Should I Give A Probiotic . What?

[fiveplusone]

My GSP has just started a course of norvoclav post stitches for a cut. Id like to prevent any antibiotic diarrhoea if possible. What can I/should I give him?

Thanks

[The Spotted Devil]

There's no point giving a probiotic until he's finished his course of antibiotics. You can either use a good yoghurt or a commercial probiotic for dogs - the name escapes me right now. But it will be back!

ETA: Protexin is the one I use

Edited December 31, 2016 by The Spotted Devil

[westiemum]

Protexin here too. There was a thread I think I started a while back on probiotics. Has really helped my Sarah who tends to have a dicky tummy at the best of times.

[sas]

Kefir here, home made, cheap :)

Click here for info on how to make

Edited January 8, 2017 by sas

[westiemum]

sas your link isn't working. And fivers don't forget good old greek yoghurt - I think it helps my old girl a lot.

[Boronia]

i thought the same WM but the page does appear if you wait 10 seconds or so.

I have copied and pasted it anyway

Gut Health Superhero | Kefir

December 1, 2016

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Sacha Packer

I've always been a great supporter of raw green tripe for gut health because after my Dane spent the first year of his life with an upset tummy no matter what kibble we tried (we keep giant breed puppies on a kibble vs raw due to growth challenges). We introduced raw green tripe and it was an overnight improvement, however law makers have made it impossible to obtain green tripe untreated, the most common form of treatment is washing it in 60 degrees water which effectively kills off the Lactobacillus Acidophilus bacteria, one of the bacterial 'good guys'. Since the regulation of washing tripe has been enforced I have found that it's just not cutting the mustard for my dogs so I needed something else...

Along came Kefir, a fermented milk product I could make at home and if I, one of the most undomesticated people on the planet can do it, you can too!

Several varieties of probiotic bacteria are found in Kefir products such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens, Lactococcus lactis, and Leuconostoc species so in reality, it probably kicks Tripe's butt on some levels.

A good friend had been using Kefir for a long time and gave me some Kefir grains that I would need to get the ball rolling. If you don't have a friend who can give you Kefir grains you can buy starter kits online or from your local health food shop.

Apart from obtaining Kefir grains, the only other thing you will need is milk, the preference is Raw Goats Milk if you can get it but if not opt for an Organic full milk such as Paul's or Woolworth's Macro range.

You'll need some glass jars, 1 for developing your Kefir and 1 for storing it in the fridge. You may like to make more than one batch at a time and if that's the case you'll need more containers. There is debate in the Kefir community about 'metal' as some believe it is detrimental to the Kefir so you'll want to obtain a wooden spoon and plastic sieve if you don't have one already.

Like anything you start off with a small amount and then build up. The Kefir grains remove the lactose from the milk so you shouldn't have any digestive issues with it.

The general guidelines are as follows:

Small dogs or cats: 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon

Medium size dogs: 1-2 tablespoons

Large dogs: 2-3 tablespoons

My good friend who got me onto Kefir feeds her Great Dane a lunch time snack of 1 cup of Kefir, so I have followed that lead but I give 1/2 a cup with breakfast and dinner. You can also freeze your Kefir to make yummy ice blocks for your dog.

The general gist

To make the perfect gut health superhero, you'll want to to do the 2 step process which includes a 2nd fermentation vs the 1 step process as outlined in the video below. The 2nd fermentation period is to increase bacterial content plus added vitamins and minerals, reduced lactose content, or simply for the improvement in flavor.

How to video

We've made an in-depth video for you on each step of the process,

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