Best Probiotics For Dogs in 2022
Discover the most effective probiotics for dogs and put a stop to paw biting, allergies, digestive issues & more!
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- Top 5
- Product Checklist
- Benefits
Gill is our resident pet health and nutrition expert who recently retired from a 14-year career in veterinary teaching to pursue writing and researching.
The Importance of Giving Your Dog Probiotics
Did you know? 70% of your dog's immune system is in their gut.
As a result, there are endless complications and disorders that can be triggered if your dog is
suffering from poor gut health. Inflammatory bowel disease, paw biting, scratching
and even tear stains can all be caused by an imbalance of bacteria in
your dog.
However, poor gut health has a far more systemic reach. While poor gut health impacts
things such as immune response,it can even affect
your dog’s behavior, with problems such as anxiety and depression.
Luckily, with the right Probiotic or Digestive Supplement product, your dog's poor gut health and symptoms can clear up in just a few weeks. Read on to discover the benefits and our top 5 expert ranked list of products.
Potential Problems of Poor Gut Health
Failure to provide the best care for your best friend’s gut can result in discomfort at best and sereve illness at worse. Possible complications include:
- Allergies
- Skin Irritations and Itchy Skin
- Chronic or Intermittent Diarrhea
- Paw Biting & Licking
- Gassiness, Flatulence and Bloating
- Behavioural Issues Linked To Anxiety
- Nutritional Imbalance and Deficiencies
- Yeast Infections
Benefits of Probiotics
There are endless scientific studies which highlight the benefits of probiotics for dogs. Probiotics are filled with good healthy bacteria, which when ingested, can help fight back against harmful bacteria in your dog's gut. Probiotics bring the following benefits:
High Quality Dog Probiotics Can:
- Prevent Paw Biting
- Alleviate Allergies
- Reduce Itching & Scratching
- Fix Recurring Diarrhea
- Reduce Anxiety & Boost Mood
- Prevent Excessive Shedding
- Boost Muscle Mass
- Rid of Yeast Infections
What To Look For In Dog Probiotics
Dog probiotics are NOT all the same.
It is critical to ensure you choose a vetted probiotic that contains
scientifically
proven ingredients such as:
- Lactobacillus The most effective family of bacteria to prevent harmful bacteria growth & boost immunity. This powerful probiotic has been thoroughly researched and has proven effectiveness.
- Turmeric A powerful natural ingredient to aid digestion, reduce inflammation of the gut and is a strong antioxidant.
- Yucca Schidigera This all-important ingredient improves digestion, serves as prebiotic fiber and helps strengthen stool.
- Black Pepper To maximize absorption of the Probiotic, calm the gut and produce critical stomach acid to kill bad bacteria.
What to Look for in a Collagen Capsule
- Hydrolyzed Collagen Hydrolyzation is a process by which the amino acids in collagen are broken down by heated water so they’re easier for your body to absord. This method is also the safest and avoids the use of harsh chemicals.
- Hydrolyzed Collagen Hydrolyzation is a process by which the amino acids in collagen are broken down by heated water so they’re easier for your body to absord. This method is also the safest and avoids the use of harsh chemicals.
- Hydrolyzed Collagen Hydrolyzation is a process by which the amino acids in collagen are broken down by heated water so they’re easier for your body to absord. This method is also the safest and avoids the use of harsh chemicals.
- Hydrolyzed Collagen Hydrolyzation is a process by which the amino acids in collagen are broken down by heated water so they’re easier for your body to absord. This method is also the safest and avoids the use of harsh chemicals.
Your Definitive Probiotics Checklist
It is important that you make sure to buy a Probiotic with the following, so that you do not waste money on ineffective products. Ensure your Probiotic has:
CloseOpen the Checklist-
High Volumes of CFUs
CFUs are colony-forming units – the number of living microbes in the probiotics. We recommend 2+ Billion CFU..
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Money Back Guarantee
Brands with a money back guarantee are more likely to have higher quality products and lower risks if they don't work.
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Vital Ingredients
Ensure the probiotic follows the above recommended list of ingredients, to ensure effectiveness and safety.
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Additional Nutrients
Opt for a probiotic that supports overall health with a balance of vitamins such as A and C, as well as minerals such as Manganese. These are important minerals that can help the overall health of your dog. Probiotics can be fragile. Look for storage instructions and check this probiotic is formulated to contain live bacteria for its full life.
How We Evaluated the Top 5
-
Effectiveness
-
Ingredients
-
Value for Money
-
Customer Service
Top 5 Dog Probiotics of 2022
A+
OVERALL GRADE
TOTAL RANKING
Pros
- 5 Strains of Probiotic
- 2.5 Billion CFU
- Contains Prebiotic
- Includes Turmeric & Black Paper
- Made in USA
- Treat Form
- 30 Day Money Back Guarantee
- Recommended by Vets
Cons
- Only Available Online or Amazon
- Sometimes Out of Stock
The Bottom Line
Of all dog probiotic supplements that we tested on the market, Pawfy’s Vet-Recommended
Probiotic Chews are the clear
winner.
