# WHAT DOES YOUGURT DO



## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

I bought some plain yougart and Maddie hates it can I add jellies or apple sauce? 
Also what kind do you buy?
What does it do for her?
Do you give it everyday?:couch2:


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

Yogurt has beneficial bacteria to the digestive system. Greek yogurt is supposed to have the most live bacteria and is considered the best when you need it. We don't give it every day, but only rarely if it takes more than a few cycles to get over an upset stomach- like after having taken an antibiotic that ends up killing too much of the dog's own bacteria in their digestive tract. More often than using yogurt for a minor upset, Pam will use some Probiotics on top of the food.


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

Tom, so you usually just use something if they're having digestive issues?


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

Yes. With horses it has been shown that if they get supplemented too much, that they stop producing on their own what the supplement is supposed to be replacing. We don't supplement anything all the time.


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## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

try different brands. Django will only eat greek yogurt and a specific brand. it's great for their bellies and they have nice poops when on it, at my dog does.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

I was hoping it was good for her skin her belie seems just fine. Just started fish oil maybe I should stick to that for awhile++++++++++. Maddie just typed for me I like the design


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Hi Suzi, with all of maddie's issues right now-- I would just stick to one change at a time...just in case it is allergies you will be able to know what set her off. Many dogs are allergic or intolerant to dairy. so if her belly is fine. just stick with the fish oil, see if she improves, and then if not, but gets no worse...stick with the fish oil, and then maybe change to a food with either no grains, or a different protein and see if that helps (so if her kibbles main ingredient is chicken switch to a kibble that has lamb only)


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## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

i agree. i have a bad habit of introducing a million and one things at a time and it's impossible to tell what's working. keep it simple and introducte something one month at a time.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

*Yougart*

Thanks for all the good advice. I agree one thing at a time. She is so much better. Hope her hair grows back soon.


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## baileyandenzo (Nov 3, 2010)

Just wanted to let everyone who feeds their dog greek yogurt know about my experience. After reading on this forum about how greek yogurt works awesomely for thier digestive tract, i got plain low-fat greek yogurt and gave bailey and enzo a little bit with their kibble once last week and once this week. Well, my Bailey is apparently lactose intolerant and has been throwing up/diarrhea for a few days, we took him to the vet last night and 90$ later he had a shot and some antibiotics that he has to take for a week. Just want to let everyone know that this could happen. My vet said most dogs are lactose intolerant, so be careful and use regular probiotics instead.


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## shimpli (Mar 24, 2010)

baileyandenzo said:


> Just wanted to let everyone who feeds their dog greek yogurt know about my experience. After reading on this forum about how greek yogurt works awesomely for thier digestive tract, i got plain low-fat greek yogurt and gave bailey and enzo a little bit with their kibble once last week and once this week. Well, my Bailey is apparently lactose intolerant and has been throwing up/diarrhea for a few days, we took him to the vet last night and 90$ later he had a shot and some antibiotics that he has to take for a week. Just want to let everyone know that this could happen. My vet said most dogs are lactose intolerant, so be careful and use regular probiotics instead.


Are there any symptoms of the lactose intolerance, other than vomiting and diarrhea? ( like itching) Ache loves yogurt so I want to check on that.


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## baileyandenzo (Nov 3, 2010)

Well Bailey has very bad allergies, at one point about a year ago he was scratching his face so much that he was making the corners of his eyes bleed, we had to put him on atopica and never found out what was wrong, we slowly took him off of atopica and he was doing fine until this. He LOVES the yogurt, cheese, anything dairy. I used to sprinkly parmesan cheese on his kibble. But now he can't have any of that. Hopefully this helps with the itching.


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## shimpli (Mar 24, 2010)

Ache is scratching more than usual these days and I am trying to figure out what is causing it... I hope it is not the yogurt because that's her favorite thing to eat.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

I do not know about dogs. But a lot of people that are lactose intolerant eat yogurt. I tried freezing yogurt in maddies Kong she did not like it .


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## baileyandenzo (Nov 3, 2010)

Well according to the vet, hes not supposed to eat yogurt anymore, he is on antibiotics now and had to have a shot because of it. I was just putting a warning out there. Teresita, i hope you find the cause of the itching, for us we switched his diet to Blue Buffalo grain free and that definitly helped.


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## shimpli (Mar 24, 2010)

baileyandenzo said:


> Well according to the vet, hes not supposed to eat yogurt anymore, he is on antibiotics now and had to have a shot because of it. I was just putting a warning out there. Teresita, i hope you find the cause of the itching, for us we switched his diet to Blue Buffalo grain free and that definitly helped.


Thanks for sharing your experience. I will keep that in mind.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

I give Molly probiotics daily as recommended by Sabine. I asked her about yogurt a while ago. Here is her reply. 

Hi David, 

when giving a probiotic supplement like for example the NOW acidophilus, you are introducing a much larger concentration of very specific bacteria strains to the digestive tract. It is near impossible to get the same therapeutic effect from yogurt, especially when probiotics are used to counteract digestive issues or antibiotics. 

Supplements provide billions of "colony forming units" per serving, when feeding yogurt you have to make sure that it is even cultured, and you have to feed fairly large amounts on a daily basis for it to be useful and you may still not know the amount of beneficial bacteria you provide on a daily basis. 

In a normal, healthy dog this may not be an issue, since you are not seeking to address a specific problem, but you also won't know if you are providing enough to benefit from the immune-enhancing properties.

Yet another issue is that not all dogs tolerate dairy, but dairy-free acidophilus supplements are available.

I hope this helps!

Sabine
Here is what she says about probiotics. Purpose:
Probiotics are “friendly" bacteria that aid digestion and absorption of nutrients. They help to keep
harmful bacteria from colonizing and creating digestive problems, and thus support the body in
fighting illness and disease. If beneficial bacteria become depleted or the balance is disturbed,
potentially harmful (pathogenic) bacteria can overgrow, causing health problems. These friendly
bacteria also directly support the immune system. Benefits only really become apparent when
used consistently long-term, so this is something you should give for life. I do recommend a small amount daily instead of more but less frequently. The reason is that you want to keep a certain presence established.

If a dog is on antibiotics, it's best to even give twice daily, and well away from the antibiotics, at least 2-3 hours apart.


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## baileyandenzo (Nov 3, 2010)

Thank you so much for the information!


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## jacqui (Aug 7, 2007)

I have been sprinkling about 1/16 tsp. of the probiotic, Multidophilus, with each meal mainly to cut down on tearing and it does appear to be helping. It is non-dairy--bought it at Whole Foods.


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## LuckyOne (Sep 3, 2009)

I give both boys about a tablespoon of organic vanilla yogurt each day. The vet says it's perfectly fine and they LOVE it.


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