Yogurt for dogs?

[Belle'shuman]

My five month old female lab recently had a bout of diarrhea. I took her to the vet and with medicines we have it straightened out. I recently got a book called Vet's favorite home remedies for dogs and it mentions giving your dog yogurt to help maintain a healthy digestive tract. Has anyone heard of this? Belle was diagnosised with a bacterial infection in her intestine and my vet said get used to it that being a puppy and a lab she will have issues for a while. I know in humans yogurt does help keep out digestive system balanced. Will this help Belle?

[Olivia]

I've also read about giving a little bit of plain yogurt (not flavored -- too much sugar in that) to dogs to help with digestion. If your dog will eat it, I would say give it a try. I've tried it with mine, but they aren't interested.

One thing that has helped when my dog has had diarrhea is instead of feeding the usual food, feeding him boiled chicken and rice, sprinkled with a little bit of nutritional yeast on top. That always seems to calm down his digestive system and after a few days of eating this, he can go back to regular food without a problem. It might be a good thing for you to try whenever Belle has any issues. I'm not sure if it really helps to "balance" the digestive system, but it does seem to help with the immediate problem of the diarrhea.

Good luck!

[Colette]

Olivia is right about the rice and chicken broth...it's a life saver!

I've learned a lot about the yogurt, just reading this thread...it make sense that it would help with the "good" bacteria a dog needs in his or her digestive system - and I know fo rsure my Pitties Loooooove to lick the spoon after I've eaten some yogurt. lol....

[LoneWolf1038]

No, you don't want to give them flavored yogurt or yogurt that has fruit in it. It has way too much sugar! I feed Beau, Dannon All Natural PLAIN Yogurt. It has no artificial anything in it! I think it tastes terrible myself, but Beau just loves the stuff! When you buy a yogurt, be sure the label also says that it contains "live cultures including L Acidophilus". Probiotics are so important for replacing the bad bacteria with good bacteria and keeping it healthy.

[kitty]

My Saints absolutely ADORE low-fat plain yogurt. It's a great treat for them and they're as healthy as can be. One is now 8 and the other is 7. Both still act like puppies. Is it the yogurt? Don't know...but it's good for them and they thoroughly enjoy it. Kitty

[Barbara]

I would check with the same vet who gave Belle the medication about the efficacy of daily yogurt in maintaining healthy digestion. So many foods are not good for dogs, some in a cumulative way...I wouldn't give my dog anything every single day that my vet didn't recommend and/or confirm as safe.

[irina]

well you have to definatly talk to your vet and make sure it doest harm your dog or anything but i am positive that it should have some effect and could help , is worth a try but make sure you have enough imformation anf know what the results might be. :]

[LoneWolf1038]

I can only speak from personal experience, but yogurt has been a "miracle" for my flat coated retriever. For almost 10 yrs, Beau was suffering from "allergies". 6 DIFFERENT vets told me he was "allergic to something"...but no one could tell me exactly what. Their answer was to put him on prednisone to lessen the itching.

About 3 or 4 months ago, I was reading an article in a magazine regarding "yeast overgrowth" in dogs. They showed a picture of a white german sheperd that looked terrible (kinda like my flat coated did). They were promoting a specific product, but I was more interested in the effects of yeast overgrowth. The description of "symptoms" was so similar to an allergy almost....but was EXACTLY what Beau was experiencing, i.e. skin rashes, itching, chewing feet, gas, and many other things. I decided that if yeast overgrowth WAS the problem, then I would try PLAIN yogurt and see if it did anything. Beau loves it! It's his "ice cream"! Anyway, after about 2 weeks, I could see changes starting to take place...and after a month, it was very apparent that there really WAS something to this yeast overgrowth thing, and that plain yogurt had started to clear it up.

I realized I am probably babbling on, but I just wanted to let you know that plain yogurt DOES help with the digestive tract. It keeps the "good bacteria" there.

[Kim]

I have a black lab and he suffers from dry skin, namely around the elbows, and at times he tends to be just plain flakey. The vet recommended DermCaps ES, a gelcap, to be given daily, but I was wondering if yogurt could be something for me to try, in addition to Dermcaps ES or by itself. I was also wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to what over the counter creams or ointments there may be that could help.

[L]

My Black Lab developed similar skin issues around age seven - right on the outside of her elbows... I switched her to a brand of food called "Canidae" - the for seniors version ... it has cranberry (supposed to clean kidnies) and yogurt (supposed to help them break down amino acids better) in the formula and is wheat free ... I additionally started putting a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil on her food .... it wasn't an overnight cure but the dry patches did eventually clear up in the spring and haven't fully come back since (fur still a little thin in that area) ... another tip from my vet - I use a Kong Zoom Groom Brush (same rubber material as a kong) and lanolin baby whipes instead of bathing in dry winter months ... Hope that helps - your dog is sooooo cute!!!!

[LAURA]

I have a Westie with skin allergies and occasional yeast infections in his ears. My vet has taken all the test, but it's up to the parents to find the cause of the allergen. I am now testing for food allergies. Nitro has been switched to human grade dog food with bison (buffalo), venison and salmon. I use Merrick dog food as they have a decent variety. I also give him a table spoon of plain yoghurt (with probiotics) every morning. He loves it! Use Malaseb shampoo (for yeast) or oatmeal, aloe shampoo with a creme conditioner(I use coconut). It has only been a few weeks and it will take a few more to get the best results, but the systems have been less.

[Renee`]

Yes to yogurt!! It contains lactobacillus acidophilus. It supports healthy digestion. I give my 2 dogs FAT FREE PLAIN yogurt every day, and I also add Brewer's Yeast with garlic. This is great for allergies. You may purchase the Brewer's Yeast in farm and garden stores that provide pet food products, or at a health food market. I pay under $5.00 for 250 tablets. The usual doseage is 1 tab for every 10 lbs. but I would read the label first for doseage instructions.

The following is an excerpt from an article re: yogurt
Yogurt also has medical uses, in particular for a variety of gastrointestinal conditions,[2] and in preventing antibiotic-associated diarrhea.

When buying yogurt look for 'live' or 'active' culture on the label. This means you're getting probiotics which can enhance immunity.

[LoneWolf1038]

Another cool thing I do for my dog with the yogurt is, in the summer.....I put it in ice trays and freeze it! Nothin' finer than a frozen yogurt treat for him on a scorcher of a day! ;)