Imn confused about Probiotics???

littleraven7726

littleraven7726

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Originally Posted by GingersMom

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.
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that's weird. they always recommend yogurt, which has the same thing as my acidophilis capsules.


i only use probiotics for a couple days after nabu or stimpy have been on antibiotics (they don't handle antibiotics well). nabu won't eat yogurt, while stimpy LOVES stoneyfield farms organic yogurt.
 
taterbug

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Originally Posted by mschauer

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,
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As I stated, I have no experience with probiotics and I don't think I said they caused diarrhea, only that having an imbalance can throw a system out of whack, just as not having enough good bacteria can do. The research I have done on it states:

Probiotics' side effects, if they occur, tend to be mild and digestive (such as gas or bloating). More serious effects have been seen in some cases. Probiotics might theoretically cause infections that need to be treated with antibiotics, especially in those with underlying health conditions. They could also cause unhealthy metabolic activities, too much stimulation of the immune system, or gene transfer (insertion of genetic material into a cell).
 
mschauer

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That your older cat might be stressing him is a possibility I guess. I've heard stress can cause diarrhea but I don't have any experience with this.

The supplement you are using *looks* OK ingredient wise to me although as others have stated the web site doesn't list the inactive ingredients. Given the purpose of the product I would suspect the inactive ingredients would be choosen so as to not possibly cause such a problem.

It certainly wouldn't hurt to try another probiotic. I would definately try one at this point that others have had success with though.
 
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The problem may not have anything to do with bacteria. I agree that it might be necessary to change him to a different food. Or take him to a vet for further check-ups... maybe he is allergic to something, or has some other problem.

In the meantime, one good short-term cure for loose bowels is to give the cat canned pumpkin (the plain kind, not the kind with spices in it). Mix one spoonful of the pumpkin into his wet food every day for three days. The fiber usually helps a great deal.
 
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trixie23

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Originally Posted by emmylou

The problem may not have anything to do with bacteria. I agree that it might be necessary to change him to a different food. Or take him to a vet for further check-ups... maybe he is allergic to something, or has some other problem.

In the meantime, one good short-term cure for loose bowels is to give the cat canned pumpkin (the plain kind, not the kind with spices in it). Mix one spoonful of the pumpkin into his wet food every day for three days. The fiber usually helps a great deal.
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I havent given him any wet food yet... Im afraid
. I have Felidae Chicken and Rice wet at home. I did change his food almost two weeks ago. His former owner had him on Fromm Duck A La Veg and I changed it to Cal Natural Chicken and Rice.
 
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Changing the food can cause upset stomachs. Was he having this problem on the old food? If not, feed him that.

You can still give the pumpkin if you're not feeding wet food. Try holding the spoon out to see if the cat will lick it... some will. Or else mix it in with some of his dry food and leave that out until he's eaten it all.
 
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trixie23

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Originally Posted by emmylou

Changing the food can cause upset stomachs. Was he having this problem on the old food? If not, feed him that.
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He was having major issues with the food his former owner had him on... I gradually switched him to the Cal Natural... His stools improved from diarrhea to mushy stool... Once I started using the probiotic things went back to diarrhea.

He'd eat the pumpkin no problem. Im wondering if his former owner used to give him people food? Whenever we have dinner we have to put him in another room because he tries to get at our food and begs (like a dog). I dont give any of my cats people food (2 of em despise just the smell of it) so Im not sure where that behavior came from?
 
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I can sympathize, I'm going thru the same thing with my cat Moose. He has started to gain weight but the diarrhea persists. He loves the sd for sensitive stomachs but is growing tired of hills prescriptive id wet food. Have you tried the pumpkin yet?
 
mschauer

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It's probably worth mentioning that the quality of the probiotic supplement you use can be important. The microbes contained in them are believed to be most effective when live. A study tested a number of probiotic supplements and found they contained vastly different amounts of live vs dead microbes and also that the amount of microbes as stated on the label could vary considerably from the actual. However, the study also found that even the "dead" microbes seemed to provide some benefit.

