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Probiotics For Dogs And Cats: 5 Myths You Should Know
The addition of pet probiotics to many health and wellness regimens for pets is relatively new. But since their appearance, a lot of myths about them have spread.

There are five major myths about pet probiotics, which you should know.

Myth 1 The probiotics will cure you of everything.
Administering probiotics will not ensure that your pet is healthy. There are still few scientific studies on how probiotics interact with pets. Burns DeMarle claims that, because we are not familiar with the microbiome complexity in dogs and cat species, there is a lack of knowledge about probiotics' true benefits. There have been numerous studies looking into the efficacy or these products with our small companion animals and the results are very variable.

She added that she does believe that probiotics could positively impact the health of her patients, and that they are not harmful. "I definitely think that probiotics have the potential to be helpful. Did I use them for my patients' treatment? Absolutely."

Myth 2 Probiotics are all the same.
The variety and amount of bacteria living in the microbiome of our pets are simply astounding. Probiotics do not have the same effect on all hosts.

Burns DeMarle provides an example to illustrate how that works in reality: "There has been a number of studies in the literature evaluating the use or probiotics as a treatment for various health conditions in dogs and cats," Burns DeMarle states. Enterococcus facium has shown to increase diversity of bacteria among dogs with IBD. Other possible uses include feline herpesvirus infections, chronic kidney failure, and canine allergic dermatitis.

Burns DeMarle agrees with the idea that it's worth trying pet probiotics. But that doesn’t mean you can use any probiotic. Pet owners can either ask their veterinarians for advice or look up the strains which are effective in treating their pet's specific health issues. To measure any impact, track the health changes you see and note how long and how much probiotics were taken.

Myth 3 The probiotic industry is highly regulated
Hamilton and Burns DeMarle point out that probiotics don't have good regulation and that pet parents shouldn't believe everything they see on the label.

"Probiotics, unlike drugs, are not as strictly regulated." Burns DeMarle points out that Burns DeMarle has found that many products' labels make claims which are not supported by the appropriate research.

Hamilton adds several companies are manufacturing untested probiotics. Hamilton further states that the strains stated on the bottle might not be the strains contained in the bottle.

A study in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association shows that only 2 out of 13 probiotics have labels that accurately describe the kinds of organisms or concentrations contained within the products. [5]


In the absence regulations to protect consumers from deceptive and misleading probiotics claims on labels, the amount of detailed information on the label is one of the best ways for pet parents to identify a trustworthy manufacturer. Look for labels containing "specific (and validated) bacterial (genus- and species-names), with no typos and a clearly stated number of expected viable organisms." [7]

Myth number 4: The live cultures counted at the moment of manufacture will be the live cultures you get.
The probiotics have to still be living in order for them be effective. Many commercially-available probiotics will claim each dose had a certain number of live cultures "at the time of manufacture." This is a misleading claim because that number is not necessarily true by the time the probiotic reaches the consumer. By the time a supplement reaches consumers, more than half of those cultures may be dead. It's a huge red flag if a pet owner sees these words on a product label.

This is not the first time that probiotics lack regulation. Medical professionals call for an improvement in quality control when it comes to probiotics.

Myth 5 Probiotic supplements are just as beneficial as all pet food that contains probiotics.
Veterinarians are concerned that some pet foods that advertise the inclusion of "live culture" may not be able to deliver on their promise. In order to keep probiotics viable, pet food manufacturers need to pay careful attention during the manufacturing process, as well as shipping and storage.

If the idea that pet food is probiotic sounds appealing to you then do your research. Make sure the word "probiotics", which appears on the packaging, is not just an advertising buzzword. https://pawsaday.com/5-myths-about-probiotics-for-dogs/ Look for the words "strain stability" and "has the product been tested?" to see if it has been proven that the probiotics will survive the commercial manufacturing process. A pet food of high quality, made by a reputable manufacturer who has paid attention to the research and development process, is more than likely to contain probiotics that are viable.

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