With a powerful 2.5 Billion CFU dose of proven strains of Probiotic such as
Lactobacillus,
their product has
shown one of the highest efficacies for dog owners
looking to solve a range of
symptoms. In addition, by using 5 strains of Probiotic and an effective
Prebiotic, their product
comes with a much wider, more effective range of benefits.
When compared to other brands on the market, Pawfy
Probiotics contained one of the highest
doses of Probiotic and included a number of other
recommended ingredients, which many
brands failed to include.
Pawfy
contains Turmeric and Black pepper which aid in absorption, improves
digestion,
immunity and helps combat inflammation and stomach or bowel
issues.
They have also added Yucca Schidigera, which serves as an effective Prebiotic Fibre and
further
reduces inflammation. By combining these products, Pawfy
has one of the most robust
formulas to improve poor gut health and its associated symptoms, such as
paw biting,
allergies, poor digestion and more.
Pawfy is Made in the USA and comes with a 30 Day
Money Back Guarantee + Free Shipping.
This helps ensure the safety and accuracy of their ingredients and allows dog owners
to try them
risk-free.
Overall, we have rated Pawfy as having the best Probiotic on
the market in 2022 from all those
that we tested.
2. Probiotic Bites
by Zesty Paws
B+
OVERALL GRADE
TOTAL RANKING
Pros
- Natural Ingredients
- Contains Multiple Strains
- Vet Formulated Brand
- Made in USA
Cons
- No Prebiotic
- No Additional Vitamins
- Lower Probiotic Dose
The Bottom Line
Zesty Paw’s Probiotic Bites are a vet formulated brand which contains Omega-3s, a good dose of Probiotics and come in two flavours. However, they fall short on a few things which brings them to second place.
Their formula does not contain a prebiotic, which is a critical part of giving your dog probiotics. Without prebiotic, the probiotic may die off without a sufficient food source to allow them to survive. In addition, their formula contains no additional ingredients such as Turmeri or Dried Yucca Schidigera. These two ingredients help target the some of the same health issues as Probiotics, but Zesty Paws has failed to include them.
Overall, these bites are a good quality brand but if you are looking for the ultimate Probiotic for your dog, these are not it.
3. Perfect Poop
by Bernie's
B
OVERALL GRADE
TOTAL RANKING
Pros
- Natural Ingredients
- Vet Formulated Brand
- Contains Prebiotic
Cons
- Granule Form
- Hard to Administer
- Low Probiotic Count
- Chemical Smell May Put Off Dogs
The Bottom Line
Bernie’s Perfect Poop are well known and are a probiotic that comes in a powdered/granular
form. Their formula is vet-formulated and includes prebiotic as well as probiotics. In addition, they
also contain beneficial enzymes to help your dog’s digestion.
However, Bernie’s Perfect Poop falls short on a few key areas. Firstly, the number of Probiotic
bacteria is very low, at just 1 Billion CFU. We generally recommend 2-3 Billion CFU. In addition,
they only contain 2 strains of Probiotic, which may limit the number of benefits.
Finally, because they do not come in treat/chew form, they are messier, harder to administer to
dogs and the likelihood of dosing wrongly increases.
We generally recommend giving dogs a 4-6 strain probiotic in chew form, to make it easy to
administer while offering a potent dose of Probiotics.
4. Protegrity GI
by Vet Classics
C
OVERALL GRADE
TOTAL RANKING
Pros
- High CFU Count
- Made in USA
Cons
- Not Tailored For Dogs
- Expensive
- Unknown Brand
- No Moneyback Guarantee
The Bottom Line
While this product has a fairly high CFU count, it is not formulated with just dogs in minds. Instead, it is for both cats and dogs, which is not recommended as their digestive systems are not identical. This could cause potential upset stomachs or other issues if you have a somewhat sensitive pet. Furthermore, this is not a well known brand, although it is made locally in the USA which is a plug. On pricing, these are not good value for money, so it falls to our fourth spot.
5. Probiotic Blend
by Only Natural Pet
D+
OVERALL GRADE
TOTAL RANKING
Pros
- Chew Form
- Transparent Ingredients
Cons
- Not Flavoured
- Poor Value For Money
- Low CFU Count
- Low CFU Count
The Bottom Line
Last on our list are Only Natural Pet's probiotic product. This product fell short on quite a few reasons, firstly, they are not flavoured, which in our experience can lead to dogs not wanting to take them. Secondly and more importantly, there is no Turmeric nor a high CFU count, which generally results in poor results. Beyond that, there is no moneyback guarantee and so there is likely a lower chance of being refunded if no improvement is seen.
Final Verdict
Pawfy is Top Dog Probiotic of 2022
- Efectiveness A+
- Ingredients A+
- Value for Money A+
- Customer Service A+
These vet recommended probiotic soft chews from Pawfy take our award for the highest quality dog probiotic on the market. With high potency, science backed ingredients and a money-back guarantee, they are the safest bet to start seeing big improvements in your dog's gut health.