I'm all confused about Probiotics and my cat's health

Hi. New here and hoping or some insight/answers/help.   I have two Tortie girls. Touky has been having tummy/poop issues for many years. She is approx. 13 yrs. old. About 6 yrs ago she got ill and vet did bloodwork and said she had something "like" eColi but not exactly. She was given a 2 week shot of antibiotics a couple of times and it did seem to work it's way out of her system for the most part. She never did get back to the nice firm poops, tho. I have since moved from that area and vet.

In new area, she had most of her teeth removed about a year ago. My bad. Eating picked up, tho, since both of them swallow the little kibble whole anyway. She's up to a nice 8 lbs now.

BUT, the last few months, her poops have been anywhere between almost firm and runny. A couple of times she has been in the living room and let out a yelp and just pooped where she was. Much to my delight! Since losing her teeth she has been grooming a lot but not to the point of pulling fur out (which she can't anyway), Thought maybe hairballs were getting stuck in her gut. But, she does vomit them up now and then and in the liquid part I always see the grainy remnants of the dry food. She's also gone in the box to poop a few times but nothing happened. She's been on Purina One Sensitive Systems for years now. Makes me sick to have to feed her that but, it's all I can afford. Neither of the girls like canned food. I've spent hundreds in the last 10 years trying to get them on a better quality food. They just don't like it.

Took her to vet to see what they had to say. No parasites in poop sample. Looks good, good weight. Said maybe some IBS? Told me to keep giving her Laxatone and sold me a box of FortiFlora. Also found a couple sample bags of Science Diet, which personally, I don't think is any better than Purina. Particularly since it is mostly grains and meal. Said the Purina One was just fine for her. The last couple of days she decided she doesn't like the laxatone/FF stuff anymore. Of course.

Been reading a lot of comments about probiotics here and think I should try something with more than just the one pb that the FortiFlora has. This is where I'm confused. I get that a human type would probably be best. I am on Social Security so need something very affordable and still has the stuff she may need. I also need to know exactly how much to give her and the best way to give it. And I need to order from the internet.

Sooooo sorry for the length and possible confusion of this post. I have bad anxiety which makes my brain function sub par and you wouldn't believe how I worry about my girls. Thanks a million if you made this far!

Jan, Touky and Meka

Sorry your kitty's been having troubles! My cat has had trouble with idiopathic constipation, and probiotics have made the biggest difference of anything I've tried. I agree that Floriforta isn't the best probiotic option. It only has one strain, and it's not the most effective one. From what I've gathered, L. acidophilus is the most important strain for gut problems like diarrhea, constipation, and IBS. (If you want to use probiotics to help cure a parasite or infection, S. boulardii is the most effective). Because cats have more acidic stomachs, they need a relatively high concentration of probiotics.

I started with a pet-formulated probiotic that had all different strains and it worked really well, but it was expensive so when I ran out I switched to this: http://www.vitacost.com/nutrition-now-pb-8-pro-biotic-acidophilus-for-life-14-billion-120-capsules

I keep it refrigerated. I open up the capsule and dump half the powder into my cat's wet food in the morning, and then use the second half of the capsule for her evening meal. (She's about 12 lbs.) She seems to like the taste of the powder just fine, but if you need to disguise it I'd suggest mixing it with a spoonful of meat baby food (no garlic or onion), which most cats love. 

The PB 8 probiotic seems to work just as well for my cat as the special expensive probiotic did, so I'm very happy with it. There are 120 capsules, so at one capsule a day the $12 bottle will last for 4 months! When trying other constipation remedies in the past, I noticed that my cat reacted poorly to anything with cellulose in it, so I made sure to find something without cellulose and this fit the bill. She also really likes the taste of the gelatin capsule, so I let her eat the empty capsule sometimes as a "treat."

Here's a thread you may find informative: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/262587/probiotics-search-human-grade-and-cfus

There is also this: http://www.foodfurlife.com/use-probiotics-in-cats.html

Thanks so much for your reply and info! I think that what you are using would be a good start for Touky. I can always get something a bit more expensive with more strains if she needs it. But, this will be the way to start out. Thanks again!

Jan

I use Nexabiotics. I use them for kittens, my outside cats, and my adult cats. 


Dosing info here -

http://www.rawfeedingforibdcats.org/probiotics-for-cats---why-and-which-ones.html

Thanks to all who replied! I think I have all the info I need to get Touky on the right track with probiotics.

Hi, I'm an idiot

I was going to order the probiotics that Molly92 suggested. I got the website right but ordered this instead http://www.vitacost.com/natural-factors-acidophilus-and-bifidus-5-billion-cells-90-capsules-1. This will be delivered today. Is this going to be much of a help for Touky? Should I just go ahead and order this?   http://www.vitacost.com/nutrition-now-pb-8-pro-biotic-acidophilus-for-life-14-billion-120-capsules 

Is it ok to switch types if I get the other one? She would at least start on one today. Also, how long does it usually take for these to start showing results? I honestly don't know what I'm doing anymore. Worrying about my girls is making me forget how to think!

Thanks for your patience with the worry-wart.

Jan47 said:

 
Hi, I'm an idiot

I was going to order the probiotics that Molly92 suggested. I got the website right but ordered this instead http://www.vitacost.com/natural-factors-acidophilus-and-bifidus-5-billion-cells-90-capsules-1. This will be delivered today. Is this going to be much of a help for Touky? Should I just go ahead and order this?   http://www.vitacost.com/nutrition-now-pb-8-pro-biotic-acidophilus-for-life-14-billion-120-capsules 

Is it ok to switch types if I get the other one? She would at least start on one today. Also, how long does it usually take for these to start showing results? I honestly don't know what I'm doing anymore. Worrying about my girls is making me forget how to think!

Thanks for your patience with the worry-wart.

Click to expand...

It might help! The addition of bifidus is just fine. I went with just acidophillus because it was cheaper and seemed to do the trick for me. The only thing is the first one seems to have fewer cultures, so it might not be quite as effective, but you can try fiddling with the dose to compensate for that if you don't notice any changes at first. Sometimes, though, the brand and what temperatures the bottle is kept at matters more than the number of cells on the label, because a portion of the cells can die if they're not stored and treated properly. 

I saw almost instant results, basically the next day, but I know probiotics don't work the same for everyone so I'd give it at least a week before passing judgement. If you're not seeing any results by then, maybe up the dose and order the other ones or a different brand. It's perfectly fine to switch strains and brands. You don't need to taper off one to give another. I've read that probiotics are at their most effective when given a half hour or so before the meal, although I usually do just mix it in with her food.