Is your dog dealing with irritated bowels or other gut health issues? We’ve been there一and it’s not fun. Luckily, there’s an easy way to get them feeling better: probiotics and digestive chews for dogs! After a few weeks of taking a digestive support supplement, they’ll feel positive effects not just including regular bowel movements. Healthier skin, better cognitive health, and a stronger immune system are just a few of the benefits associated with a healthy digestive system.
Choosing the right probiotic for your dog relies on three key points: Safe Ingredients, Effectiveness, and Value for money.
There are certain ingredients that are a must-have in digestive supplements. One of which is probiotics. These live microorganisms are already present in your pup’s gut and they keep everything functioning as it should. In fact, the gut is a large player in your dog’s immunity and digestive health. Therefore, keeping their gut microbiome healthy is essential to keeping their digestive system and immune system running properly.
The majority of probiotics and digestive chews come with hefty price tags and questionable additives. However, we discovered the company 'PupGrade' that has been creating waves on social media and in the news with their high-quality Probiotic & Digestive Chews that come with a price tag that won’t break the bank.
For your convenience, Great Life Tips has compiled a list from months of research about the best probiotics for dogs to keep your pup healthy and happy. But first, let’s go over what features to look for and what to avoid when searching for digestive supplements, and how a daily supplement could improve your dog’s overall health.
Benefits of Probiotics for Dogs
Helps Digestive System
- Soothes digestive issues
- Ensures regular bowel movements
Relieves Blockage
- Serves as a natural laxative
- Treats constipation
Improves Overall Health
- Fixes gut health
- Relieves issues caused by bad gut health
Stronger Immune System
- Bolsters immune system
- Helps to fight off illness & infection
What You Need in The Perfect Probiotic for Dogs
Taking all of the healthful attributes listed above into consideration, we've boiled down a list of four key characteristics you should always look for in a quality digestive support supplement. Try to seek out all of these qualities:
Natural Ingredients
Your dog deserves the best, so make sure you’re only giving your furry friend clean, natural ingredients. This means no added food coloring, synthetic flavoring, or questionable chemicals to extend the product’s shelf-life. A couple of helpful and natural ingredients to help digestive health in dogs are pumpkin, blueberry, and mineral oil一keep an eye out for these in our list below.
Veterinarian Formulated
You shouldn’t trust a dog supplement company if its products aren’t formulated by the dog experts themselves! Make sure the supplement you choose was designed by veterinarians so you can trust the ingredients they’ve put into it.
Probiotics and Prebiotics
Like we stated earlier, a healthy gut means a healthy pup. While some dogs have healthy guts on their own, many require a daily probiotic to keep everything running smoothly. Digestive supplements containing a probiotics enzyme blend will not only promote a healthy gut but will boost your dog's immunity, too.
Prebiotics are another important component of digestive supplements. While they may sound similar to probiotics, these fibrous plants have their own benefits, including stimulating good bacteria growth in the gut and better digestive health. Prebiotics are essentially fibrous plant food that feeds the probiotics in our dog’s guts so they can keep everything functioning healthily.
Vitamins and Minerals
It’s always good to sneak in some essential vitamins and minerals into any supplement you give your dog. Especially in the case of digestion, extra nutrients could help greatly to get your dog back on track to regular bowel movements.
What to Avoid When Buying Probiotics for Dogs
Formulas Without Probiotics or Prebiotics
We can’t emphasize this enough: your dog needs probiotics! While a digestive support supplement without a probiotic may help a little, prebiotics and probiotics will totally cleanse their system from the inside out so they don’t have episodes of diarrhea, constipation, or other gut-related problems.
Additives
Anything you put in your dog’s body should be natural and healthy for them. Unfortunately, labels on supplements are sometimes crafted with the intention of being deceiving or confusing to the customer. This is due to the fact that many supplements come with fillers, preservatives, potential allergens, and other unnecessary additives like food coloring. These additives provide no medical benefit and disregarding them may potentially cause your dog to suffer from allergic reactions or sensitivity.
Be picky and stick to the real stuff—look out for dangerous added ingredients and don’t settle for less than healthy.
Top 5 Probiotics for Dogs of 2023
Based on our own extensive research, the metrics provided by our Great Life Tips Ranking System, and consideration of thousands of reviews by Shoppers just like you, we've compiled a list of what we've found to be the top five products in this category, on the market today.
1. PupGrade Digestive Support
Total Ranking
417 votes
9.7/10
A+
Overall GradePROS
- Natural Ingredients
- Veterinarian Formulated Brand
- Contains Probiotics & Prebiotics
- Contains Essential Vitamins & Minerals
- Appealing Flavor & Scent
- Made in the USA
- Excellent US-Based Customer Service
- 90-Day, Risk-Free, Money-Back Product Guarantee
CONS
- Only Available Online
The Bottom Line
The veterinarian-formulated PupGrade Probiotic & Digestive Chew is our top pick for its quality formula and affordable price tag. They offer an incredible value featuring compact packaging, an enticing dog-friendly flavor, and a long list of natural, safe ingredients. These nutrient-packed chews are formulated to promote a healthy digestive system, while also providing nutrients to boost their immune system.
