Intolerance to yeast-based probiotics?

[F+V]

Would it be possible that my cat might be intolerant to probiotics? I started giving my cats a yeast-based strain called s.boulardii made by FullBucket about 2 weeks ago. Even though my cats didn't have any health issues, I just thought probiotics should be beneficial for their wellness.

I started out with 1/2 or even 1/4 of suggested dose but they outright rejected their usual meal at first. One of them eventually accepted it. The other one who usually has a bigger appetite still doesn't like it today and sometimes he'd rather stay hungry. In the last week or so, he threw up his entire food twice right after eating, so I started to wonder if he might be intolerant to s.boulardii because he would only vomit like that once or twice a year before.

I have also noticed an increase in size and frequency in their stools. They used to poop every 2 or 3 days on a raw diet but immediately after starting the probiotics they pooped almost daily and the size was significantly larger than before. It kinda makes sense because probiotics promotes vowel movements. As of today that frequency is somewhat adjusted back to normal but I think the volume is still larger. A lot of people give their cats probiotics to fix diarrhea but one of mine who vomits has also had occasional soft stools since I have started giving him probiotics.

Should I continue giving him probiotics till he vomits his entire meal again, or should I pause and restart slowly? I know he will stop vomiting if I discontinue the probiotic regimen. FullBucket's Daily Cat smells like fish oil.

I also read this article - Your Guide to Probiotics for Cats Side Effects - Veterinarians.org

 

[Norachan]

I started giving my cats a yeast-based strain called s.boulardii made by FullBucket about 2 weeks ago. Even though my cats didn't have any health issues, I just thought probiotics should be beneficial for their wellness.

If your cats don't have any particular need for a probiotic and if giving them this one is causing them to vomit I'd suggest giving up on it all together.

Probiotics can cause fungal infections, particularly in cats with a weakened immune system or any kind of digestive track disease.

It's not a good idea to give a cat something they don't particularly need or like, especially if they dislike it so much that they would rather go hungry than eat the food that contained the supplement.

I think you'd be better off sticking to their regular diet and ditching the s.boulardii.

 

[daftcat75]

I would toss that probiotic. It contains flax meal which is mostly useless to cats for a source of essential fatty acids. The conversion of plant-based EFAs to those cats can use is a very inefficient conversion in feline physiology. But it should also come as no surprise to you, flax has a laxative (or "flaxative" as my vegan friends would say) effect. And a third reason that it should be tossed, flax meal goes rancid quickly. Not as quickly as flax oil. But once it's ground up, it's simply a race against time.


Otherwise healthy cats usually don't need a probiotic. But if you wanted one, Vitality Science makes an effective one that's generally well-received mixed in food. Start very small and slowly increase the amount. Take your time. It may take several weeks to acclimate them to dirty food. It looks like dirt because it is dirt. It's soil-based probiotics which can be superior to traditional dairy-based probiotics--especially if your cat, like most cats, is lactose intolerant.
Pet Flora "the ultimate probiotic" ™ | Cat Probiotics

You can get it even cheaper through their Finicky Cat Trial Pack if you can find a few other supplements of theirs that you would like to try.
Finicky Cat Trial Pack

If you think you might be dealing with a little gut troubles in one of your cats, this one seems popular for that:
Feline Gut Soothe

And finally, if you wanted to give the s. boulardii a try to firm up soft stools or soothe an inflamed gut, it's best to use one on its own rather than getting a combo product. That way you can adjust the dose up or down as needed. S. boulardii can have a constipating effect if you give too much of it. That you are seeing the opposite suggests it's most likely not the s. boulardii that is causing the loose stools in the Full Bucket product.

Jarrow is the gold standard for s. boulardii. But it's a human formulation. That means if they don't like the taste when you open the capsules into their food, then the next best option is to re-pack them into smaller cat-sized capsules and either use a pill pocket, a treat food (like Churu) or simply hide those capsules in their food.
Amazon.com

My Betty takes the Jarrow S. boulardii twice a day at about 1/4 of the human sized capsules. Once a month, I empty about a dozen of those huge Jarrow capsules into a capsule filling machine and create 50 cat-sized size 4 capsules. It takes me about 20 minutes and it's well worth it for a cat who takes her own meds. I dip her capsules in Hills A/D prescription food (a rich tasty recovery food that most dogs and cats can't refuse--I call it her "cake frosting") and drop those dipped capsules on the carpet for her to scoop and swallow.

Capsule filling machine:
Manual capsule filler for 50 capsules of size 4,3,2,1 respectively

The dip and drop/scoop and swallow approach we take to meds time (no "poison" goes into her food itself.)

 

[lisahe]

If you think you might be dealing with a little gut troubles in one of your cats, this one seems popular for that:
Feline Gut Soothe

Adored Beast's Feline Gut Soothe is great for cats that need a combination of probiotics, prebiotics, and herbs! It's perfect for our cat who has trouble with gut inflammation. (Symptoms: regurgitation, gas, and a long history of vomiting and food sensitivities.) She does very well on it. I chose FGS for her because of the combination of probiotics and anti-inflammatory ingredients, plus the lack of stuff like maltodextrin, which can cause digestive upset.

