Probiotics?

Cate1124

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Hello, All: My 13-year-old with suspected IBD is regularly producing firm stool on a mix of Rayne Kangaroo Stew and VitalEssentials VitalCat raw rabbit patties. She also seems to feel much better on this all-wet diet than she did on Royal Canin Selected Protein venison kibble and canned (which she ate for years on an assumption of allergy, though it never remedied the soft stool). I've been sprinkling over her kangaroos stew saccharomyces boulardii (2.5 billion CFU per day) and Nutramax Proviable (one-half a capsule a day), down from 5 billion CFU SB and a full Proviable. She seems to be regressing just a little, the consistency of her stool sometimes uneven. I could restore the earlier, larger doses of supplements, in case that's causing the slight slip. But I'm wondering if anyone has used Align human probiotic, which I saw recommended on this site for IBD cats, or has had good look with another? Thoughts?

Also, her stool is sometimes uneven -- a section seeming rather dry, another (seemingly the last passed) softer, a more normal consistency. Does that indicate anything (other than that I should spend less time poking around in my cat's poop)?
 

tuxedokitties

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I don't know if this is any help, I've never used human probiotics for my cats, but the rescue I adopted one of our cats from recommended Purina's FortiFlora feline probiotic for him and it really helped firm up his stools. For an IBD cat it's probably best to check with your vet first, though.
 

stephanietx

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We have used Culturelle with our kitty and it works well. It seems to be stronger than s. boullardi and Proviable, so we give a lower amount and only once a day.
 

maggie101

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I give my cat Advita. Cheaper than fortiflora and better ingredients. Have you noticed what food causes soft stool or firm?
 
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Cate1124

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We have used Culturelle with our kitty and it works well. It seems to be stronger than s. boullardi and Proviable, so we give a lower amount and only once a day.
Thanks! Could you please link to the Culturelle product you use (I see a number of different formulations on Amazon) and specify what you mean by "a lower amount"? (Like, half a capsule daily?) My cat weighs 11.5 pounds. Do you not then also give s. boullardi?
 
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Cate1124

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I give my cat Advita. Cheaper than fortiflora and better ingredients. Have you noticed what food causes soft stool or firm?
Thanks. She's on the same food all the time -- Rayne Kangaroo stew (majority) and raw rabbit patties. The stool variations occur without any changes to diet, though she is outside for brief periods, and may munch on grass and such. She has also been mousing in the coop with periodic sucess (my geriatric hunter) but does not eat them.
 
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Cate1124

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I don't know if this is any help, I've never used human probiotics for my cats, but the rescue I adopted one of our cats from recommended Purina's FortiFlora feline probiotic for him and it really helped firm up his stools. For an IBD cat it's probably best to check with your vet first, though.
I've tried the FortiFlora before and not been impressed. And my vet suggested either it or the Proviable. Thank you, though!
 

LTS3

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Any Human probiotic will work. Here are some links that may help:


FortiFlora is only good to get inapptentant cats to eat because of the yummy taste. It's kind of useless as a pobiotic because the CFU of the one bacteria strain is too low. Human probiotics have mulitple strains and much higher CFU counts. I wouldn't start a cat on a super high CFU count of like 100 billion .That would likely cause an upset tummy. Start with a low CFU count, give a few weeks to "work", and then increase the CFU count a bit if you're not seeing any results.

Probiotics doesn't help with firm stool directly. It keeps good bacteria in the gut healthy and may help the body digest food better for firmer stool.

As long as the cat is pooping just fine with firm-ish stools I wouldn't worry about it. Your cat's poop consistency may be just normal for her. I would be more concerned with diarrhea or constipation.
 
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Cate1124

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Thank you! I appreciate the resources. Her "normal" for years was quite soft, sort of between pile and segment. This was while she was on Royal Canin Selected Protein venison kibble and canned, suggested by a vet on the assumption of food allergy. She liked it, but it never firmed her stool. It took getting her off kibble entirely and onto these two wet foods to do that, after a constellation of tests including ultrasound, that suggest mild IBD. My vet (and many others) is not a fan of raw diets for fear of infectious disease. Yet raw rabbit patties was the element that seemed to firm her stool, and of course a raw diet -- or at least an element of raw, as I'm feeding -- makes intuitive sense. I called VitalEssentials to talk about their safety protocol, and was satisfied. Raw-food companies know they'll be forced out of business in a hurry if they mess up with quality control.

Again, thanks.
 

LTS3

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You don't need the vet's approval to feed a raw diet. Many vets discourage raw diets because they've seen far too many clients feed such a diet inappropriately (ie not complete balanced) and the health issues associated with nutrient deficiencies.

My vet (and many others) is not a fan of raw diets for fear of infectious disease.
Meat safe for Human consumption is safe to feed to pets. Follow general raw meat handling and storing safety practices to minimize bacteria risk. There are raw meats processed specifically for pet food use that you can find at pet stores and places like Hare-Today.com

Commercial frozen and freeze dried raw pet food is safe to feed. Many companies have strict quality control practices and food processing safety protocols.
 
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Cate1124

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Agreed. Like human doctors, animal doctors don't get much training in nutrition. So while I respect my vet, I defer to my cat, and so far, she is telling me the VitalEssentials raw rabbit patties are good for her. :)
 

spazzie933

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I've tried the FortiFlora before and not been impressed. And my vet suggested either it or the Proviable. Thank you, though!
I was given Fortiflora from my vet for my cat who suffers from chronic constipation...he has become almost addicted to the powder that I sprinkle on his wet food daily (1 sachet as prescribed daily) and I read the ingredients list as he is drinking more water and peeing more though his recent SDMA test indicated no kidney issues. Is the Sodium selenite in the Fortiflora harmful? I am thinking of taking him off it? It's hard to get an appt. with a vet here but I will keep on it...very concerned. Any suggestions would be so appreciated...thank you from Spazzie and I !
 
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Cate1124

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I was given Fortiflora from my vet for my cat who suffers from chronic constipation...he has become almost addicted to the powder that I sprinkle on his wet food daily (1 sachet as prescribed daily) and I read the ingredients list as he is drinking more water and peeing more though his recent SDMA test indicated no kidney issues. Is the Sodium selenite in the Fortiflora harmful? I am thinking of taking him off it? It's hard to get an appt. with a vet here but I will keep on it...very concerned. Any suggestions would be so appreciated...thank you from Spazzie and I !
See LTS3 posts on probiotics above. Good advice. Look for a recommended human probiotic and start very slow, as they are much more potent than those for cats. In the meantime, you could try Proviable, which is superior to Fortflora -- a mediocre probiotic that, as LTS3 notes -- is valuable mostly as an appetite stimulant. The sodium question is interesting -- I haven't an answer -- and one more reason to not use Fortiflora as a probiotic in the prescribed quantities.
 
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