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Acidophilus



 
 
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  #1  
Old May 15th 05, 04:18 AM
David Sherman
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Default Acidophilus

I remember reading a few posts on Acidophilus here.

Would anyone here be willing to comment again?

I noticed that a neighbor's dog (Bearded Collie that had a lot of problems
with dry skin) has lately seemed much happier and healthier. The owner says
that the only thing she has changed is that she gives him acidophilus with
his meals twice a day.

My dog - a 2 year old Golden Retriever Poodle mix - seems to have a delicate
stomach (a trait I understand she inherits from the Golden Retriever side of
the family.) I was wondering if regular Acidophilus could help her, or
would it do more harm than good?

Any serious comments would be appreciated.

Thanks.

  #2  
Old May 16th 05, 02:54 AM
buglady
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"David Sherman" wrote in message
...
My dog - a 2 year old Golden Retriever Poodle mix - seems to have a

delicate
stomach (a trait I understand she inherits from the Golden Retriever side

of
the family.) I was wondering if regular Acidophilus could help her, or
would it do more harm than good?


.........WRT skin issues and probiotics you might want to look at this
reference - click on clinical studies and look for:
http://www.usprobiotics.org/
Effect of probiotic Lactobacillus strains in children with atopic
dermatitis.
J Allergy Clin Immunol 2003 Feb;111(2):389-95

............I don't know that probiotics would help with stomach problems per
se, as their focus is the intestines and thus immunity. Some dogs, however,
who have IBD do present with stomach troubles also. I wouldn't think they
would hurt in your situation. What kind of stomach troubles does your dog
have?

buglady
take out the dog before replying


  #3  
Old May 16th 05, 01:25 PM
David Sherman
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Default

buglady wrote on 5/15/05 9:54 PM:

........WRT skin issues and probiotics you might want to look at this
reference - click on clinical studies and look for:
http://www.usprobiotics.org/
Effect of probiotic Lactobacillus strains in children with atopic
dermatitis.
J Allergy Clin Immunol 2003 Feb;111(2):389-95

...........I don't know that probiotics would help with stomach problems per
se, as their focus is the intestines and thus immunity. Some dogs, however,
who have IBD do present with stomach troubles also. I wouldn't think they
would hurt in your situation. What kind of stomach troubles does your dog
have?


Okay. Two weeks ago Dixie vomited up a piece of whit I guess was a chicken
bone and a few blades of grass. The next day she developed terrible
diarrhea - and I mean terrible. rice had no effect. The following morning
she ate a mouthful of food refused to eat the rest and in a few minutes
vomited up what she had eaten.

At this point we went to the vet. X-rays to see if there was a bone stuck
somewhere. There wasn't any. Blood work to see if there were raised liver
and kidney functions (at least that's what I think it was for.) She spent
the day at the vet with an IV tube to flush her system out with fluids. the
also started her on Antibiotics and Tagament. We brought her home that
night and were instructed to fast her and bring her back in the morning.
the following morning we went back to the vet. They put the IV back in, and
started giving her small amounts of I.D. dog food. We took her home again
and were asked to feed her small amounts if I.D. and make sure she kept her
food down which she did. We also continued the antibiotics and Tagament for
three more days. She didn't poop for another two days. finally she started
moving her bowels again.

So here we are today with the following problems: 1. Her stool is border
line formed but very soft. 2. She still doesn't seem regular. She used to
poop at pretty regular intervals, now I never know when she's going to go.
3. She is passing much more gas than usual. 4. She just doesn't seem
herself. She acts a little funny when her stomach is upset and she's been
acting like that for a week.

I'm going to speak to the vet today to check in and tell them my concerns.

What I'm really concerned about is I think they laid down some kind of
chemical near where we walk every day and maybe my dog got a snootful of it.
Maybe it was on the grass that she swallowed. But she seems healthy now.
She playful and is keeping her food down. I just think her stomach doesn't
feel good - hence the loose stool and the off-kilter behavior.

I was wondering if something like Acidophilus might help her with the
problems she's been having

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

  #4  
Old May 16th 05, 07:23 PM
Fassen
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Default

"David Sherman" wrote in message
...
buglady wrote on 5/15/05 9:54 PM:


Okay. Two weeks ago Dixie vomited up a piece of whit I guess was a
chicken
bone and a few blades of grass. The next day she developed terrible
diarrhea - and I mean terrible. rice had no effect. The following
morning
she ate a mouthful of food refused to eat the rest and in a few minutes
vomited up what she had eaten.

