I would like to start giving these to my cats. I read somewhere you can give them plain yogurt with live cultures mixed with their food. Is this true, and if so how much per day?
I have given yogurt with active cultures to kittens with digestive issues before, but I am not sure about long term use- Hopefully someone else will have an answer to that specific question.
I am going to ask a mod to move your thread to the Cat Nutrition section where it will be seen by more of the right people. Good luck as you begin your research!
I don't use that particular probiotic, but I do use a 30 Billion CFU, and I give them each 1 capsule per day, just open up the capsule and mixed into their wet food. Some people divide it between two meals, some don't.
As far using yogurt, I have only used it when I've noticed my cats having loose stools, which hasn't been for a very long time (since prior to starting them on probiotics). At that time, I would just have them lick a small amount off my finger and that would be it. Not too scientific
, but it seemed to do the trick, however, I much prefer giving them a measured amount from a capsule.
So I decided to get Mercola Complete Probiotics for my kitties (Stella 5yrs. and Nyx 6 months) as well as the Mercola Digestive Enzymes and Ascenta Health Feline Omega 3. Stella, my older kitty will still need to get L-lysine like she has been getting. These are all available at my local Vitamin Shoppe. Is this combo ok for the both of them? I want to transfer then both back to Evo all stages canned food because I can get a lot more for way less then the Wellness Core and they are available in bigger cans (plus they both really like it). However, even though Evo is a good brand IMO, they don't have the same beneficial ingredients as Wellness Core. Also I want to make sure I don't over supplement them. I'm trying to do everything I can to build up Nixie's immune system incase she catches Stella's herpes, as well as Stella's so she can fight it off better. Since coming home from the vet, Nixie's had a dull coat full of dander and has been shedding like crazy. I just want to do whatever I need to do make them healthy and happy. List/Info on supplements-
Did you get the Mercola probiotics or digestive enzymes or both? Your message says you got both, but the links are two for Mercola probiotics.
I don't know about feeding the combination, but I thought I'd mention that the Mercola digestive enzymes are pancreatic enzymes. Digestive enzymes are activated by the pH in the intestinal tract. Pancreatic enzymes are active in a higher pH environment (less acidic) than plant enzymes. They must, however, survive a lower pH environment before they get to the part of the intestinal tract where they become active. Plant enzymes are active in a broader range of pH, so they are the usual choice. Pancreatic enzymes do have their place in treating pancreatic diseases, but are typically not used unless specifically needed.
I recently switched to Dr. Mercola Complete Probiotics for my cat Sebastian who has pancreatitis and suspected IBD. I like that it has very few fillers. I opted not to give him digestive enzymes for a few reasons, but found that an omega-3 supplement (currently using fish oil) is benefiting him.
I was going to get both, but I decided I want to start getting my kitty stuff from chewy.com (food, litter, etc.). So it would be covenant to get their supplements there also. I'm disabled and can't always leave the house so monthly delivery is perfect for us. I was wondering if any of you get your supplements there or if you can recommend any (probiotics, and fish oil) from them. I'm just going to get those 2 because I don't want to overload their systems... will start with just probiotics for about 1 weeks then add fish oil if all goes well.