Your dog isn’t just your pet. He is a member of your family. As such, you want to do what you can to ensure Fido has a long, healthy life. While feeding your pup a healthy diet and ensuring he gets a lot of exercise is essential, you can likely do more. Giving your pooch a probiotic can help enhance his quality of life.
As you may know, there are hundreds of dog probiotics on the market today. Not all are a good investment, though. How do you know the different between the best probiotic and an inferior one? That’s where we come in. In this review, we rank the five best probiotics for dogs. Continue reading to see which products we think are excellent options for your four-legged friend.
Comparison Table
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Dog Probiotics FAQS
Before we can rank the top probiotics for dogs, we want to make sure you have some basic information about these products. Here are answers to four of the questions we hear most frequently.
1. What Are Dog Probiotics?
Dog probiotics are living bacteria that boost the health and functionality of the animal’s digestive system. While bacteria often have a negative connotation, probiotics are the healthy kind. As such, they help contain the negative aspects of bad bacteria in your dog’s stomach, intestines and colon. Giving a dog a good probiotic can help control or eliminate diarrhea. It can also help your dog’s immune system combat common parasites, such as giardia and clostridia.
2. How Do Dog Probiotics Differ From Human Probiotics?
Dog probiotics and human probiotics usually come from the same live-culture bacteria. Unfortunately, feeding your dog probiotics intended for human consumption is not a good idea. These are often included in yogurts or other products that can have ingredients which are harmful to your pet. Also, the way your digestive system uses probiotics differs from the way your dog’s digestive system uses them. As such, dog probiotics are usually formulated in a unique way that allows them to stay alive until they can be a benefit to your pooch.
3. How Much Do Dog Probiotics Cost?
The cost of dog probiotics varies from product to product. While you can spend as little as $ on dog probiotics, some formulas cost more than $$$. Because of this large discrepancy in pricing, we discuss the overall price range of dog probiotics in greater detail in another section of this review.
4. Where Can You Buy Dog Probiotics?
If you want to purchase probiotics for your dog, you have a bunch of options. Your veterinarian likely stocks a few products. If not, you can shop for them at pet stores or big-box retailers. Several online retailers offer them as well. In fact, we found all of the probiotics on our survey listed for sale on Amazon.
How We Reviewed Probiotics for Dogs
Our goal is to provide you with honest, reliable and useful information. Accordingly, we made every effort to deliver an unbalanced comprehensive review of the products we surveyed. In putting together our list, we didn’t only consider published marketing materials from product manufacturers. On the contrary, we sought the opinions of both professional and amateur reviewers. We even weighed the assessments of veterinarians.
To earn a spot on our list of the best probiotics for dogs, each product had to excel in the following areas:
- Percentage of bacteria
- Type of bacteria
- Delivery of probiotics
- Taste
- Ease of use
- Affordability
We want you to be better informed after reading this review. Therefore, we didn’t only rank the best probiotics for dogs. We also added ratings to each product. These ratings are on a five-point scale. You can use the ratings to see how closely we think a product compares to the one before and after it. When combined with our rankings, the ratings help you develop a complete picture of the quality of each product on our survey.
While our list contains the best probiotics in our opinion, you should know that giving your dog a probiotic product may cause some side effects. Before doing so, you should speak with your dog’s veterinarian. You should also watch for your pooch to have a negative reaction. If you notice one, you should discontinue using probiotics until a veterinarian can examine your pooch.
Overall Price Range of Probiotics for Dogs
As we noted in our FAQ section above, the cost of probiotics for dogs can vary considerably. While you can purchase a budget-friendly probiotic product for under $, some cost as much as $$$ or more. High-end probiotics are usually backed by extensive research and development. When producing their products, the manufacturers of pricier probiotics take steps to ensure the live bacteria stays alive long enough to boost your dog’s digestive processes. Rock-bottom priced alternatives often lack this attention to detail.
Still, you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a decent probiotic for your dog. On the contrary, most of the probiotics on our list sell for under $$. They are all effective, even though we like some more than others.
To help you make a smart buying decision, we have listed pricing information with each product on our list. You should know, however, that pricing details change frequently. As such, you should only use the prices on our list to form a general budget. For accurate, real-time pricing information, check with the retailer where you plan to purchase probiotics for your dog.
The 5 Best Probiotics for Dogs: Rankings, Ratings and Reviews
There are a variety of dog probiotics on the market today. To be concise, we limited our rankings to just five. While our list is comprehensive, it is far from exhaustive. That is, you may find a probiotic product you love that didn’t earn a spot on our rankings. That’s okay. We hope you use the information in this section to make an effective comparison and smart purchase.
Here are the five best probiotics for dogs in our opinion.
