Hello,
I went to the vet yesterday to see what I could give Merlin whose stomach isn´t at its best at the moment. He said I should give him yogourt with bio-actives. He says a lot of his clients have done this and the problem was solved (this is for when they have occasional bouts). Just wanted to share.

i give mine a spoon of yeo valley natural live yog once a week (I have it in the fridge for me) and it doesn't seem to do them any harm and they luuurrrvvveee it.

Interestingly, I was talking to someone who does research in this area the other day and there is a big question mark over the key issue: whether the good bacteria in the yoghurt actually makes it all the way into the small intestine where it is needed given the quantities that are fed to cats (for example).

However, there is no harm in trying whether it will settle your boy's tum.

I'd agree with the question over whether yoghurt contains enough and gets to where it's needed. I am a great fan of pro-biotics in powder form though and find they can clear a problem up fairly fast. Needless to say the good ones cost.

I have to agree with Hobbs here.....there is a relatively low count of good bacteria in yoghurt compared to freeze dried capsules...also and perhaps most importantly, the strains of bacteria are transient in that they pass through the gut rather than taking up residence.
I recently attended a lecture by a Gut Immunologist and he did however say that immune response was improved by intake of probiotic yoghurt....He was of course being paid by said yoghurt making company to do that research!
Good ( human) supplements are expensive in part because of the sophisticated encapsulation which allows the capsules to pass through the stomach unscathed and open in the intestines. Probiotics should be taken with food so that they are buffered against stomach acid.
The other point to make is that there are hundreds ( thousands?? ) of different strains of bacteria and some are more effective than others....Sacchromyces Boulardii is proven to limit gastric upsets effectively
and reduce symptoms of diarrhoea.

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Nellie Paddy Mitzy Milo Peggy Murphy

Millie and Monty, the White Devils!

I'm not complaining about the price, more pointing out that you get what you pay for. They have transformed my life to the point that I'd no longer describe myself as suffering from IBD - unless I'm stupid enough to forget to take them of course

As far as cats are concerned it does work to open a capsule and sprinkle the contents over food. Maybe it's just the sheer numbers in good quality products. There is even a cat specific powder which can work wonders and although highly expensive I'd always recommend that pet owners start with that and then do the comparison of ingredients with their vet if they wish to move to an alternative. I only use the human product on cats when necessary because I always have it to hand - and because I've already discussed it with my vet.

Interesting, what is the name of the capsules? it´s worth the try. Anyway Merlin loves yogourt, anytime I open one he comes running from wherever he is. So far it hasn´t done him any harm.

The product for cats is called FortiFlora, made by Purina. They do one for cats and one for dogs. Googling it will bring up a selection of suppliers. It will cost you approx £20 for 30 sachets.

Havoc, I believe there is an even better one than Fortiflora as it is a pure probiotic. It is made by the same company that does Prokolin and it is called enterogenic powder. About £26 for 30 sachets if bought online. As PP said, or maybe it was Havoc, needs to be taken with food to minimise the impact of stomach acid destroying the bacteria.

Protexin ProKolin Enterogenic Powder - From £24.16

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Nellie Paddy Mitzy Milo Peggy Murphy

Millie and Monty, the White Devils!