ANY IDEA WHAT A PROBIOTIC IS AND WHAT IT DOES?    

The big buzzword that we've all seen plenty of lately is "probiotic". You've probably seen or heard this word in advertising and in magazines for both dog food and human products and wondered if you should give it a go.  Is it another one of those hippie dippy things that the knit-your-own-muesli brigade go on about? What do they do? Do they really work for  the digestive system?  You bet they do!  I've used probiotics for myself and for my dogs for many years, when we have experienced tummy problems.  Yes! I was considered quirky at that time because people had never heard of probiotics, let alone used them but in my opinion, they are the magic formula for curing all stomach ails.

The most common reasons  I would recommend probiotics for dogs are for runny tums, garbage gut, throwing up and generally feeling out of sorts.  When my dogs start  messing on the carpet, kitchen floor or feverishly chomping on grass then throwing  up white froth, I think "uh! oh! the next step is up-chucking in the car or on the carpet".  That's when I give them a tablespoonful of plain yoghurt, or one of those probiotic drinks such as Actimel or Yakult. They lap it up and never turn up their noses as they do with food. Many dog product mnufacturers have now jumped on the band wagon and you can get probiotics in powders, capsules and liquid form from pet shops and online.

Probiotics are as timeless as paleolithic man with their soured mammoth milk, yet these therapeutic food additives are a relatively new modern way of taking care of your  and your pet's digestive system.

How are Probiotics Formulated?
Just so that you know, probiotics are usually formulated as oral supplements from health food shops. Some come as capsules, or as tasty chews. Others are powdered and packaged either in single-dose envelopes or sold in multi-dose containers. Many others are included in dog foods marketed "for intestinal health." The most commonly used probiotic is plain yoghurt or those highly priced little bottles of Activia, Yakult and other milky drinks on the supermarket shelves.
Probiotics are live micro-organisms, that when administered regularly give a health benefit to the user, be it human or animal.

The idea is that by adding "good" bacteria, this will stimulate the production of more beneficial bacteria (the good ones that are presumed to be associated with specific health benefits). In this way, the entire balance of the intestinal flora will be shifted toward the beneficial bacteria.  Sounds a bit New Age but there are good and bad germs in the gut and the probiotic taken daily helps to keep the bad buggies at bay.

Which begs the question: Should your dogs be taking these supplements? Yes! absolutely. Without any doubt. You should be giving your dog probiotics.  Many people will whinge that its too much hassle but a little drop each morning in a dish before walkies will set your pet up and help with that garbage foraging. Then they can come home and enjoy breakfast.  Its a win-win situation. Give your dog a daily probiotic drink or powder and you will not have to clear up at unexpected moments.  Probiotics are also excellent for dogs that have a very delicate stomach. You know the ones that have  a special veterinary diet. Its helps them along. I can hear you asking: "What, no drugs, no side-effects, and you say my dog will do even better than on some of the other stuff? Sign me up!

So the next time your dog is out-of-sorts, give them yoghurt or a probiotic  drink. It settles the stomach.

Some trivia  to mukk over ....................

wonderful sounding words to describe something:
Other countries have brilliant words for things that we just don't have words for in English. My favourites include 'backpfeifengesicht' which means 'a face badly in need of a fist' in German, and the Norwegian word 'palegg', which means 'anything and everything that you can put on a slice of bread'.  Another of my favourites is 'Floopy Azucar' which is a sugared ring doughnut in german/spanish that is sold in the bread section of Lidl stores everywhere but in the UK.

Here are a few other things we reckon deserve words of their own:

1. The urge to touch something you've already been told is really hot.
2. The desperate desire to share gossip you've been told you absolutely can't repeat.
3. The feeling of being really, really full but not too full for dessert.
4. The desire to make the first page of a new notebook absolutely perfect.
5. The brief window of time when an avocado is perfectly ripe.

Here's something different ..... clip of a bird force feeding a cat and a dog! (Thanks to David Howells - impressario, entrepreneur, music mogul - for finding this little gem).

            That's it for this month.  Hope you found the information useful and interesting.
                                                                Dawn  (**)