At this point we went to the vet. X-rays to see if there was a bone stuck
somewhere. There wasn't any. Blood work to see if there were raised
liver
and kidney functions (at least that's what I think it was for.) She spent
the day at the vet with an IV tube to flush her system out with fluids.
the
also started her on Antibiotics and Tagament. We brought her home that
night and were instructed to fast her and bring her back in the morning.
the following morning we went back to the vet. They put the IV back in,
and
started giving her small amounts of I.D. dog food. We took her home again
and were asked to feed her small amounts if I.D. and make sure she kept
her
food down which she did. We also continued the antibiotics and Tagament
for
three more days. She didn't poop for another two days. finally she
started
moving her bowels again.

[snip]
I was wondering if something like Acidophilus might help her with the
problems she's been having

Thanks for taking the time to read this.


David,

Antibiotics tend to damage or kill the natural bacteria in the dog's
digestive system, so you may see good results if you replace those
bacterias. I don't know the specific product Acidophilus, but my dog gets
Enterococcus Faecium as capsules (Ido*Form, by Ferrosan), or tablets that
contain Bifidobacterium Longum and Lactobacillus Rhamnosus (Bifolac, by
Bifodan). The first ones work best, probably because the acid resistant
capsules don't get broken down until they reach the colon.

You can also give her sugar-free Yoghurt if she can handle milk products.
The yoghurt I buy contains Lactobacillus Rhamnosus GG (a.k.a. LGG), which is
supposed to be very good for the digestive system. My dog handles milk
products well, but not all dogs do that. As your dog is still very upset in
her stomach, I'd try capsules first.

Rox


  #5  
Old May 17th 05, 01:28 AM
buglady
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Default

"David Sherman" wrote in message
...
Okay. Two weeks ago Dixie vomited up a piece of whit I guess was a

chicken
bone and a few blades of grass. The next day she developed terrible
diarrhea - and I mean terrible.

...........was it a cooked chicken bone? Did she get in the garbage
somewhere or eat it off the street? Dried up chicken bones off the street
are the worst as they're so dessicated they break off in very sharp
segments. Garbaging can also bring on pancreatitis.

She spent
the day at the vet with an IV tube to flush her system out with fluids.

the
also started her on Antibiotics and Tagament.
snip
So here we are today with the following problems: 1. Her stool is border
line formed but very soft. 2. She still doesn't seem regular. She used

to
poop at pretty regular intervals, now I never know when she's going to go.
3. She is passing much more gas than usual. 4. She just doesn't seem
herself. She acts a little funny when her stomach is upset and she's been
acting like that for a week.


........any time antibiotics are given, you should make sure you replenish
the good bacteria in the gut with probiotics (good bacteria). Continue
giving probiotics at least 2 weeks after antibiotics are finished.
ANTI-biotics wipe out the good guys and make the gut more susceptible for
bad guys to move in as the normal gut has a good population of friendly
bacteria. Thus you often have soft stools after a round of antibiotics. I'm
in the USA and use DDS Plus which is made by UAS labs (www.uaslabs.com) and
it has Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidus longum with FOS (an inert
sugar that feeds the bacteria when they get to the gut). This brand is a
bit more acid resistant so it can get by the stomach. It's in the health
food store in the refrigerator.

buglady
take out the dog before replying


  #6  
Old May 17th 05, 03:55 AM
David Sherman
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Default

Thanks Buglady and Fassen.

  #7  
Old May 18th 05, 08:30 PM
Pam
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Default

When my gsd was a pup she had apersistant problem with loose stools and I
started giving her one capsule of acidophilus a day with my vets knowledge.
He told me that it could only serve to help in keeping the bacteria levels
in her bowels at a healthy level and that it couldn't do any harm. It helped
with my pup. I used it for several months until she seemed to out grow the
stomach problems. I don't give her the acidophilus any longer as she now
eats well and her stool is as it should be. There are no chemicals or
anything to worry about in the product so it can't hurt to try your dog on
the acidophilus to see how it does.


  #8  
Old May 18th 05, 08:43 PM
Fassen
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Default

"David Sherman" wrote in message
...
Thanks Buglady and Fassen.


You're very welcome. Just don't ever take what you hear from people in
newsgroups as gospel, please. Sure, we have a lot of anecdotal info to
share, but we're no experts. What works for us doesn't necessarily have to
work for other people's dogs. If in doubt, consult your vet! :-)

Rox



 




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