Did you know that Americans spent almost $19 BILLION in vet bills last year? On one hand, this enormous spend reflects our love for our pets, our commitment to keeping them healthy, and our access to healthcare for the animals in our lives.
But on the other hand, could this number also represent uncertainty or a lack of success in optimizing our pets’ health at home? It’s likely a combination of both.
While we are thrilled to say that our pets - and pets all over the country - can benefit from compassionate and successful medical care, we also advocate finding ways to support our pets’ health naturally. Continue reading to learn more about probiotic benefits for your pets, and which are the best probiotics for pets.
Supporting your pet’s health through the immune system
There are so many ways to support your pet’s health from feeding them good food and keeping them hydrated, to ensuring they stay active and get plenty of love. Anything you can do to optimize the immune health of your pet has the potential to help them. The immune system is responsible for acting as a defense mechanism against viruses, harmful bacteria, infections, fungus, and other pathogens. This system’s job is to identify a foreign substance and send the right ‘weapons’ to attack it before it can do harm to the body. In this sense, the immune system of your pet is very similar to your own immune system.
There is another essential similarity between your immune system and that of your pet: they are preliminary located in the gut, and they function best with a foundation of healthy bacteria.
The danger of a lack of healthy bacteria
Most of us hear the word ‘bacteria’ and we think of something bad. From the time we’re little, we know to be afraid of getting bacteria on our hands, or of eating something with bacteria in it. However, all our fears about bacteria should be focused on bad bacteria. There are other bacteria that are critical to helping our bodies - and those of our pets - function well. When your pet lacks healthy bacteria, you may see this reflected in their bowel habits. Both constipation and diarrhea can be related to an abundance of bad bacteria or a lack of good bacteria. It’s also important to remember that the bacteria colonies in your pets’ gut are changing constantly. Even a pet with an abundance of healthy bacteria a month ago, may be lacking in good bacteria today. This is especially true if they’ve had some diarrhea recently, or took a course of antibiotics.
Your pets’ health can affect the whole family
Of course you don’t want your pet to be sick. But did you know that in addition to a sick pet causing being unhappy, uncomfortable, and likely resulting in medical bills, a sick pet can be dangerous to people? There are infections and diseases that are referred to as “zoonotic”. This means they can be passed from an animal to a human. In today’s environment of needing to be incredibly careful with germs, this is scary. You cannot teach a dog to wash its ‘hands’ or convince a cat to socially distance. Instead, supporting your pets’ health is the best way to keep them (and your whole family) from the burden of zoonotic diseases. The best probiotics for pets can support your goal of optimizing your pets’ health.
Importance of probiotics for dogs’ digestive systems
Your dog can’t tell you when he or she isn’t feeling well or when they’re lacking good bacteria. However, there are some signs to look out for that may indicate an abundance of unhealthy gut bacteria, or a lack of the healthy types. These signs include constipation and diarrhea. The reason you’ll see GI symptoms in dogs without balance of the right bacteria, is that good bacteria supports healthy digestion. Dogs with anxiety are especially likely to develop diarrhea. This can be true of rescue dogs in a shelter, those with separation anxiety, or those adjusting to changes like a new baby in the house, a move, or a different schedule in their home life. Studies have shown that giving dogs the right probiotics can help alleviate diarrhea. Diarrhea is not only uncomfortable for your dog, and messy for you, but it can have further health implications like dehydration and a significant loss in the colonies of good bacteria your dog had.
Natren offers Caninedophilus, which is the best probiotic for dogs. This supplement has at least 6 billion cfu of Lactobacillus acidophilus, NAS super strain and Enterococcus faecium, NCIMB 10415 super strain in every 2 grams. This probiotic helps to support your dog’s intestinal function and helps to maintain healthy intestinal flora. You can learn more about Caninedophilus here.
Importance of probiotics for cats’ digestive systems
It is common for cats to have sensitive digestive systems. Not only are they picky about their meals, but they can have food sensitivities and allergies just like people. Cats also have trouble taking certain medication - even ones that work well for people and/or dogs. The problem is that cats cannot break down the medications components as well as needed, and can end up with a dangerous or even deadly reaction. Cats may also suffer from digestive disease like IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease). While your vet is the best person to help you if your cat is sick, there are important steps you can take to optimize their digestive system. Giving your cat the best probiotic is a great way to ensure they are getting healthy bacteria that works in their digestive system, optimizing and supporting their health.
The best probiotic for cats is called Felinedophilus. Specially formulated to support and optimize your cat’s digestive health, Felinedophilus has Lactobacillus acidophilus, NAS super strain and Enterococcus faecium, NCIMB 10415 super strain. Each 2 gram serving of your cat’s probiotic contains 6 billion colony forming units. You can learn more about Felinedophilus here.
In addition, Natren offers Gastro Vegi-Dophilus for all your pets. Whether you have a horse, bird, dog, cat, or other pet, show, or working animal, Gastro Vegi-Dophilus supports digestive health.
No matter what furry (or feathered) friends you have in your life, the best probiotic for pets are those made by Natren. Natren’s probiotic supplements are microbiologically pure, include strains chosen by true innovators in their field, and are produced with the same attention to excellence as our probiotics for the rest of your family. You can learn more about Natren’s probiotics for pets here.
