Probiotics

[artiemom]

Hi everyone.
I know there have been scores of threads regarding probiotics.I tried reading them and got confused.
Geoffrey needs one now. The antibiotic is giving him very soft stools.
In the past, we have used Proviable DC., Vet prescribed. None currently on hand.

What I am looking for is a probiotic which has no taste at all, and can be given once a day.

I have Now Probiotic, on hand for him. Gave him a tiny bit, as a starter, this morning.. Nope.. he tasted and smelt it in his food. UGH.,
Since he eats dry food, also, I need one for the once a day, morning dose.

It is so confusing..

I have a probiotic, which I take, but it is twice a day, capsules. I have not opened the capsules to see what the taste is. It is PB8---prescribed by my gastroenterologist.

Thanks in advance.

 

[IndyJones]

daftcat75 uses probiotics I believe for their cat Betty. Maybe they can provide some help.

 

[fionasmom]

Probiotics – IBDKitties

The one often mentioned on TCS is S boulardii which is discussed above. Many use the Jarrow brand.

Search Results for Query: s boulardii
You don't need to read through all of these threads, but there are various discussions here. I believe that daftcat75 mentioned that it has a bread like taste and smell, which may or may not work.

 

[daftcat75]

Hi everyone.
I know there have been scores of threads regarding probiotics.I tried reading them and got confused.
Geoffrey needs one now. The antibiotic is giving him very soft stools.
In the past, we have used Proviable DC., Vet prescribed. None currently on hand.

What I am looking for is a probiotic which has no taste at all, and can be given once a day.

I have Now Probiotic, on hand for him. Gave him a tiny bit, as a starter, this morning.. Nope.. he tasted and smelt it in his food. UGH.,
Since he eats dry food, also, I need one for the once a day, morning dose.

It is so confusing..

I have a probiotic, which I take, but it is twice a day, capsules. I have not opened the capsules to see what the taste is. It is PB8---prescribed by my gastroenterologist.

Thanks in advance.

Trying to give probiotics along side antibiotics is a losing battle. It’s futile since the antibiotics will kill the useful bacteria in probiotics just the same as the harmful bacteria. But it may also present a distraction to the antibiotics as a target is a target.

Instead, give him sacchromyces boulardii. It is a yeast-based probiotic that does not get killed off by antibiotics. It also does not colonize like bacteria-based probiotics meaning its effect wears off within a day or so of discontinuing it. In other words, it is extremely useful to fight off antibiotic-induced diarrhea until the antibiotics are finished up. Then, and only then should you start giving traditional probiotics again. The Jarrow brand with MOS is recommended.
My Cat Has Diarrhea - What Do I Do?

Of course, since you’re following along with Betty, I highly recommend the AnimalBiome Gut Restore Supplement (the poop pills) after Geoffrey has finished his antibiotics in order to reestablish his gut microbiome in a way that even high quality probiotics cannot achieve.

 

[daftcat75]

It does have a bready smell and taste to it. It is also tacky like dough when wet. That means if he doesn’t want to eat it mixed into his food or on its own, you can make a tight slurry using water and one of his favorite treats. You may even be able to roll some dampened kibble into the yeast to coat his dry pieces. He won’t have to eat very much of it. I would probably give him 1/2 capsule two to four times a day depending on how loose his stools are and how well it’s working. Krista loved the stuff. I think if Geoffrey had ever been fond of FortiFlora, he just may go for s boulardii as well. And if he doesn’t, you can save those capsules for the next time you go on a course of antibiotics. Works the same with people too.

 

[LTS3]

The Jarrow brand contains MOS which some cats don't like the taste of.

I've used Renew Life Ultimate Flora probiotics. Neither cat detected the powder in their food.

 

[daftcat75]

The Jarrow brand contains MOS which some cats don't like the taste of.

I've used Renew Life Ultimate Flora probiotics. Neither cat detected the powder in their food.

I don't think the MOS is the taste they object to. S. boulardii has a bready yeasty taste to it that probably far outweighs whatever taste the MOS has.

That Renew Life product is bacteria-based probiotic. It will be killed with every dose of the antibiotic and it may even reduce the effectiveness of the antibiotics by providing more friendly-fire targets.

