Probiotics... To Fortiflora Or Not

[krystab]

My 3 senior-ish boys (13,12.5 and 11.5) all developed some tummy issues lately resulting in diarrhea. They have been checked out by the Vet and they found nothing. We think it was due to stress as “mommy” went away on vacation and left them with the cat sitter .

The vet put them on Fortiflora - and it has worked. I would like to keep them on a probiotic long term but I know Fortiflora is not the best.

But here’s my dilemma- for the older 2, one of whom is an EXTREMLY picky eater, the Fortiflora has increased their appetite which is great since they weren’t eating enough as it was. But if I switch to another, better probiotic that doesn’t have the same “cat crack” effects i am worried they won’t eat enough to maintain their weight...

So what do i do? Stay on Fortiflora? Go to another probiotic? Use both to cover all the bases?

They currently eat Friskies wet twice a day - crap I know, but all the middle child will eat and I’ve tried almost every brand under the sun. and then they get a 1/4 cup of dry before bed so they don’t wake me up at 4am starving to death.

Thoughts and advice are appreciated.

 

[LTS3]

I'd try another probiotic with a higher CFU and number of bacteria strains and sprinkle on a teeny amount of FortiFlora for the yummy "crack" taste. Or substitute ground up treats for the "crack".

Some threads on probiotics:

Alternative To Fortiflora?
Probiotics For Cats?
Human Vs Cat Probiotics. Please help.
Anyone Use Advita versus FortiFlora?

 

[laura mae]

Don't apologize, it did the job. Like with the Friskies wet, if a cat rejects "better" brands it isn't effective.

 

[jinxybean]

I have my cat on digestive enzymes and probiotics as a cure for permanent diarrhea. (Just letting you know I'm a solid (get it!) believer these dietary supplements.) So your post got me curious about Fortiflora and if there are alternatives.

Based on the product label, Fortiflora provides three things; in bold is the only ingredient that improves diarrhea.

• 1 strain probiotic: Enterococcus faecium
• Vitamin supplement: B vitamins from brewers dried yeast (also adds flavor), L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Vitamin E supplement, beta-Carotene, zinc proteinate, taurine, manganese proteinate, ferrous sulfate, copper proteinate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite
• Flavor enticer to encourage eating: Animal digest

You should have success with other brands because enterococcus faecium is a common strain found in veterinary probiotics. The problem you are facing is the kitty crack aspect of animal digest, which is not added to those other brands.

I would suggest you transition your kitties away from Fortiflora by adding a topper or enticer to their meals, while adding a better probiotic such as TummyWorks (a combination supplement of digestive enzymes, prebiotics and multi-strain probiotics, which includes enterococcus faecium). Or stretch out the remainder of your Fortiflora as a topper, because doubling-up on that one strain of probiotic will not harm your cats.

The digestive enzymes will help all your kitties digest their Friskies diet. You'll notice their litterbox smells better with the addition of enzymes.

Finest for Pets TummyWorks Probiotics & Digestive Dog & Cat Supplement, 160 scoops

 

[krystab]

OK... i have switched the probiotic to another brand - renew life ultimate flora 30 billion. It’s only been 2 days so I am not sure how long it usually takes to start working...

their poops are varying in consistency right now. Sometimes runny and sometimes solid. But I have no clue which poops are coming out of which cat...

There is also occasionally some bright red blood on some of the more well formed poop. From what I have read this could just be irritation of the intestinal tract due to the diarrhea.

How long should it be before the probiotics kick in? Should I also add S. Boulardii into the mix or give the probiotics some time to work their magic?

I am also wondering if I should switch the one I suspect of the blood to a limited ingredient diet (turkey baby food?) for a couple of days to calm his stomach... he is my garbage cat - he’ll eat anything that he can get at. Should I take their dry food away for a time too? They don’t get much dry but I have read that dry can be worse for the digestive tract...

 

[maggiedemi]

Which dry food are they on? Does it have rice in it? Rice helps to firm up my cats' poop when they get diarrhea.

 

[LTS3]

OK... i have switched the probiotic to another brand - renew life ultimate flora 30 billion. It’s only been 2 days so I am not sure how long it usually takes to start working...

How long should it be before the probiotics kick in? Should I also add S. Boulardii into the mix or give the probiotics some time to work their magic?

I'd give the probiotic a week or so to work. Sometimes it takes trying different probiotics and different CFU counts to find one that works. This article has good information on using probiotics for cats: Probiotics for Cats - Why and Which Ones There's also a section on using S.boulardii.

It wouldn't hurt to eliminate dry food for awhile to see if that helps with the tummy issues. Trying a "bland" LID or novel protein diet can also be helpful. But don't try too many changes at once. That could make the tummy issues worse.