If you do try FGS for your cat who vomits, F F+V , I'd suggest starting with tiny amounts, as daftcat75 mentioned. I started Edwina with pinches and took about a month to work her up to a full 1/2 teaspoon a day.

I suggest tiny amounts not just because probiotics can make cats vomit when their bodies are getting used to it. It's also because -- as you've seen! -- a new ingredient in a cat's food can be very disruptive. And disruption can cause stress. And stress can cause vomiting. Or as Norachan mentions, not eating.

Good luck!

 

[F+V]

I would toss that probiotic. It contains flax meal which is mostly useless to cats for a source of essential fatty acids. The conversion of plant-based EFAs to those cats can use is a very inefficient conversion in feline physiology. But it should also come as no surprise to you, flax has a laxative (or "flaxative" as my vegan friends would say) effect. And a third reason that it should be tossed, flax meal goes rancid quickly. Not as quickly as flax oil. But once it's ground up, it's simply a race against time.


Otherwise healthy cats usually don't need a probiotic. But if you wanted one, Vitality Science makes an effective one that's generally well-received mixed in food. Start very small and slowly increase the amount. Take your time. It may take several weeks to acclimate them to dirty food. It looks like dirt because it is dirt. It's soil-based probiotics which can be superior to traditional dairy-based probiotics--especially if your cat, like most cats, is lactose intolerant.
Pet Flora "the ultimate probiotic" ™ | Cat Probiotics

You can get it even cheaper through their Finicky Cat Trial Pack if you can find a few other supplements of theirs that you would like to try.
Finicky Cat Trial Pack

If you think you might be dealing with a little gut troubles in one of your cats, this one seems popular for that:
Feline Gut Soothe

And finally, if you wanted to give the s. boulardii a try to firm up soft stools or soothe an inflamed gut, it's best to use one on its own rather than getting a combo product. That way you can adjust the dose up or down as needed. S. boulardii can have a constipating effect if you give too much of it. That you are seeing the opposite suggests it's most likely not the s. boulardii that is causing the loose stools in the Full Bucket product.

Jarrow is the gold standard for s. boulardii. But it's a human formulation. That means if they don't like the taste when you open the capsules into their food, then the next best option is to re-pack them into smaller cat-sized capsules and either use a pill pocket, a treat food (like Churu) or simply hide those capsules in their food.
Amazon.com

My Betty takes the Jarrow S. boulardii twice a day at about 1/4 of the human sized capsules. Once a month, I empty about a dozen of those huge Jarrow capsules into a capsule filling machine and create 50 cat-sized size 4 capsules. It takes me about 20 minutes and it's well worth it for a cat who takes her own meds. I dip her capsules in Hills A/D prescription food (a rich tasty recovery food that most dogs and cats can't refuse--I call it her "cake frosting") and drop those dipped capsules on the carpet for her to scoop and swallow.

Capsule filling machine:
Manual capsule filler for 50 capsules of size 4,3,2,1 respectively

The dip and drop/scoop and swallow approach we take to meds time (no "poison" goes into her food itself.)

Very informative, thank you! I got 3 jars of DailyCat and they were manufactured in Feb 2023. I received them in hot July in international mail, so who knows what conditions they have been exposed to before I got them... my cats enthusiastically take it if I mix it in HydraCare but not in food. I also thought about using the pill pocket to give DailyCat but could barely put anything in a tiny pocket. They don't have any reason to take probiotics for now, so I will cease and desist from giving them unnecessary supplements.

Great tips on giving them meds

 

[F+V]

Adored Beast's Feline Gut Soothe is great for cats that need a combination of probiotics, prebiotics, and herbs! It's perfect for our cat who has trouble with gut inflammation. (Symptoms: regurgitation, gas, and a long history of vomiting and food sensitivities.) She does very well on it. I chose FGS for her because of the combination of probiotics and anti-inflammatory ingredients, plus the lack of stuff like maltodextrin, which can cause digestive upset.

If you do try FGS for your cat who vomits, F F+V , I'd suggest starting with tiny amounts, as daftcat75 mentioned. I started Edwina with pinches and took about a month to work her up to a full 1/2 teaspoon a day.

I suggest tiny amounts not just because probiotics can make cats vomit when their bodies are getting used to it. It's also because -- as you've seen! -- a new ingredient in a cat's food can be very disruptive. And disruption can cause stress. And stress can cause vomiting. Or as Norachan mentions, not eating.

Good luck!

Thank you. I didn't think seemingly harmless granules would be disruptive but looks like he's more prone to stress unfortunately. I probably increased the dose too fast. I was also giving them probiotics for the same reason humans take health supplements.

