Imn confused about Probiotics???

Everyone has been a big help when it comes to my questions regarding Osiris. As some know I got Osiris about a month ago. He was a gassy little man with constant diarrhea. I seeked some advice on options to help harden his stool. Many suggested Probiotics... which I have been trying for a week, and in the process Osiris has gone from mushy poo to liquid diarrhea (sorry for the overshare). Im confused a little? Are probiotics used to help regulate, harden stool, or make them go more frequently. Ever since I started him on the probiotic he has gone from mushy to liquid. Today I didnt give him any, to see how things go. Poor little guy. When I asked the vet about the situation she told me it was diet, so I changed it from Fromm Duck A La Veg to Cal Natural Chicken and Rice (the vet knocked any other pet food other than royal canine and sd ) his gas has cut back from the diet change.

Im posting a link of the probiotic I chose... Could someone please explain this to me better? I thought this was suppose to help, or is Osiris just an odd ball?

http://www.animalessentials.com/moreinfo/enzyme.html

Thanks for any suggestions

It's one of two things. Either your kitkat is so full of bad bugs, the probiotics are killing them and causing this "die off" reaction, which should ease up within a week. He could also simply not tolerate the product.

I gave/give my kits regular probiotics that I take myself. Just open a capsule and sprinkle it out on a piece of paper (my desk) and my cat licks it up eagerly. In fact, she begs (screams) for it every day.

Hope you find some answers. Poor kitty must be uncomfortable.

Cally

I recommend Bene-Bac, which is JUST a probiotic; it is not combined with any types of digestive enzymes, unlike the product you gave him.

It firmed up Ferris' stools and helped his own gut do the digesting rather than putting additional enzymes into his digestive system to do the digesting for him.

Royal Canin is a pretty decent dry food, much better than SD, IMO, by the way, but Chicken & rice should be good, unless he is allergic to chicken.

What best helped fix Ferris' stool issues was switching him to a mostly grain-free diet. His poops are now healthy and firm, and I no longer feed him the Bene-Bac.

Ill have to look into that product. Ill try sticking it out for another week with the stuff I am giving him now (just to give it extra time before writing it off). Thanks for pointing out the possible con in the formula I am using. Would the vet be able to run some tests to determine any possible food allergies. He was taking to TIger and Nollee's EVO but there was no improvement with that either (I think it was too rich for him). Also I cut my kitties off of EVO (they were wasting it, because it goes stale).

Has he been on antibiotics to kill the "bad" bacteria? Probiotics replaces to "good" bacteria that is killed of from antibiotic use, or from stress,etc. Since he now has liquid diahrea, he may have too much "good" bacteria in his system. I found the folowing link that seems to explain it more simply, or it did for me anyway. I've never given them to a cat, but I do know how antibiotics work, and probiotics are just the opposite of them, I think.....

http://www.petmedicinechest.com/feli...alcondtext.asp

When I had his fecal exam everything came back fine.... Maybe that is the case, too much good bacteria??? So what you think I should do? Stick with it for another week or take him off and see how it goes from there. I cant even let Tiger around him now, because whenever they fight Osiris poo-sprays the place (He poo's when he gets scared).... So he is seperated at least until his stools take more of a solid form.

Well, I'm not that familiar with probiotics, but if it were me, I'd stop them. Too much good bacteria can be just as bad,if not worse that the bad bacteria. It's all about finding the right balance.

If you take him off of them and a different diet doesn't firm his stools, then I'd head back to the vet to recheck for parasites or infection. There are lots of things that won't show up in a stool sample,especially the first time.

I definitely think the probiotics have his system out of whack. But I'm not expert!

Uhhhh my poor little man. Im suprised he is as happy as he is, I wouldnt be if I were in his shoes. I think Im going to take him off a few days and watch his stool closely.

WHAT are the INACTIVE ingrediants in the probiotic???

I have to agree in such a youngster that digestive enzymes may not be a good thing

Originally Posted by sharky

WHAT are the INACTIVE ingrediants in the probiotic???

I have to agree in such a youngster that digestive enzymes may not be a good thing

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Sorry Its all they had at my local pet place (small shop) so I figured Id give it a whirl. Im learning it has more cons than pro's.

You did what a good meowmy would and got the only thing avail...

Originally Posted by sharky

You did what a good meowmy would and got the only thing avail...

Click to expand...

Yeah but I feel like a mean meowmy because the poor guy always has the runs. He is such a happy bugger, you'd think his bowel issues would tick him off or make him mad at me, but he could give a care. Im going to take him off for awhile. Should I avoid additional digestive enzymes if I decided to give probiotics another try? Or should I just skip the probiotics all together?

I would try a plain probiotic, without enzymes, herbs or anything else added. That can be a little harder to find than the more complex formulas, but in my experience it works better.

Yeah Im having a heck of a time... Ill have to visit petsmart or petco sometime this weekend, to take a look around.

find just a probiotic for him ... and check the inactive ingrediants ( avoid sucrose, lactose, dextrin as these are all sugars ....)

this is one I use for Gigi and myself

fortify by melaluca it has green tea and fruitosaccurides( a good sugar and fiber)

www.melaleuca.com

Many health food stores have similiar ...

I was unable to find plain probiotics in pet stores. The acidophilus that is the probiotics that humans take is not the same kind of bacteria in a cats stomach, so please avoid using one made for humans.

Bene-Bac is not too expensive and is in measured doses. You can get it online through Drs Foster & Smith.

As far as a "balance" goes, there is no such thing as "too much" GOOD bacteria in your intestines.

Originally Posted by GingersMom

I was unable to find plain probiotics in pet stores. The acidophilus that is the probiotics that humans take is not the same kind of bacteria in a cats stomach, so please avoid using one made for humans.

Click to expand...

Who told you this??? I ask since I have used human with multiple strains for yrs( about 20 with my animals) and my vet said they were just fine

Ill check into that Bene-Bac product. Im going to take him off the stuff I have in the mean time, to see what changes may or may not occur. Before i buy more stuff that may not benefit his issue (liquid stools).

I WOULDNT give him the human kind because I am unfamiliar with it, but thanks for the heads up!

Originally Posted by sharky

Who told you this??? I ask since I have used human with multiple strains for yrs( about 20 with my animals) and my vet said they were just fine

Click to expand...

I forget where I read it, but it was a while back, the beginning of the year, when Ferris was having his issues. I did read it online somewhere, that the bac inside cat intestines is different than human intestinal bac.



Personally, I avoid using anything made for humans on the cats if possible.

What probiotics do is provide enzymes and microbes that are normally obtained naturally either through food or created by the body and are using by the body to break down food so it can be properly digested. Commerically processed cat food is lacking most if not all enzymes and microbes that are naturally present in raw food because they are destroyed during processing. *If* a cat doesn't have a healthy level of gut flora to begin with, either genetically or possibly because of taking antibiotics, *and* doesn't get any help from the food she eats, diarrhea can result because the food can't be properly digested.

It could well be that his problem has nothing to do with an inbalance of gut flora in which case probiotics won't help.

I've never heard or read anyplace that taking probiotics can *cause* diarrhea. I've never heard of a problem with having "too much" good bacteria in the gut,