1. Nusentia Probiotic Miracle
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In our estimation, Nusentia Probiotic Miracle is the best canine probiotic on the market today. It is also one of the most affordable, which is a bonus for budget-conscious pet owners. The pet dieticians at Nusentia have taken great care to formulate Probiotic Miracle specifically for dogs.
Nusentia Probiotic Miracle contains seven types of live bacteria. The product is a dry powder that easily mixes with your pet’s food. An included scoop takes the guess work out of determining how much powder your pooch needs. Because the powder is tasteless and odorless, your dog will likely not even know he is munching down on some health-boosting bacteria.
Some dog owners note that the amount of Probiotic Miracle dogs need depends on their digestive health. You may have to increase or decrease how much you give your dog. Once you have Probiotic Miracle figured out, though, we think you will like the results you see.
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2. Purina Fortiflora
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Another great dog probiotic comes from Purina. As you probably know, Purina has a long history of making high-quality dog food and other products. This probiotic contains both live bacteria and some essential vitamins and minerals. Thus, if you choose to give Purina Fortiflora to your pooch, you get more bang for your buck.
Like Nusentia Probiotic Miracle, Purina Fortiflora comes is a powder. It is, though, perhaps easier to administer than the product from Nusentia. Fortiflora comes pre-measured in individual packets. Simply open one packet and mix it with your dog’s food. Since Fortiflora has no taste, your dog likely won’t blink an eye while consuming it.
If you feed your dog dry food, you may have trouble mixing Fortiflora with it. Adding a bit of water generally fixes this problem. We don’t see this as a negative. We just want you to know you may need to experiment a bit to achieve success.
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3. Nutramax Proviable DC
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You may not want to give your dog probiotics every day. In fact, some veterinarians think too many probiotics can cause your dog to develop certain infections. These infections may require antibiotics to remedy. Nutramax Proviable DC is a versatile option.
This probiotic comes in capsule form. If your pooch is having digestive problems or diarrhea, you can simply give him a capsule. Or, you can open the capsule and combine it with your pup’s food. Either way, your dog’s gut benefits from a combination of two probiotics. If that doesn’t do the trick, Nutramax Proviable DC comes in a fast-acting paste. The paste version delivers probiotics rapidly to help relieve your pet’s gastrointestinal distress.
If you choose to use the Nutramax paste, you must be careful. The concentrated probiotic can give your dog constipation. As such, you should probably talk to your dog’s veterinarian before you give him the probiotic paste.
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4. Nusentia MiracleZyme
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While we think giving dogs probiotic powder makes sense, your dog may not like it. If you are looking for a tablet version, Nusentia MiracleZyme is a terrific option. The MiracleZyme tablet tastes like a treat, so your pooch will likely gobble it right up.
We like Nusentia MiracleZyme for its ease of use. As long as you don’t give your dog more than one tablet per day, it is hard to over-administer it. This product is designed to help your dog maintain healthy gut bacteria. If your dog has digestive issues, it may not be strong enough to cure them.
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5. VetriScience Vetri Mega Probiotic
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With eight strains of bacteria, VetriScience Vetri Mega is perhaps the most complete probiotic on our list. We ranked it lower than the others due to its availability. You may have trouble finding this product. If you can, though, you are likely to appreciate the thought and ingredients that go into producing it.
Vetri Mega is an excellent option for dogs with sensitive stomachs. The product doesn’t contain dairy products. As such, if milk bothers your pooch, the VetriScience probiotic is a good option. Still, the probiotics in Vetri Mega are temperamental. If you don’t store the product in a cool, dry place, you risk killing the live bacteria. Dead bacteria do your dog no good.
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Probiotics for Dogs Comparison Table
1. Nusentia Probiotic Miracle |
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2. Purina Fortiflora |
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3. Nutramax Proviable DC |
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4. Nusentia MiracleZyme |
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5. VetriScience Vetri Mega |
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The Verdict
Nusentia Probiotic Miracle Is the Best Dog Probiotic on the Market Today
Every pet owner wants to have a happy, healthy animal. Introducing a probiotic into your dog’s diet is likely an effective way to ensure your dog is as happy and healthy as possible. It can also be a good option for relieving stomach pain. In fact, if your dog has gastric issues or intestinal distress, he may find relief with the help of a probiotic. For many dogs, benefits reveal themselves after just a week or two.
In our quest to find the best probiotic, we looked at dozens of products. The best in our opinion is Nusentia Probiotic Miracle. This probiotic powder is easy to administer and contains enough active bacteria to encourage good digestive health. Even though we love the Nusentia product, we have few bad things to say about the other ones on our list.
Which one is right for your pooch likely depends on your dog’s overall digestive condition. While the Purina product is great for healthy dogs, the concentrated formula of the Nutramax paste may be the solution for sick ones. Remember, though, before you give your pup a concentrated probiotic product, you should seek advice from your dog’s veterinarian. It is important to rule out other medical conditions.