 

[F+V]

If your cats don't have any particular need for a probiotic and if giving them this one is causing them to vomit I'd suggest giving up on it all together.

Probiotics can cause fungal infections, particularly in cats with a weakened immune system or any kind of digestive track disease.

It's not a good idea to give a cat something they don't particularly need or like, especially if they dislike it so much that they would rather go hungry than eat the food that contained the supplement.

I think you'd be better off sticking to their regular diet and ditching the s.boulardii.

Off topic but I saw your location. We just moved to Tokyo my cats hate it here and can't wait to move out

 

[Norachan]

Off topic but I saw your location. We just moved to Tokyo my cats hate it here and can't wait to move out

Oh wow, Tokyo must be so hot at the moment! Are you moving to another location in Japan, or another country?

 

[F+V]

Oh wow, Tokyo must be so hot at the moment! Are you moving to another location in Japan, or another country?

Unbearably hot! In term of the uncomfortable index, interestingly Tokyo is the 3rd worse place on earth after Bangkok and Hong Kong We will move to Europe in a few years, and then my kitties can freely go back out in the yard.

 

[F+V]

I would toss that probiotic. It contains flax meal which is mostly useless to cats for a source of essential fatty acids. The conversion of plant-based EFAs to those cats can use is a very inefficient conversion in feline physiology. But it should also come as no surprise to you, flax has a laxative (or "flaxative" as my vegan friends would say) effect. And a third reason that it should be tossed, flax meal goes rancid quickly. Not as quickly as flax oil. But once it's ground up, it's simply a race against time.

After I posted my question on here I got a reminder to leave a product review for fullbuckets dailycat. So I wrote that one of my cats who seldom throws up vomited multiple times right after eating food their probiotic was mixed in.

Then today I received the following reply:

Thank you for submitting your review of Daily Cat.

Sorry to learn that you weren't thrilled by the product. I want to let you know that we guarantee the quantity of the microbes and the quality of the ingredients on a sealed jar for 2 years past the born on date.

We also microencapsulated the probiotic to ensure that it is resilient through the hot and cold of transportation. We've had it tested by 3rd party labs to insure the viability.

We've also made a change in the inactive ingredients from flax meal to rice bran. The Daily Cat is still flavored with a natural human grade salmon oil, so it may still have a bit of a fish smell.

If you'd like me to send replacement jars of Daily Cat with the new rice bran formula, I'm happy to do so. Or if you'd prefer a refund instead I can issue that to you instead.

I wonder why they decided to switch from flaxseed meal to rice bran. Their choice of the new active ingredient is also questionable. Maybe the amount of rice bran in Daily Cat is negligible but looks like it is not good for cats as it depletes taurine. I've also discovered many commercial cat foods also contain flaxseed along with unnecessary/inappropriate filler.

However, I don't think it's the flaxseed meal that makes him nauseated since his twin sister is fine. I've concluded that Figaro is unfortunately super sensitive or allergic to something that's in this product.

 

[Cupcakecrazy]

After I posted my question on here I got a reminder to leave a product review for fullbuckets dailycat. So I wrote that one of my cats who seldom throws up vomited multiple times right after eating food their probiotic was mixed in.

Then today I received the following reply:

Thank you for submitting your review of Daily Cat.

Sorry to learn that you weren't thrilled by the product. I want to let you know that we guarantee the quantity of the microbes and the quality of the ingredients on a sealed jar for 2 years past the born on date.

We also microencapsulated the probiotic to ensure that it is resilient through the hot and cold of transportation. We've had it tested by 3rd party labs to insure the viability.

We've also made a change in the inactive ingredients from flax meal to rice bran. The Daily Cat is still flavored with a natural human grade salmon oil, so it may still have a bit of a fish smell.

If you'd like me to send replacement jars of Daily Cat with the new rice bran formula, I'm happy to do so. Or if you'd prefer a refund instead I can issue that to you instead.

I wonder why they decided to switch from flaxseed meal to rice bran. Their choice of the new active ingredient is also questionable. Maybe the amount of rice bran in Daily Cat is negligible but looks like it is not good for cats as it depletes taurine. I've also discovered many commercial cat foods also contain flaxseed along with unnecessary/inappropriate filler.

However, I don't think it's the flaxseed meal that makes him nauseated since his twin sister is fine. I've concluded that Figaro is unfortunately super sensitive or allergic to something that's in this product.

My kitty has had a similar reaction to Fera Pet Organics probiotic. Did you stop using your probiotic? If you did, did it take long for you to see them return back to normal? Thank you!

 

[F+V]

My kitty has had a similar reaction to Fera Pet Organics probiotic. Did you stop using your probiotic? If you did, did it take long for you to see them return back to normal? Thank you!

Yes, I stopped giving him that particular probiotic and he hasn't thrown up since. He would only vomit right after I gave him the supplement, so in the absence of it he was absolutely fine. I now give him Jarrow's as necessary.