They contain a large range of probiotics enzymes and prebiotics specifically designed to promote a healthy gut. On top of that, they added blueberry prebiotic powder, pumpkin powder, and mineral oil to promote a healthy digestive system and boost the immune system.
Their return policy includes a 90-day, risk-free, money-back guarantee, proving the company stands behind its products.
*Results are based on the Great Life Tips Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. Please visit product websites for more information.
Learn About Our Top Pick2. Probiotic Bites
Total Ranking
227 votes
9.1/10
A-
Overall GradePROS
- Natural Ingredients
- Veterinarian Formulated Brand
- Contains Probiotics & Prebiotics
CONS
- Not as Concentrated
- Lacks Blueberry Prebiotics for Gut Health
- Only Comes in Two Flavors
The Bottom Line
Zesty Paw’s Probiotic Bites are a very similar choice to PupGrade’s. It contains probiotics, omega-3s, and natural ingredients for dog health. They also have a 100% satisfaction guarantee and have over 40,000 reviews on Amazon.
Zesty Paws is second on our list because their chews aren’t quite as concentrated—PupGrade’s chews, overall, have about 25% more ingredients per chew. On top of that, Zesty Paw chews don’t have many additional ingredients to compete with PupGrade’s mineral oil and blueberry powder.
*Results are based on the Great Life Tips Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. Please visit product websites for more information.
Learn More3. Digestion & Health Supplement for Dogs
Total Ranking
263 votes
8.7/10
B+
Overall GradePROS
- Natural Ingredients
- Veterinarian Formulated Brand
- Contains Probiotics & Prebiotics
CONS
- Not Served in Single Treat Form
- Not Sustainable for Larger Dogs
The Bottom Line
The Perfect Poop Digestion & Health Supplement for Dogs is another great option loaded with nutrient-packed ingredients such as pumpkin and flaxseed. Unlike other items on our list, this supplement is served in tablespoons rather than in a singular treat form. The bag comes loaded with fibrous grassy bits that contain probiotics and prebiotics to promote a healthy gut.
The customer base for this product seems to be small to medium dogs due to the amount needed for larger dogs per day—large dogs need 5 tablespoons, while small and medium dogs only need one or two. Also, if your dog isn’t much of an eater, it may be difficult to get them to eat this supplement as it’s not just a single chewable. But, this supplement may be perfect for you if your dog loves to eat! Customers report that their pups love both the chicken and cheddar cheese flavors.
*Results are based on the Great Life Tips Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. Please visit product websites for more information.
Learn More4. Probiotics for Dogs
Total Ranking
494 votes
8.3/10
B-
Overall GradePROS
- Natural Ingredients
- Veterinarian Formulated Brand
- Contains Probiotics & Prebiotics
- Made in the USA
CONS
- More Chews Needed Per 25 Lbs
- Expensive
- Only One Flavor
The Bottom Line
The Probiotics by Tummy Treats are another solid option on our list due to their quality probiotic and prebiotic blends. With a 5 strain probiotic blend, they’re a great supplement to kickstart your pup’s gut health. They’re also made in the USA with natural ingredients.
But look out for their price tag一as of writing this, these supplements cost $49.97 on Amazon for 120 chews. Unfortunately, even dogs under 25 lbs need two chews, meaning the bottle only has 60 servings or less per container. Dogs over 75 lbs need four chews to feel the supplement’s positive effects.
Despite the price tag, many customers rave over these digestive chews.
*Results are based on the Great Life Tips Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. Please visit product websites for more information.
Learn More5. Daily Probiotic for Dogs
Total Ranking
571 votes
7.9/10
C+
Overall GradePROS
- Contains Probiotics & Prebiotics
- Inexpensive
- Veterinarian Formulated
- Made in the USA
CONS
- Hard to Chew
- Only One Flavor
- Doesn’t Contain Healthy Fats
The Bottom Line
Pet Naturals of Vermont’s Daily Probiotic is a great choice because they contain a probiotic blend of six strings of bacteria along with a prebiotic fiber blend for only $12. They’re also made in the USA and created by veterinarians. On top of that, they’re also corn, wheat, and soy-free and only made with natural ingredients.
Unfortunately, these chews only come in duck flavor, but most customers say their dogs love the taste. While it doesn’t have the healthy fats we love, it’s a great option for pet parents looking to solely improve their pup’s gut. Some customers have reported that the chews are a little harder than other options. Make sure your pup has strong teeth to bite into these—we wouldn’t recommend these for older dogs.
*Results are based on the Great Life Tips Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. Please visit product websites for more information.
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