Digestive Issues In Pets: 4 Signs Your Fur Baby Needs Probiotics

So, you've taken your daily supplements and are ready to tackle the day. But has it ever crossed your mind that your furry bestie might need them, too?

It’s very possible that your pets aren't getting the nutrition they need to live their best from food alone, so adding the right supplements to their diet can help fill those nutritional gaps.

Supplementing your pet's diet is a key part of the proactive pet parent movement. It helps fur babies live happier, healthier lives by helping address nearly 80%* of the top reasons for vet visits. This explains why supplementing today, helps avoid issues tomorrow.

Let's talk about one of the most common reasons people see their vets: gastrointestinal (GI) issues.

GI Issues: When it's More Than Just an Upset Tummy.

Here are some ways to tell your pet's gut is not happy:

Out of the Ordinary Bowel Movements.
Stool usually has a scale that ranges from entirely liquid to extremely firm. If you notice your pet experiencing either end of the spectrum, such as diarrhea or constipation, this could be cause for concern. Remember, healthy poop looks a lot like a tootsie roll (apologies for ruining your sweetest childhood memory).

Gurgly, Gassy Guts.
If you hear strange sounds coming from your fur baby’s tummy accompanied by a lot of gas, that’s their gut indicating something’s wrong. You should just be hearing their happy woof-woofs, nothing else.

A Floopy Poopy Schedule.
If you can't get your pet to follow a poop routine, it could be because their gut microbiome is imbalanced. If your dog is eating poop, it could also indicate that digestion isn’t happening as it should.

A Yeasty Doggo.
While some yeast in the gut is normal, frequent yeast infections of the skin or ears should raise some red flags.

Other symptoms could include:

Excessive drooling
Vomiting or regurgitation
Loss of appetite/ excessive weight loss
Abdominal pain and bloating
Straining to defecate

If you do spot any of these symptoms, make sure to consult your vet.

Time to Bring in the Probiotics!

The buzz around probiotics doesn’t just stop at humans; it’s also catching on in the pet world.

Just as they do with humans, probiotics contribute to a long and healthy life for your pets by ensuring their gut does not get crowded by the bad bacteria.

For digestive issues in dogs and cats, we encourage you to try a combination of probiotics, prebiotics, and digestive enzymes.

Probiotics are a good type of bacteria that help the stomach fight infections and strengthen your pet's digestive system. Prebiotics assist probiotics in doing their job well, and digestive enzymes help break down food.

The inability to properly break down food can lead to frequent indigestion and chronic inflammation, which ultimately leads to premature aging. Supplementing with high-quality digestive enzymes in pets can help restore balance.

In fact, a study on fruit flies, which are about 70% similar to mammals in their biochemical mechanisms, found that the combination of probiotics, prebiotics, and the right digestive enzymes improved gut health and tripled their lifespan.

Now, you just have to find the right probiotic solution for your fur baby.

Not All Probiotics are the Same.

The stomach is kind of like an acid pit. So, if you don’t supply enough probiotics, BILLIONS to be precise, it won’t reach the lower GI tract where it really counts.

So, you really need to be picky when going probiotic hunting.

To get the best results possible, we recommend getting a blend that is 100% natural and developed by trusted vets and PhDs in Animal Science.

pawTree’s Gastro Pro Plus is a natural and complete combination of probiotics, prebiotics, digestive enzymes, and soothing herbs—all of which assist in giving your furkids the best of digestive and gut health.

This means less gas, bloating, and pooping problems and more nutrient absorption, energy kicks, and strength.

While a probiotic supplement is great for your fur baby’s gut health, there are more supplements that, when paired together, can offer your fur baby a quality life full of cuddles, walks, and endless experiences that get their tails wagging.

Wild-caught salmon oil, for instance, supports healthy growth, enhances brain development, combats inflammation, and boosts the immune system.

Then, there is glucosamine paired with MSM, supplements that aid in reducing joint pain and stiffness and making movement easier for pets. CBD is another excellent aid for anxiousness, allergies, irritated skin, and overall vitality.

Summing it all up, digestive supplements for pets, paired with the proper complementary nutrients, help your fur baby age gracefully.

P.S. If you’re as devoted to your furry bestie as we are, you’ll want to check out our latest article on how adding salmon oil to their diet can help transform their health.

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5989473/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9039956/