Probiotic Dog Foods
What to know before you buy

You may have heard all about the benefits of probiotics for dogs. So, naturally, you want a dog food that already has probiotics in it, right?

This is a mistake.

For a number of reasons, a processed dog food is the worst source of probiotics for your dog. We'll highlight all the reasons why below. But first, it's important to know the difference between probiotic foods, probiotic supplements, and dog foods claiming to contain probiotics.

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Probiotic Foods

What are the best foods that have probiotics for dogs?

Probiotic foods, such as kefir, yogurt, and miso, can be given to dogs. Some people even put kombucha in their dog's food. We don't consider any of these to be ideal sources of probiotics for dogs. Neither do we consider them to be biologically appropriate.

Probiotic foods may be safe, but will not offer the highest benefit for the canine microbiota. In the worst case, the addition of inappropriate ingredients to the diet could stress the digestive system of your dog. In the best case scenario, the probiotic food will do very little to enhance your dog's health. Cultured foods will not provide the necessary concentrations to colonize the intestinal tract and elicit a beneficial response.

Dog Foods with Probiotics

What is the best probiotic dog food?

While probiotic dog foods have been popping up all over the place in recent years, there appears to be no probiotic dog foods that deliver a sufficient amount of microorganisms. A dog food with probiotics baked right in may sound like a great idea, but unfortunately it's not a reality. As much as we would love this, too, the research shows that it's surprisingly common for probiotic dog foods to have very little, if any, probiotics at all. This is true for veterinary dog foods as well. [1]

As outlined in the table below, there are a number of reasons why dog foods are a terrible source for probiotics. When it comes to dog foods, there are serious quality concerns when it comes to active cultures.[2]

What about probiotic treats?

Same story. Dog treats are processed foods, and any probiotic content in them would be subject to contamination and destruction through manufacturing. It's highly unlikely that there is any significant amount of living healthy bacteria in any processed treat. In fact, if you have a look at the facts label of any probiotic treat, you may notice a host of other "tummy stabilizers", such as, pumpkin, various flours, and/or animal digest. Some of these ingredients may be all fine and good, but they are not probiotics. You're paying for probiotics. Your dog should be getting the benefits of probiotics.

Probiotic Supplements

Supplements are the only dependable way to get probiotics to your dog and enhance the canine microbiome. The best supplements contain significant colonies of probiotic microorganisms that survive manufacuring all the way to the end of the shelf-life of the product. At that time, there remains a sufficient number of stable bacteria that resists the acid and bile of the gastrointestinal tract and colonizes the gut. This is when the beneficial effects are realized by your dog.

Strict labeling and manufacturing guidelines in the United States ensure that supplements provide what they say. In contrast, dog foods and treats are not upheld to the same standards for efficacy. Hence, hundreds of people surveyed who thought they were serving a dog food with probiotics, didn't get good results. But, once they added a probiotic supplement to the dog food, they got amazing results.

What probiotic supplements are best for dogs?

When it comes to probiotics and dogs, there is no one-size-fits-all supplement, but there are some very good ones made specifically for canine health. Your dog's gut is it's own ecosystem and each dog will react differently to the introduction of probiotics. There may be some trial and error involved, but we've done some of the research for you to give you a good start.

How to pick the best dog probiotic →

A Study on Probiotics in Commercial Dog Foods

Lastly, the quote below is from a scientific study which tested the efficacy of live bacteria in dog foods. All the products tested claimed to have probiotics. In summary, they fell short. Many did not contain the species they claimed, some contained other types of bacteria not even listed on the package, and some contained potentially hazardous pathogens. And in some cases, no living probiotics were found in the food at all.

Best raw freeze dried dog foods →

EXCERPT:

"Nineteen diets were tested. Thirteen were for dogs and 6 were for cats. All claimed to contain specific organisms or probiotics. Two products listed 1 or more bacterial species as ingredients, while 12 listed fermentation products of probiotic species, and 5 listed both organisms and fermentation products. One product claimed to contain Streptococcus faecium, which was reclassified as Enterococcus faecium in 1984 (7). Five products misspelled 1 of the listed species. Bacterial growth was present in all products; however, as the purpose of this study was to evaluate the contents of the diets compared with those claimed on the label, no attempt was made to identify organisms that were not included on the list of ingredients. No products contained all of the claimed organisms, while 1 or more of the listed contents were isolated from 10 out of 19 (53%) products (Table 1). Eleven products contained additional, related organisms, including Pediococcus spp, which were isolated from 4 products. Five (26%) products did not contain any relevant growth. Interpretation of these results is confounded somewhat by the questionable labeling of some products. Twelve diets listed only specific bacterial fermentation products (L. acidophilus fermentation product) as ingredients, while 5 diets claimed to contain both specific organisms and fermentation products. Fermentation products of lactic acid bacteria or bacilli are typically included as a source of enzymes. This does not necessarily indicate that live organisms are present and, based on the definition provided above, these would not be considered to be probiotics." [1]

Bottom Line

To enhance the canine microbiome, the answer is to provide a quality supplement immediately prior to serving your dog's meal. Some expensive probiotic-fortified foods may be well-meaning, but miss the mark when it comes to delivering the real thing. If you're paying for "extra", you should get the "extra". There are a number of good probiotic formulas among the masses that are good for your pet. We've done some research for you, have a look.

How to Identify a Quality Dog Probiotic →