Yogurt for dog with soft stools

Question
Hi!

I have been reading about the wonders of yogurt for dogs with digestive problems and/or yeast infections for the past couple of weeks, but I cannot find any advice on how much to feed. My dog is about 2 years old, a beagle/terrier mix with allergies (but not to food, according to the vet's assessment). He is ~33lbs, and he has an extremely sensitive digestive system. In fact, after trying lots of premium formulas, I reached the conclusion that the only food he does well on is California Natural Lamb and rice.

He now eats the CN food, the health bars made by the same company (as treats), and he gets 1/2 spoon of Welacting omega 3 oil at night. He is also on a low daily dose of Temaril-P in the morning and 25mg of Benadryl at night. That seems to be the most effective way to control his allergies with the least amount of side effects. I was wondering if adding a little yogurt to each of his meals would be a good idea to help regulate his system. He gets bouts of diarrhea or really soft stools every time he eats anything outside his regular diet, which he does quite a lot since he is such a high energy dog who enjoys stealing anything he can eat, as disgusting as it might be.

Also, is cottage cheese as good as the yogurt as far as the good bacteria is concerned? Or is the amount of live cultures in those products too insignificant to make a difference at moderate doses?

Thanks for your help!  

Answer
Hello Tatiana,

My personal opinion on this is, if you wish to add supplements for immune support/reduced inflammation, your best bet would be to use the following:

1) fish body oil with some additional Vitamin E
2) bromelain
3) Quercetin
4) MSM
5) stinging nettle

now, that said, I would always prefer to assess the dog overall before making recommendations, doses, how to introduce them and so on. Often with loose stool a probiotic will help (as opposed to yogurt) often L-glutamine, sometimes a Tbsp or so of well cooked lentils - it's highly individual. In some dogs the wrong type of probiotic can trigger diarrhea. I would suggest NOT using the yogurt, but researching immune support and anti-inflammatory supplements and trying at the very least, some fish body oil(NOT cod liver oil with kibble).

And the cottage cheese has none of the active micro organism you're looking for with yogurt; skip that altogether with your sensitive dog.

My bottom line with a dog like yours is, if you've found a diet that helps? don't mess with it.  Short of a home made diet, I think you're doing well, and a few carefully chosen additions will be helpful, as long as they're well tolerated.

Let me know if I can help anymore, Catherine