Probiotics- who is using what?

Hi all

I started my cat remi on a probiotic as he is having trouble with bloating, gas and diarrhoea and having trouble absorbing vitamins,etc in food

At the moment he is on Mercola pet probiotics and whilst they seem to be working the amount you need each day is a lot (one scoop) and I can't get it into remi as he can taste it in food.

http://probiotics.mercola.com/probiotics-for-pets.html

I have come across this product but don't know if my desperation is getting in the way of good judgement. Has anyone else tried it. Is it good for diet controlled diabetics ? IBD? It talks about using clay to help the absorption of minerals and remi is having problems with this

https://www.vitalityscience.com/v/AllProducts/Feline-Comfort-Plus/cat-health-plus.asp#intro

I've also come across this product in the uk but there are no listed ingredients
http://www.lactosym.co.uk/shop/

 

I haven't had any experience with probiotics in cats, but I have in humans. I looked at the strains listed on the mercola probiotic site and a lot of those strains, and combinations of those strains, are available in capsule sized amounts for human use. I'm not sure why a whole scoop should be needed just for the probiotics. It must be all the other things they're adding. Maybe look into human capsule versions that you could open and then mix with food a bit more covertly.

More strains are not necessarily better (14 is quite a selection). The correct strains are more important. Also, once you do find the correct strain or strains, you should change brands every few months. Many people are not aware of that. After a while your body gets acclimated to the specific brand/source of probiotics and you need to change it up. Rotating between two or three brands is usually a good idea.

About the clay in the vitality science product, are you talking about the diatomaceous earth? They seem to be advertising it as getting rid of parasites. In humans it's usually advertised as removing toxins, helping with digestion issues, or any number of other things. People mix it with water and drink it or make it into a paste and apply it externally. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Though be aware that it can be constipating, at least in some people. I'd be more concerned about the red seaweed they add. I seem to remember that there may be an issue with that and some cats, but don't quote me on that.

I'd take a browse around the Internet, or your local drugsstore, for some decent quality capsules that contain a selection of the strains in the mercola product. Give that a try and see if that works. It may take a bit of trial and error to find which one works best for Remi. I wish I had a good probiotic reference to send you to, but I don't seem to have one. Odd, that seems like something I would have.

 

I have used ActiPet and Pet Dophilus by Jarrow with good results.

 

I recently switched to Pearls - human probiotic. It seems to be helping a lot.

I am also giving b12 shots weekly. That helps with the absorption. And the most recent addition is slippery elm bark.

 

I'm no expert on probiotics, but I give Mitz about 1/2 a teaspoon (? I eyeball it) of plain lowfat kefir mixed with a little wet food each night. She likes the kefir better than plain yogurt. She liked goat's milk yogurt for a while but it's too expensive and has tapioca starch added to it. Both the kefir and the yogurt have live cultures. Hope Remi is starting to feel better.

Joan

 

Thanks everyone for your replies. The mercola probiotic has definitely helped but I will change brands once I have used a little more, just so that I don't have to give so much.
I read about this brand in an article on feline IBD: http://www.bio-kult.com/
http://feline-nutrition.org/health/feline-inflammatory-bowel-disease-nature-and-treatment

@Mitzelplik's Mom the kefir is interesting but not sure it would suit remi with his funny tummy.