Dog Food Blog

A few days ago my Japanese Akita dog Kensho got ill. He refused to eat, had a dull coat (though he’s in his shedding period) and appeared very lethargic. When he did not wag his tail when I entered the room (!) I knew enough and we went to see our veterinarian. My Akita dog was subjected to an extended examination and blood samples were taken. It appears he’s suffering from anemia (low red blood cell count). As we have been walking a lot in the woods lately and I’ve had to remove just about more than one tick, the vet suspects some kind of tick disease (and there are multiple and even deadly tick transmitted diseases). And so it happened Kensho is now taking his third antibiotics cure this year. Because antibiotics also affect the intestinal flora making my dog more prone to infections I asked the vet: “Shouldn’t we give him probiotics as well?” This had not crossed his mind but he thought it was a very good idea indeed!

When your dog is getting antibiotics treatment. Ask your vet for probiotics (also known as Direct Fed Micro organisms or DFM’s). He can supply these in a more concentrated form than can be bought in a pet shop. The dry powder can be sprinkled on top of your dog’s diner, though you need to allow some time between administering antibiotics and probiotics (consult your vet for precise instructions). Alternatively you can give your dog prebiotics as these do not interfere with antibiotics.

For more information about prebiotics and probiotics, visit the Novel Ingredients section on Best Dog Food Guide.

PS Kensho is wagging his tail again