Can SB and/or probiotics cause constipation?

[Cate1124]

My 13-year-old girl with suspected mild IBD has responded beautifully to a diet of Rayne Kangaroo stew and Vital Essentials Vital Cat raw rabbit patties. This after years of suspected food sensitivity, for which she ate Royal Canin selected protein kibble, but continued to produce soft stool. She has also been getting one Nutramax Proviable DC once a day and 2.5 billion CFU twice a day of Saccharomyces boulardii, sprinkled on her food. As a result, her stool is nicely segmented, smaller and way less stinky than it was. Her appetite is good, she is playful and affectionate, and her coat looks great. Now, though, she seems to be moving toward constipation, pooping every couple of days instead of every day. (Conversely, she pees much more, due to having a lot more moisture in her diet.)

Could either the Proviable or the SB be causing constipation? I've considered both products -- recommended for IBD cats -- as benign, that the worst they could do was not work and waste my money. Including these in her diet has really seemed to help, but I wonder if I should now discontinue one or both, as her stool has so greatly improved.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I think both probiotics you are feeding her can help firm up stools, so it would stand to reason they might contribute to constipation. Maybe you are giving her just a bit more than she needs? I think a lot of using these products tends to require experimentation to get the right 'dose' for each cat.

 

[Cate1124]

I think both probiotics you are feeding her can help firm up stools, so it would stand to reason they might contribute to constipation. Maybe you are giving her just a bit more than she needs? I think a lot of using these products tends to require experimentation to get the right 'dose' for each cat.

That's what had occurred to me, as well. Maybe I'll try cutting each back to half; that's the recommended "maintenance" dose of the SB, anyway. Thanks for chiming in!