This is another reason why if you are considering trying another probiotic supplement you might want to try one that others in these forums have personal experience with.

Be sure to let us know what you try and what the results are. This seems to be a fairly common problem and the more information we have the better.
 
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Just curious, but could you ask your vet if they checked the stool sample for coccidia? That was what initially caused really bad gas problems and somewhat loose stools in my kitten Lily. She improved a lot after that was treated, but apparently has a sensitive stomach as she has continuing issues. I experimented with her food and Cal Nat chicken and Nutro both work well for her, Cal Nat a bit better, probably the simplistic formula. Hopefully it will work for you, it does take time for the gut to settle down. Also, whenever I switch foods (slowly, of course) I have to mix Benebac into her canned food, otherwise she has really bad gas problems again.

I've found Benebac at pet stores, but I like the dial-a-dose version I got from the vet a lot better. It's easier to handle that way.
 
sharky

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Originally Posted by Naturestee

Just curious, but could you ask your vet if they checked the stool sample for coccidia? That was what initially caused really bad gas problems and somewhat loose stools in my kitten Lily. She improved a lot after that was treated, but apparently has a sensitive stomach as she has continuing issues. I experimented with her food and Cal Nat chicken and Nutro both work well for her, Cal Nat a bit better, probably the simplistic formula. Hopefully it will work for you, it does take time for the gut to settle down. Also, whenever I switch foods (slowly, of course) I have to mix Benebac into her canned food, otherwise she has really bad gas problems again.

I've found Benebac at pet stores, but I like the dial-a-dose version I got from the vet a lot better. It's easier to handle that way.
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the dial a dose can often be found at feed stores also
 
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Really? None of the feed stores around me have it. Then again, nearly all of the feed stores around me only carry crud like Purina Cat Chow. I'll have to look closer in the good one, I go there for bunny litter anyway.
 
sharky

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Originally Posted by Naturestee

Really? None of the feed stores around me have it. Then again, nearly all of the feed stores around me only carry crud like Purina Cat Chow. I'll have to look closer in the good one, I go there for bunny litter anyway.
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check in the goat section
... one has it in the dog/cat ... the other in the goat
 
mschauer

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FYI:

I just got an email from a woman who got a bengal from the same group of rescues I got Coco from. Her cat also has had loose stools since she got him; like Coco did before I put her on probiotics. She says for the first week she tried the probiotic supplement he had diarrhea. After that it got better and she is now cautiously adding dry food to his diet and it is going well.

I wonder if introducing the probiotic very slowly would help avoid the diarrhea??

She says he doesn't have the loose stool if she feeds him raw.

Oh yeah, she uses the Eagle Pack Holistic Solution.
 
sharky

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Originally Posted by mschauer

FYI:

I just got an email from a woman who got a bengal from the same group of rescues I got Coco from. Her cat also has had loose stools since she got him; like Coco did before I put her on probiotics. She says for the first week she tried the probiotic supplement he had diarrhea. After that it got better and she is now cautiously adding dry food to his diet and it is going well.

I wonder if introducing the probiotic very slowly would help avoid the diarrhea??

She says he doesn't have the loose stool if she feeds him raw.

Oh yeah, she uses the Eagle Pack Holistic Solution.
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Yes introducing slow can help... MOST probiotics supplements have a warning about too much to quick...If he does well on raw may i ask why she doesnt just give him raw??
 
mschauer

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Originally Posted by sharky

Yes introducing slow can help... MOST probiotics supplements have a warning about too much to quick...If he does well on raw may i ask why she doesnt just give him raw??
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She wants to be able to put dry down for when she knows she won't be getting home until late or when she is a away for a day or two.
 
sharky

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have her ask a vet but


start with half the dose recommended and then work up .. like changing foods ..
 
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