Animals, just like humans, play host to both good bacteria and bad bacteria in their digestive systems. And apart from helping us fully digest food, the good bacteria also help control bad bacteria in the digestive tract.

When your dog is healthy and his body has a healthy amount of good bacteria, destructive yeast and other undesirable microorganisms are suppressed. But there are times when this delicate balance is disturbed by illness or by poor food choices. In these situations, the digestive tract can become inflamed or even infected and his system needs some help restoring a healthy balance of good and bad bacteria.

That’s where probiotics come in. Probiotics use the beneficial strains of bacteria or yeast to improve the well-being of a dog (the same way probiotics work in people). Probiotics are the “good, friendly bacteria” that are used to combat the “bad, harmful bacteria”

Here are some of the benefits of adding dog probiotics to your dog’s food:

• Helps strengthen the gastrointestinal tract

• Improves the digestive process and reduces recovery time for conditions such as antibiotic-associated diarrhea

• Helps control rashes and skin problems caused by yeast

• Reduces allergy symptoms

• Eliminates smelly stools

• Prevents excessive shedding and scratching caused by stress from digestive imbalances

• Produces less gas

• Restores high energy levels

• Creates better skin and coat appearance

• Helps maintain healthy digestion

• Produces healthier, shinier coat, improved skin, and better breath

Dog probiotics are definitely worth looking into as a way for your dog to achieve better health, more energy, and a higher sense of well-being.

Probiotics are particularly beneficial for dogs who:

• are fed cooked or processed food

• are suffering from digestive disorders

• are under stress due to changes in the environment

• are aging

• have a weakened immune system due to medications such as antibiotics

There are several areas in which probiotics can help:

Intestinal Problems

Intestinal disorders are the root of many of a dog’s health problems including:

• Skin irritations

• Food allergies

• Constipation

• Diarrhea

• Gas

• Arthritis

Probiotics are effective in treating and preventing intestinal disorders by aiding food digestion and improving lactose intolerance

Vitamin Supplement

Healthy dogs, too, benefit from enzyme supplementation for optimal digestion and toxin elimination. Probiotics manufacture vitamin B groups, biotin and folic acid, and stimulate the immune system. The increased intake of vitamins can increase appetite as well as energy levels, especially in aging dogs showing signs of low energy.

Counteracts antibiotics

It is sometimes necessary to use antibiotics for a dog’s illness; however, using antibiotics kills beneficial bacteria in dogs, just as it does in humans. When a dog is fighting an illness, the use of probiotics can prevent further loss of nutrients. They also metabolize food in the dog’s system which makes more nutrients available and gives the dog longer to recover from his illness.

Sonia Manning provides information on dog probiotocs at http://www.dogprobiotics.net. To find out if your dog needs probiotics, go to http://www.dogprobiotics.net/probiotics_for_dogs.html.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sonia_Manning
http://EzineArticles.com/?Dog-Probiotics-Are-Essential-for-Your-Best-Friends-Health&id=6721355