Kefir - a natural Probiotic

In the good old days, dogs had more access to natural forms of fermented foods on farms where their owners had lassi in Asia, or sauerkraut in Europe, which are just two of many forms of fermented foods which promote better digestive health. The term, probiotic means "supporting life" and probiotic microorganisms are essential friendly flora (good bacteria) which support the intestinal tract. When the natural balance of bacteria is disturbed because of poor diet, vaccinations, antibiotics, etc. the digestive system may go on overload and a wide range of  health problems may develop.

Kefir is a natural probiotic which has live active cultures of normal flora which will repopulate the digestive tract and aid in digestion. It is superior to yogurt simply because yogurt has less potent bacteria. Kefir contains more organisms than yogurt and is strong enough to withstand pathogenic organisms which may be attacking the digestive system. The transient bacteria in kefir will continuously repopulate the digestive tract because it has active, growing, living cultures.

Some owners may state that they give their dogs probiotics in capsule or pill form and while these probiotics contain good organisms that can repopulate the digestive tract, they need to be kept refrigerated and are not actively replicating and growing when they arrive in the intestines. In contrast to these pills, kefir has massive quantities of healthy flora which are continuously increasing in number and thriving within your dog's body. This tremendous boost to the system will repopulate the digestive tract more efficiently than commercial probiotics.

The digestive system is connected to other systems, including the immune system and kefir (a natural probiotic), is a front line immune defense which prevents and controls infections. If harmful substances are not efficiently managed, they will be absorbed through the intestinal wall into the body. Our total immunity depends on the health of our intestinal system which is a front line defense for many ailments. Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley ,  have studied the importance of intestinal microflora on infectious disease and their key role in stimulating the immune system and have advised the use of natural probiotics for a healthy digestive system both for canines as well as humans.

Why are digestive problems so widespread these days ? Most researchers will agree that intestinal flora imbalance is the primary cause of the problem and the main causes of this imbalance are diets of processed foods, stress, vaccinations, etc. Please consider these facts when deciding on the type of probiotics you decide to give your dog.