- Cats
- Stop and Prevent Cat Diarrhea
- Dog Diarrhea Causes and Remedies
- Pet Health Insurance- The Blue Pill or the Red Pill?
- Dogs
- Dog Diarrhea Causes and Remedies
- Return the Love To Your Pets
- Probiotics for Cats and Dogs: Soil Based vs Dairy-Based
- Exotic Small Pets
- Pet Health and Life Extension
- Pet Health and Chemical Cleaning Agents
- What is the Best Food for Nursing and Weaning Kittens and Puppies?
- Horse & Ponies
- Animal Care Products for People: Yay or Neigh?
- Probiotics for Cats and Dogs: Soil Based vs Dairy-Based
- Pet Health Insurance- The Blue Pill or the Red Pill?
Probiotics for Cats and Dogs: Soil Based vs Dairy-Based
05/24/2008 - By Robert Hart, VP Vitality Science
Guarding the Dog House
Regardless of diet, dogs need probiotics. Due to the nature of dog's GI tract, soil-based probiotics are the superior choice. Routine use will prevent most cases of diarrhea or vomiting while allowing maximum nutrient absorption
Dogs (and cats) need supplements just as much as humans do. In fact, if their primary food is commercial pet food, they need supplements even more! Why? Commercial pet food is the equivalent of eating fast food every day. No wonder cats and dogs are sicker than ever.
There are basic supplements that all pets require daily throughout life, like omega 3/6 oils, minerals, and probiotics. As they get older, they need additional supplements, like digestive enzymes.
Your Pet may Look and Act Healthy, But…
Domesticating pet’s diets has led to a growing health crisis. In order for a pet to be truly healthy, it needs to be fed a diet that resembles that of his wild ancestors, who hunt and kill fresh game. They supplement their diet by eating grass and dirt! More on this in a minute.
The closest you are likely to get is a raw diet consisting of free-range chicken and meats that are hormone and antibiotic- free. To this basic diet add the proper assortment of supplements and your pets will be healthier, happier and live an average of 5 years longer!
Perhaps the most powerful medical quotes of all time is completely ignored by conventionally trained american veterinarians.
“Fully 90% of all chronic disease is caused by an unhealthy digestive system” The Royal Society of Medicine, Great Britain
Probiotic Supplements and Intestinal Balance
Dannons’ highly successful advertising campaign, back in the seventies, suggested that the Hunzas lived well over 100 because they ate yogurt- a probiotic! Never mind that the air they breathed nor the soil that grew their fruits and vegetables and raised their meat was pollution-free, or that the yogurt the Hunzas ate had little in common with Dannon, or any other commercial yogurt. Yet, today there is fierce competition for your dairy-based probiotic dollar. Buyer beware!
Commercial grade probiotics, like yogurt or acidophilus supplements, comes from cattle that are not grass-fed, do not live in open pastures where they would exercise, breathe fresh air, and get vitamin D from sun light. Instead, they live in confined, toxic environments: They are injected with growth hormones and antibiotics. If there ever was any nutrient value to this milk, it was destroyed when it was pasteurized and homogenized. People and pets with dairy allergies are actually suffering from the effects of the care, feeding and processing of commercial dairy cows. People who switched to organic milk find they are no longer allergic!
Resolving most GI related problems is often as simple as giving them a daily probiotic! Why? Digestion and elimination are time sensitive. Too short, or too long, eventually leads to a health crisis.
The more processed the food, the more difficult it is for the digestive system to move it along. The nutritionless mass stagnates and putrefies which is an ideal breeding ground for pathogens. In the healthiest of pets the balance between aerobic and anaerobic bacteria is delicate.
The aerobic bacteria not only aid in nutrient assimilation, they provide the balance against the anaerobic bacteria. This balance is quickly upset when your pet eats tainted food, or a bacteria laden morsel. Heat and just the slightest bit of moisture (humidity) can quickly contaminate an open bag of dry food.
If you pay attention to your pet, you can see the early warning signs, which may include loss of energy, bad gas, bad breath, itchy skin, constipation, bouts of diarrhea or vomiting, and loss of appetite. These are quickly resolved with just a few doses of soil-based probiotic supplements, and prevented with daily use. Prevention saves you money in the long run.
Chronic health problems develop when the anaerobic bacteria maintain the upper hand in the GI tract over a long period of time.
SBOs The Ultimate Probiotic
Some 25 years ago, researchers noticed that feral animals not only ate grass, but pulled at the grass. Delving into why, they discovered that the dirt surrounding the root structure of grasses from organic soils were teaming with microflora and bacteria that had a probiotic effect in the GI tract.
Appropriately, these microorganisms were collectively named Soil Based Organisms (SBOs).
Let Them Eat Dirt
It seems like the simple solution would be to let your pet out to eat grass and dirt. Alas, urban and suburban grasses are treated with inorganic pesticides, fertilizers, and chlorine from municipal water. These chemicals kill SBOs.
SBOs vs Antibiotics
Doctors know that antibiotics are toxic medications that kill off both the good and bad bacteria. If this is not bad enough, the side effects of antibiotic treatment to your pet are the equivalent of being kicked in the groin.
Probiotics are live organisms natural to the digestive system. SBOs are scientifically proven to resolve GI disorders and are essential to maintain intestinal balance. Since GI disorders develop as a result of bad bacteria overwhelming good (probiotic) bacteria, the logical approach is to restore the balance as quickly as possible by first administering SBOs.
A few doses of SBOs will quickly dispatch most cases of GI upset before you could be seen by a vet. Plus, when administering SBOs there is no need to withhold food or water!
Where can you get SBOs?
SBOs like Pet Flora, are not a prescription medication. They are available from on line, in a few select pet stores, and from holistic vets.
Culturing SBOs requires laboratory controlled conditions, using strict scientific protocols. Much like fermenting the finest beer or wine, the SBO culturing process cannot be rushed.
The most beneficial brands consist of a variety of active SBO strains; these are more likely to quickly restore proper GI balance.
CAUTION: Things Can Go From Better to Worse- Temporarily!
As mentioned earlier, commercial pet food is hard to break down and digest. Consequently, it moves slowly through the intestines. Most likely some of it has adhered to your dogs intestinal walls (fecal plaque). Once it gets a toehold, it thickens over time. Even fairly young animals can experience some blockage as a result of this build up. Over time your pet becomes constipated.
Regular administration of SBOs will slowly begin to dissolve the fecal plaque. During this clearing/cleansing process, pathogens and microbes that were covered up with layers of fecal matter will be exposed and can cause brief episodes of diarrhea or vomiting. Depending on the buildup, it may take a few months before it is completely removed.
During this time you are likely to see your dog reach new plateaus of happiness and energy. It can overwhelm them until they adjust.
Most cases of diarrhea or vomiting are the result of long-term food choices, or gulping down a pathogenic laden morsel. If you administer several doses of SBOs and your dog does not show noticeable improvement within 12 hours, take them to the vet immediately!
