Dog Probiotics: What to Expect in the First Two Weeks

If your dog is going to react at all, it will usually show up in the first three to five days as slightly looser stools or a bit more wind. It normally settles on its own. Starting at a quarter scoop rather than a full one makes it much less likely to happen in the first place.

Petz Park Probiotics for Dogs carries the instruction on the pack for exactly this reason: start with a quarter scoop, then build up over a few days.

A probiotic adds beneficial organisms to a gut that already has its own established population. Prebiotic fibres feed them. Both things shift what is happening in the digestive tract, so a short adjustment is normal rather than a sign something has gone wrong.

Petz Park Probiotics for Dogs contains inulin as well as green banana fibre. Prebiotic fibres are fermented in the large intestine, which produces gas. That is where the extra wind comes from in the first few days.

• Slightly softer stools. Common in the first three to five days. Formed but softer than usual.
• A bit more wind. Usually the fibres rather than the organisms.
• A bigger appetite or a bit more interest in food. Some owners notice this. Nothing to do about it.
• No change at all. Also completely normal. Plenty of dogs show nothing in the first fortnight.

• Watery diarrhoea, particularly if it goes on beyond a couple of days.
• Vomiting.
• Blood or mucus in the stool.
• Lethargy or going off food.

None of these is a typical adjustment. Stop the probiotic if any of them appear.

Start at a quarter scoop. Build up over four or five days rather than going straight to the full dose. Give it with food rather than on its own. If the stools soften, hold at the current amount for a few more days before increasing again rather than stopping altogether.

If you have already started at a full scoop, drop back to a quarter and build up from there.

Some owners notice a change within a few days. Others take longer, particularly where the reason for starting was itchy skin or paw licking rather than digestion. Petz Park suggests allowing four to six weeks before judging it.

Gut changes and skin changes work on different timescales. Digestion tends to respond first.

This is the question that brings most people to this page, so it is worth separating two situations.

A dog with an occasional soft stool after a diet change, a stressful weekend or a course of antibiotics is the situation probiotics are designed for. There is reasonable research behind this in dogs.

A dog with ongoing diarrhoea is a different situation. That needs a diagnosis rather than a supplement. A probiotic is not a substitute for one.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii is a yeast rather than a bacterium. That distinction is useful because antibiotics do not affect yeast the way they affect bacteria.

Most probiotic bacteria are knocked back by a course of antibiotics, which is why the usual advice is to space them apart. The yeast component is unaffected. It is one of the reasons the blend includes it.

Per 1.7g scoop:

Probiotics: Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus coagulans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii, beta glucans Prebiotics: Inulin, green banana fibre Total: 2.3 billion CFU per scoop

Bacillus subtilis alongside Bacillus coagulans are spore forming, which means they survive stomach acid without needing refrigeration or a coating. The combination of probiotics with prebiotic fibres is what makes it a synbiotic rather than a probiotic alone.

It is grain free. It suits any age or breed. Safe use in pregnant dogs or dogs intended for breeding has not been established.

Stop the probiotic if there is watery diarrhoea beyond a couple of days, vomiting, blood in the stool or your dog goes off food. Speak to your vet if any of those appear. Do the same if the reason you started has not improved after six weeks.