Can Cats and Dogs Safely Consume Probiotics Like Humans

What are Probiotics?

Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that reside within the feline body, alongside a vast array of other microorganisms. These good bacteria play crucial roles in various parts of the body, influencing every aspect of your cat's health.

When the balance between beneficial and harmful bacteria is disrupted, it leads to "dysbiosis," which often manifests as persistent soft stools, diarrhea, and vomiting.

How can you ensure a balanced gut flora to maintain your cat's immune system and nutrient absorption at optimal levels?

1. AcidAlkaline Balance in the Digestive System

Cats are obligate carnivores, which means their dietary needs are relatively straightforward for pet parents. However, maintaining the acidalkaline balance in the digestive system is essential. Different foods can significantly alter the gut's bacterial composition, with highly processed foods, overcooked meals, highstarch and highfiber diets, and dry kibble being particularly influential. On the other hand, raw diets or homemade cooked meals can help preserve the cat's original gut bacteria.

2. Avoid Antibiotics and AntiInflammatory Medications

Antibiotics cannot differentiate between beneficial and harmful bacteria, leading to a loss of balance in the gut flora and potentially causing diarrhea. Dr. Martin Blaser of New York University Langone Medical Center has warned:

"Based on data from my lab and other sources, we have found that probiotics may be permanently damaged by antibiotics and may not fully recover. This change seems to make individuals more susceptible to certain diseases. The overuse of antibiotics may contribute to the skyrocketing incidence of obesity, type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, and other conditions in recent years."

CatSpecific Probiotics

There is no difference between probiotics used by humans and those used by pets. Research in this field is limited, and many sellers claim that each animal has a unique gut environment, justifying the sale of socalled "catspecific" probiotics. While this is true, with current knowledge, it is challenging to achieve this.

Dr. Jan S. Suchodolski, a canine and feline gastrointestinal microbiology expert at Texas A&M University, advises:

"When selecting probiotics for pets, it is best to choose those that have been thoroughly studied in humans, regardless of whether the product is labeled as petspecific or humanspecific."

He also notes that human probiotics and those naturally produced through diet are just as effective in different species of animals. There is no evidence to suggest that "catspecific" probiotics offer any specific benefits.

Probiotic Usage Tips

The market offers a variety of probiotics, some with insufficient strain numbers, limited variety, or incorrect strains, leading to minimal effects. These probiotics are often washed away by stomach acid, with only a small portion reaching the intestines. This can result in insufficient probiotic numbers for effectiveness or excessive numbers causing diarrhea.

Here are some tips for probiotic usage:

1. Some Cases of Diarrhea Cannot Be Solved by Probiotics

Diarrhea caused by a deficiency in vitamin B12

EPI (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency)

Hyperthyroidism

2. Avoid Using Probiotics with Antibiotics

Any probiotic should be taken at least three hours apart from oral antibiotics, except for Saccharomyces boulardii.

3. Dosage

If your cat has a compromised digestive system, especially if it has IBD, pancreatitis, chronic kidney failure, or other symptoms, consult your veterinarian before deciding whether to use probiotic products. For healthy cats, start with a low dose and gradually increase the amount.

The appropriate dosage can vary greatly from one cat to another, and the effect of probiotics can differ significantly. Once you achieve an ideal effect, you can use that dosage as a reference for your cat.

According to Dr. J, most of the oral probiotics are eliminated by the body's complex microbiota and lose their efficacy. Therefore, probiotics must be taken in high doses to be effective. Determining the exact dose for cats and dogs is challenging due to the lack of relevant research. Currently, we extend human experimental results to dogs and cats, and it has been proven that strain numbers from 1 billion to 45 billion are effective in clinical use.