S. boulardii is recommended during antibiotic use because it is yeast-based and won't be affected by the antibiotics. After the antibiotics have been finished or discontinued, then you can use a bacteria-based probiotic once more.

S. boulardii, being yeast-based, is going to have a yeasty flavor. Mix it with a little chicken broth or fish oil or sprinkle it over moistened dry food. It gets tacky when wet so you can roll a favorite treat in the stuff.

 

[Astragal14]

Trying to give probiotics along side antibiotics is a losing battle. It’s futile since the antibiotics will kill the useful bacteria in probiotics just the same as the harmful bacteria. But it may also present a distraction to the antibiotics as a target is a target.

I've always been told giving probiotics and antibiotics a few hours apart keeps the probiotic effective (I usually see two hours apart as a rule, I know some people wait longer, 3-4 hours... I'm in the latter group). Wouldn't the probiotic remain unaffected if given this way? Or does this depend on the type of probiotic strain(s)?

We've had Visbiome Vet recommended to us by many specialists and nutritionists and our IBD cat has had great success with it. He easily eats in in any food so I don't think it has a noticeable taste. And their shipping is very fast.
Visbiome® Vet

We've also used two other probiotics that are only available through our vet and these also work well (we rotate his probiotics). These also do not seem to have a noticeable taste. The Proviable Forte also comes as a kit which includes capsules and a paste, it may be worth discussing paste options with your vet.
Proviable®-Forte Kits For Cats - Proviable®
Entero Flora Pro

I've also seen Fera Pet Organics probiotic recommended here recently and it looks great, we're going to try this in our rotation soon.
FERA PET ORGANICS Probiotics with Organic Prebiotics for Dogs & Cats, 72-g - Chewy.com

 

[daftcat75]

I've always been told giving probiotics and antibiotics a few hours apart keeps the probiotic effective (I usually see two hours apart as a rule, I know some people wait longer, 3-4 hours... I'm in the latter group). Wouldn't the probiotic remain unaffected if given this way? Or does this depend on the type of probiotic strain(s)?

We've had Visbiome Vet recommended to us by many specialists and nutritionists and our IBD cat has had great success with it. He easily eats in in any food so I don't think it has a noticeable taste. And their shipping is very fast.
Visbiome® Vet

We've also used two other probiotics that are only available through our vet and these also work well (we rotate his probiotics). These also do not seem to have a noticeable taste. The Proviable Forte also comes as a kit which includes capsules and a paste, it may be worth discussing paste options with your vet.
Proviable®-Forte Kits For Cats - Proviable®
Entero Flora Pro

I've also seen Fera Pet Organics probiotic recommended here recently and it looks great, we're going to try this in our rotation soon.
FERA PET ORGANICS Probiotics with Organic Prebiotics for Dogs & Cats, 72-g - Chewy.com

Separation of probiotics and antibiotics may work for that separated dose. But the antibiotics will still kill the probiotics. They won’t have a chance to colonize and do their thing with the antibiotics coming through and busting up the place. Use s. boulardii during antibiotic use. Then you can resume regular probiotics after the antibiotics are finished or discontinued.

Even better than probiotics, especially after antibiotic use, is fecal microbiota transplant pills, aka poop pills. Dried poop from carefully screened healthy donor cats in stomach acid resistant capsules helps reseed a cat’s microbiome in ways a probiotic cannot. Probiotics only have a few strains and often not enough to colonize. But there are other organisms in the microbiome that aren’t present in probiotics such as bacteriodes—bacteria eating organisms that can help reduce inflammation. My Betty did so well with the first month of this supplement. Unfortunately her imbalance was severe enough that a second month is needed. And while I was waiting on the test result from after her first month, the hairballs returned for the two weeks she was off the supplement. As of Saturday, she’s back on for another month. I feel better when she’s taking these pills. They treat her well and I know she’s getting a proper dose. I also don’t have to mix anything into her food. And the company who makes these pills also provide testing to see where we’re at and compare to where we came from. It’s fascinating. Not only do I see a subjective improvement in her appetite, nausea, and reduction of hairballs, but I see objective improvements in the before and after tests. She’s not there yet. But her gut is going in the right direction. I look forward to seeing what a second month does for her.

Restore the Microbiome – AnimalBiome