Probiotic suggestion please

[Katlyn]

Hi. Kitten really needs a probiotic that is flavorless and that I can sprinkle in her food. She has high ionized calcium so probably one that is low in calcium and phosphorous. She has stomach burping and wet light stools which smell horrid. Im pretty sure it is her asthma med that is the issue. She has diarrheah if I change her food. The IM recommended Prostora for dogs which I do not want. I have the FortiFlora that I am trying but she hates the taste. She does seem to respond well to a probiotic. Thankyou!

 

[Wendy&Tiggy(GA)]

I saw this post.

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Re: Soft stool question (ick)
by MelanieP and Ninja » Sun Jan 13, 2013 6:48 am

I have had great success with Country Life brand probiotic called Power-Dophilus. You need very, very little. One single capsule will last you a week or two. The trick is to dissolve a scant sprinkling of the powder from the capsule into a small amount of water (guessing 1/2 teaspoon water), work it around with your finger until the probiotic fully dissolves, and you are left with just the water - then put the tiny amount of water in the food and mix it around. Do this every time your cat eats. Unlike Fortiflora, the Power-Dophilus has no taste and when dissolved in a small amount of water it is virtually undetectable. The key is to use a tiny sprinkling in a small amount of water, fully dissolve with your fingers before adding to the food, and use it every time your cat eats until the problem is resolved.

Within a day or two, my cat was back to normal. Also helped 100% with her VERY stinky poo (she had both runny and scary-stinky poo). Would recommend buying the smallest bottle of Country Life Power-Dophilus you can find and keeping it in the frig for best results. Sold at most vitamin and health food stores. Works for humans too.

 

[Wendy&Tiggy(GA)]

Also this

A couple things you might try. Slippery Elms Bark. http://www.felinecrf.org/holistic_treatments.htm#SEB1
http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/slippery-elm/
Another probiotic for animals...supposed to be tasteless:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002WDGLL0/ref=oh_details_o03_s01_i00

Slippery elms was the only thing that worked on my dog when she had it. It can be used on cats as well as dogs. I used to make a gruel, heating it
into a gel like substance. Never tried just sprinkling it. It does suck up the water,so I think making the gel is better

To give internally, mix about 1/4 teaspoon of Slippery Elm bark powder with cold water for every 10 pounds of body weight. For very small dogs, it is fine to use the same 1/4 teaspoon dose. The bulk powder may be very fluffy, so pack it down as much as possible to measure it. Alternatively, use 1/2 capsule (per 10 pounds), opened and the contents mixed with water. Slippery Elm powder will absorb many times its own weight in water, so be sure to add enough to make a moderately thick gruel. This gruel can be given before meals by syringe or eyedropper, or added to baby food, canned food, or a homemade diet. It has a slightly sweet taste and is usually well-tolerated by cats and dogs when mixed with food. Give a dose 5 minutes before meals for sore throat, and before or with meals for digestive tract problems, such as inflammatory bowel disease, until symptoms resolve.

Another probiotic for animals...supposed to be tasteless:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002WDGLL0/ref=oh_details_o03_s01_i00

 

[BJM]

Pasty colored, soft, voluminous stools can suggest exocrine pancreatic deficiency, where the pancreas does not produce enough of the enzymes to digest food properly, hence the stench.

There are OTC enzyme products for pets, though it is prudent to check with your vet.

What I got to try with Spitzer was this:
Dr Mercola Healthy Pets
Digestive Enzymes
5.26 oz

Has Betaine, pancreatin (protease, amylase, lipase), Ox Bile extract (45% cholic acid), Bromelain, and papain.

Look for those kind of ingredients at places like Amazon or iHerb.com

Amylase breaks down starch
Lipase breaks down fat
Protease and papain break down protein (papain comes from papaya and is found in meat tenderizer).

 

[Denise & Honey]

We had a really good probiotic from Whole foods (but available on the web):
http://www.renewlife.com/ultimate-flora-critical-care-50-billion.html
Its a capsule but you can break it open and give about .3 per day

I gave it to my civie but I think it was a food allergy to beef that caused the problem - we had all other tests run at the vet and all came back negative.
His poop was very runny but regular coloured.

One of my other cats has hyper-T and his poop was soft, greyish and very smelly - so Kitten could have something else ???

Lovely conversation for a Friday evening - us cat people, duh

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

I don't know that I'd jump to the conclusion that a cat has an exocrine pancreatic insufficiency based on stool alone.

I've used ReNew that Denise described. It's a powerful probiotic and is found in the refrigerated supplement section at Whole Foods. I also think someone posted that they found it at GNC. Many people here also use FortiFlora. It's formulated for cats and can be easily mixed into food.

If your cat won't go near food that has a probiotic in it, my vet recommends Pearls. They are small pills and can easily be given to a cat (vs. some of the other probiotics which are challenging for a human to swallow).

 

[BJM]

I didn't jump to conclusion. I said it could be a sign of EPI and it was prudent to check w/vet.

 

[Katlyn]

Hi all. Thankyou for all the suggestions and ideas. As always, I appreciate the time it takes to post. Firstly, Kitten's spec fpl came back negative. Even though the number can fluctuate at any time. The IM said no pancreatic enzymes at this point. But, I belong to the yahoo pancreas group as I believe she actually may have an issue with her pancreas. We all know the Diabetes compromises it anyway. Secondly, I bought the Slippery Elm Bark only to find out from Tanya's website that it contains calcium. I am afraid to give it to her because of the high ionized calcium she has. Thirdly, She ate some FortiFlora and it seems to work fast on her with just a bit. Atleast I have something in my arsenal. Here is another question.... I read that pectin is actually good for diabetics. It decreases inflammation and can reduce BG levels. The moderator on the pancreas group uses Country Life Non Dairy Preservative Free with Pectin probiotic. It is one strain and requires refridgeration. It is tasteless. I was concerned about the pectin. Any thoughts? Thanks

 

[BJM]

Wikipedia Pectin entry

As a pre- biotic (substrate), it seems like it is possible that it could be helpful.

With some of these things, individual responses vary.
You do a single subject research design where:
1) you record observations, measurements, and notes before the trial
2) add the thing you are testing and continue recording your observations, measurements, and notes
3) and then to confirm it, you discontinue the thing you are testing to see if any changes revert back to the pre-intervention state.