Antibiotics And Probiotics

Benefits Of Probiotics In Dogs

At first glance, antibiotics and probiotics might seem an unlikely combination of remedies.

One (antibiotics) kills what the other (probiotics) consists of. But while antibiotics and probiotics function in opposition to each other, there are times when they work well in tandem.

Indeed, while probiotics are always beneficial to your dog's health, they are particularly useful when dogs are being treated with antibiotics. Especially when long courses of antibiotic treatment are indicated (in cases of skin diseases, bone infections, and Anaplasmosis, for instance), probiotic supplementation is highly recommended.

Effects of Antibiotics on Canine Intestinal Flora

Your dog's digestive tract hosts a complex, delicately balanced ecosystem filled with diverse microorganisms, some friendly, some not. Bacteria comprise the vast majority of these microorganisms, but fungi and protozoa are also present. A healthy dog's intestinal flora consists of no less than 80% beneficial organisms that work to keep the remaining 15-20% in check.

Antibiotics can be a blessing--indeed, a necessity--in the treatment and prevention of bacterial infections. However, they can also produce unpleasant side effects by disrupting your dog's intestinal balance.

The word antibiotic means, quite literally, "against life."

Antibiotics work by killing bacteria (bactericidal antibiotics) or preventing bacteria from multiplying (bacteriostatic antibiotics). Unfortunately antibiotics are not terribly discriminating. They wipe out the friendly bacteria colonizing your dog's digestive tract along with the pathogenic bacteria in the body.

Long-term antibiotic treatment can disturb your dog's intestinal flora in a profound way.

By killing beneficial bacteria, antibiotics increase the intestines' vulnerability to infection and leave the intestinal wall exposed to irritants, leading to diarrhea. In addition, many of the bacteria killed by antibiotics are necessary to keep various fungi in check. Yeast overgrowth can be a problem among dogs undergoing long-term antibiotic treatment.

Meanwhile the lack of friendly bacteria needed to convert plant lignans (phytoestrogen) into mammalian lignans can lead to lowered concentrations of enterolactone for up to 16 months after antibiotic treatment has ceased. Low serum enterolactone concentrations in humans may increase the risk of serious illness such as cardiovascular disease and hormone-related cancers, especially breast tumors.

The destruction of beneficial bacteria and the associated proliferation of fungi and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (for instance, research indicates that E. coli bacteria in the canine intestinal tract develop resistance to several antibiotics within a few days of beginning treatment) make your dog more susceptible to various opportunistic invaders.

These changes in the intestinal flora also diminish the body's ability to synthesize certain vitamins and decrease the presence of short-chain fatty acids and bacterial enzymes needed to fully absorb nutrients.

Antibiotics Damage Intestinal Bacteria

Not all antibiotics are equally damaging to your dog's intestinal flora.

Broad-spectrum antibiotics that are effective against a wide range of bacteria have a greater impact on beneficial bacteria than narrow-spectrum antibiotics that are used to target specific organisms. Of course your vet must be able to accurately identify the source of the infection to prescribe a narrow-spectrum antibiotic, and this is not always possible.

Even among broad-spectrum antibiotics some are gentler than others. Penicillin does not do as much damage to friendly intestinal bacteria as some of the newer broad-spectrum antibiotics.

Antibiotics and Probiotics

So what can you do when your vet prescribes a course of antibiotics for your dog? How do you help your dog maintain a healthy intestinal tract while undergoing antibiotic treatment? The solution: supplement with probiotics.

Probiotics are living microorganisms of the type needed for a healthy digestive tract. Where antibiotics destroy beneficial bacteria, probiotics replenish them.

The extensive benefits of probiotic supplementation during antibiotic treatment have been documented in numerous studies.

Probiotics will restore a healthy balance in your dog's intestinal flora, preventing the overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria and fungi. As a result, you will find that your dog is far less likely to suffer common side effects associated with antibiotic treatment such as diarrhea and systemic yeast infections.

Supplementing with probiotics when your dog is undergoing antibiotic treatment will also help boost immune function and facilitate nutrient absorption. The benefits of healthy intestinal flora reach far beyond your dog's digestive tract.

Antibiotics and probiotics can go hand in hand.