Probiotics – helpful at all ?

[Avantika]

I have read some studies which say that the probiotics and prebiotics that we may give to our bunnies may not work at all (I remember reading something like they do not reach their intestines in the first place).

I fed spring beans to Moshu for the first time yesterday and she had a bad case of diarrhea and gas. Simethicone helped a lot and her tummy isnt growling anymore. But trust me, I never even heard such loud noises from a human’s tummy.

I was thinking of placing an order for this (link). But I wont, if its not useful in the first place.

[Bam]

It’s difficult to say. Good gut bacteria is vital for a bunny’s health, but as you say, if you supplement them they may not survive even the stomach acid. I know of one kind that has been scientifically proven to survive in the gut of humans, lactobacillus plantarum v 299.
I give that to my bunnies when they have stomach problems, but I can of course have no idea if it makes any difference. According to Medirabbit, probiotics isn’t harmful, but whether they have any effect at all is unclear. Rabbits have strong stomach acid.

[Avantika]

I have decided to order it. And see if it works. Some months back i gave some to Moshu but it was only for a week for 10 days. Perhaps this time I can give it for a longer duration and use this as an opportunity to see if it brings any benefit. (will keep a check on her poop, coat, activity levels). Do you have any idea if I can give this to her everyday for like, a month or two ?

There is one thing I fail to understand, however. Moshu’s response to S cerevisiae varies so much. Sometimes after taking it, her poops are so well formed and hard, and sometimes its semi-liquid. Its basically a supplement called Anima Strath that also has malt, honey and orange juice. I think honey and malt are considered to be warm substances, Could that contribute to the semi liquid poops ?

[Bam]

I haven’t used S cerevisiae myself, but it is in a probiotic paste that my vet sells, Fibreplex by Protexin. It also has fiber and prebiotics and is for helping bunnie that have stomach trouble. I trust my vet clinic and I trust the brand protexin because they make a probiotic för dogs that I’ve used several times and which always fixes my dog (and my dog before her) right up in cases of garbage-can-tummy (I don’t let my dogs eat from garbage-cans, it’s just jokingly called that). But I haven’t used the type for bunnies. Reading about S cerevisiae I find it can kill other types of yeasts by producing toxins that aren’t harmful to humans or animals, just to other types of yeast. Perhaps, but I’m only speculating here, killing-off of other yeast species could cause a bit of tummy upset? When you start on a new probiotic you may get a little upset stomach the first few days, there’s often a warning to that effect on the pill-jars.

Malt seems rather common in supplements for rabbits, as a digestive aid. Honey of course has lots of sugar, which isn’t great for bunnies. As I understand it, anima strath is Bio-strath for animals. I’ve never used it for any animal, but my mother made us kids drink Bio-strath when I was little. I can still almost feel the horrid taste in the back of my mouth =) It’s probably a lot tastier to bunnies (after all they love lettuce that’s grown super-bitter etc). 

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