n We discuss food-based microbiome support in more detail in the FendaF article \u201cBeneficial Bacteria and Probiotics for Dogs\u201d<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n I would not give an absolute yes to that either.\u00a0The canine and human microbiomes are not identical.\u00a0But that does not mean that no microorganism used in a human probiotic could have an effect in a dog.<\/p>\n In practice, I prefer a product where:<\/p>\n If the choice is between a well-studied dog-specific product and a completely random human product, the former simply gives us more directly relevant information.<\/p>\n There is no universal rule that says \u201calways start after the final antibiotic dose\u201d.\u00a0The effect of an antibiotic on the microbiome begins during treatment.<\/p>\n At the same time, some antibiotics can also affect the bacteria contained in a probiotic.\u00a0So the timing of probiotic use depends on the specific:<\/p>\n The most sensible approach is to follow the instructions for the specific product and discuss it with a veterinarian when necessary. At the same time, a growing number of integrative veterinarians recommend probiotics already during antibiotic treatment.<\/p>\n The purpose of a probiotic is not to \u201cneutralize the antibiotic\u201d. An antibiotic may be entirely necessary. The goal is simply to support the gastrointestinal tract and microbiome as sensibly as possible, rather than setting the medicine and the probiotic against each other.<\/p>\n Then there is no reason to avoid it for ideological reasons.\u00a0To me, this is an important point of balance in the whole discussion.<\/p>\n An integrative approach does not mean:\u00a0\u201cthe jar is bad, real food is good.\u201d<\/p>\n If a particular dog has a particular problem and we have a well-studied probiotic strain for that problem at an appropriate dose, a standardized product may be exactly the right tool.\u00a0In some controlled studies in dogs, specific probiotics have been associated, for example, with improvement in acute diarrhea and stool consistency.<\/p>\n That is a perfectly valid reason to use the product.<\/p>\n But evidence for one product does not automatically make the entire probiotic shelf equivalent.<\/p>\n Not necessarily.\u00a0If the dog:<\/p>\n I see no reason why the dog must automatically receive a daily probiotic supplement for the rest of its life.\u00a0That does not mean you are not allowed to give a healthy dog a probiotic.\u00a0It simply means:\u00a0\u201chealthy\u201d does not automatically mean \u201cnecessary\u201d.<\/p>\n Sometimes that money may be much better spent on good-quality food, suitable fresh additions or solving a health problem that actually needs attention.<\/p>\n When I can answer the following questions:<\/p>\n If the manufacturer can answer almost none of the first six questions but the front of the package is glowing with a giant:\u00a050 BILLION!<\/strong>\u00a0…I would not reach for my wallet just yet.<\/p>\n When:<\/p>\n And when is it not a waste of money?<\/p>\n When you have:\u00a0the right tool + the right goal + the right dog + reasonable evidence.<\/strong><\/p>\n Probiotics are neither a miracle cure nor a scam.\u00a0They are a group of tools.\u00a0Some are very well studied.\u00a0For some, we know very little.\u00a0Some products may be excellent.\u00a0Some are essentially very expensive jars of marketing.<\/p>\n So I would not ask:\u00a0\u201cDo probiotics work?\u201d\u00a0Instead:\u00a0\u201cIs this specific probiotic a sensible choice for this specific dog and this specific problem?\u201d<\/p>\n And if the answer is yes, a probiotic can be a very good investment.<\/p>\n But if we do not even know which microorganism is in the jar, why we are giving it, or whether it is still alive at the end of its shelf life…\u00a0then the only thing the microbiome may truly have made lighter is your wallet.<\/p>\n These days, probiotics are recommended for almost everything.\u00a0Dog has diarrhea? Probiotic.\u00a0Had antibiotics? Probiotic.\u00a0Gas? Probiotic.\u00a0Sensitive stomach? Probiotic.\u00a0Stress? Probiotic again. And on the pet-store shelf, jars stand side by side: one promises one billion, another ten billion, and a third contains such a bacterial army that the packaging makes it look as if the product with the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":189017,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[758,698,770,699],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-189013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digestion-gut-health","category-health","category-nutrition","category-products"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":{"landsacpe":["https:\/\/fendaf.ee\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Probiotics-are-they-a-water-of-money.png",300,300,false],"list":["https:\/\/fendaf.ee\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Probiotics-are-they-a-water-of-money.png",300,300,false],"medium":["https:\/\/fendaf.ee\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Probiotics-are-they-a-water-of-money.png",300,300,false],"full":["https:\/\/fendaf.ee\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Probiotics-are-they-a-water-of-money.png",300,300,false]},"yoast_head":"\nWaste of money #5: buying a \u201cprobiotic\u201d without actually knowing what you want it to achieve<\/h2>\n
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Waste of money #6: using a probiotic as a substitute for a diagnosis<\/h2>\n
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Waste of money #7: expecting the probiotic to move into the gut forever<\/h2>\n
Is a probiotic pointless without a prebiotic?<\/h3>\n
Waste of money #8: assuming \u201cmade for dogs\u201d is enough proof of quality<\/h2>\n
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\u201cBut it contains 15 different strains!\u201d<\/h3>\n
What about natural probiotics?<\/h3>\n
Is a probiotic made for dogs always better than a human probiotic?<\/h3>\n
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Probiotics during or after a course of antibiotics?<\/h2>\n
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But what if the probiotic helps?<\/h2>\n
Does a healthy dog need a probiotic \u201cjust in case\u201d?<\/h2>\n
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When would I buy a probiotic?<\/h2>\n
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When can a probiotic genuinely be a waste of money?<\/h2>\n
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In summary<\/h2>\n
Sources used<\/h3>\n
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