Probiotics for kitten question?

Question

My vet advised me to mix probiotics with my kitten's food b/c she has terrible gas. I'm all for probiotics and take them myself but when I got to the checkout, it's $20 for a month's supply!!! That's way more than my own. Can I just give her what I take? If so, how much is good? THanks!!

Answer 1

Try some plain yogurt - but be sure to get the ones that are labeled as having active cultures.  Much cheaper, and will work the same way.  

But if she's so gassy - it very well could be what you are feeding her.  If you are feeding her something from the grocery store, it's got lots of fillers in it that cats cannot digest well.  Corn is the primary ingredient in most grocery store dry foods - and it's the source of many tummy issues.   Try feeding her a food that is free of corn, and preferably free of by-products as well, and the gassiness will very likely go away.  Take a trip to the pet store, read the labels, and buy something that's free of corn - that's corn, corn meal, and corn gluten.    

I have one cat who CANNOT tolerate food with any amount of corn in it.  NONE.  If he eats it, you cannot stand to be in the same room with him, it affects him that badly.  What little dry food we feed has to be grain free, or nearly grain free.  It really can make a huge difference.

Answer 2

Giving cats human probiotics won't hurt them, but I've heard it's not the right type so it may not help.

You could go with just plain old acidopholous if that's less expensive.

My blog on probiotics follows:

Probiotics:

Jarrow Pet Dophilus (powder) (http://www.cheapvitamins.com/Product/Pet...

UAS Labs Probioplus DDS (capsules) (http://www.evitamins.com/product.asp?pid...

Vitamin Shoppe Ultimate 10 Probiotic (capsules) (http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/br...

MultiAcidophilus with FOS - 4 billion active cells, non dairy (Natural Factors) (http://www.luckyvitamin.com/068958018409...

Sedona Labs, iFlora Multi-Probiotic Powder

(http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx...

Garden of Life Primal Defense

(http://www.garden-of-life.biz/primal-def...

Probiotics can aid with digestion. They can be useful when dealing with gas or loose stool. Per my new vet, probiotics are a good thing to add to any cat's diet. She recommends using them only 2-3 times per week rather than daily, and not necessarily in the recommended amount (meaning less not more).

When you start using them, you should add just a pinch to the food, and then gradually increase that if the cat is tolerating it without any smelly side effects.

Dosage: I'm not measuring it, but I guess I add about 1/4 tsp. I dispense this 3 days per week.

My vet also suggested varying the brands from time to time. As you finish one bottle, try another.

How to choose: My vet also suggested not using one made for humans only because it may not be the right kind of bacteria. Avoid Saccharomyces boulardii which is from yeast. It should be dairy free, contain more than one type of bacteria, have a high number of organisms and few additives. The first two listed above are the ones I've chosen to use. They were recommended by the users in Whole Cat Health. The other two were also suggested by users of that group, but not as highly.

Answer 3

Just use plain (not flavored) yogurt.  It's the exact same thing, costs less, and is all natural.

Answer 4

NOOO!  Never give ANY medications to any pet without direct dosage, OK, and supervision of your Vet.

EDIT: sorry I had to leave this unfinished as someone was at my door.  



I started to go on to say that my sister was giving Probiotics to her cat and had a really bad time with it.  We never figured out why but I guess we have been a little shy about it ever since.   It was awhile ago and since this posted, I chose to read some sites and new info on this subject.  Thank you for helping to better educate myself as well.