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9 Popular Probiotics for Dogs in Canada 2025 | Do dogs need probiotics?
- Max Wu
- Oct 8
- 8 min read
Many dog owners wonder whether their pets need probiotics, especially when dealing with digestive issues or stress-related stomach problems. Probiotics for dogs are beneficial bacteria that support digestion and help keep the gut balanced, similar to what they do for us humans.
Dogs may benefit from probiotics during stress, illness, antibiotic use, or when they’re dealing with things like diarrhea or gas. In fact, there’s evidence that dogs given probiotics alongside antibiotics experience fewer digestive problems than those who don’t get these supplements.
This guide explores the top probiotic options available in Canada, explains how these supplements work in your dog's digestive system.
Do Dogs Need Probiotics?
In many healthy dogs, supplementation is not necessary, but may be beneficial under certain conditions.
Benefits of Probiotic Supplements for Dogs
Probiotic supplements give dogs a targeted boost of good bacteria to help with digestion and immune strength. Some research also suggests possible benefits for skin or behavior
Digestive and Immune Health Improvements
These supplements help keep the gut’s bacteria in check. When dogs take live probiotics, the good bacteria push out the bad by fighting for space and food in the intestines.
Key digestive benefits:
Less diarrhea and tummy upset
Better stool quality
Improved nutrient absorption
Protection from harmful bugs like Salmonella
Since about 70% of a dog’s immune system is in the gut, so gut microbiome modulation could influence immunity.
Support for Skin, Coat, and Stress Management
Thanks to the gut-brain link, some strains help dogs stay calmer. Studies show dogs taking Bifidobacterium longum (BL999) bark and pace less when stressed.
Mental and physical health perks:
Less anxiety and stress behaviour
Shinier, healthier coats
Reduced skin irritation and allergies
Fresher breath
When gut bacteria are balanced, hormones and inflammation are better regulated, often leading to improvements in skin and coat.
What Are Probiotics and How Do They Work?
Probiotics for dogs are friendly bacteria that help the gut work right. Your dog’s gut is home to trillions of microbes. Some are helpful, some—not so much, especially if they get out of control.
Good bacteria from probiotic supplements keep things balanced by crowding out the bad ones and using up the same food and space.
The most common probiotic species for dogs include:
Lactobacillus acidophilus – helps with stool quality
Bifidobacterium longum – known for easing anxiety
Enterococcus faecium – supports general gut health
These good microbes create substances that make the gut less inviting for harmful bacteria. They also break down food and make nutrients your dog needs.
Top 9 Probiotics for Dogs in Canada
Purina Pro Plan Fortiflora is the #1 veterinarian-recommended probiotic brand to support your dog’s digestive health, containing a guaranteed level of live, beneficial bacteria in each sachet.
Main Uses: Managing diarrhea and improving stool quality, promoting intestinal health and balance, and supporting a healthy immune system. Can also help reduce flatulence.
Key Ingredients: Features the unique probiotic strain Enterococcus faecium SF68® at a guaranteed level, which is proven to promote intestinal balance. The powder base also contains Animal digest to enhance palatability.
Product Highlight: It uses a proprietary microencapsulation process to protect the live cultures, ensuring they survive to reach your dog's intestinal tract.
Pricing: $39 CAD per 30 sachets
Things to Consider: It contains an Animal digest (pork and poultry) ingredient, which is highly palatable but might be a consideration for dogs with certain protein sensitivities.
Aventi GI Complete is a comprehensive, multi-modal nutritional supplement for dogs, offering an "all-in-one" approach to quickly normalize and restore healthy GI tract function.
Main Uses: For sudden diarrhea, gut recovery after illness, or when your dog’s stressed and their stomach’s acting up.
Key Ingredients: Contains seven probiotic strains (e.g., Lactobacillus acidophilus, E. faecium), prebiotics (FOS, MOS), yeasts (Saccharomyces boulardii), essential electrolytes (Sodium Chloride, Potassium Sulfate), B vitamins, and nucleotides to nourish the GI lining.
Product Highlight: Aventi GI Complete offers a multi-action formula that targets several facets of GI health simultaneously. It comes in three formats — a palatable powder, chewable tablets, and paste. It’s a Health Canada registered product and uses unique antimicrobial peptides alongside probiotics.
Pricing:
Aventi GI Complete Powder : $55 CAD per 120g
Aventi GI Complete Chewable Tablet : $82 CAD per 120 tablets (144g)
Aventi GI Complete Paste : $22 CAD per 15ml paste
Things to Consider: It is generally administered for a short duration (1 to 2 weeks) or as directed by your veterinarian.
Nutramax Proviable-DC multi-strain probiotic capsule packs 5 billion CFUs to help support your dog’s digestion.
Main Uses: Restoring gut balance, easing upset after antibiotics, helping with diet changes, and managing stress-related tummy troubles.
Key Ingredients: Features seven probiotic strains—like Enterococcus faecium, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and several Lactobacillus species. Also includes fructooligosaccharides as prebiotic fuel.
Product Highlight: Veterinarian-recommended formula from Nutramax, a well-known supplement brand. Capsules are easy to open and sprinkle on food, which is helpful if your pet hates pills.
Pricing: $23 - 57 CAD per 30 - 80 capsules
Things to Consider: If you’re also giving antibiotics, space them out by 1-2 hours for best results. Only once a day, so it’s easy to remember.
Aventi GI Essentials daily powder gives synbiotic support, mixing prebiotics and probiotics for long-term digestive maintenance.
Main Uses: Everyday digestive support, better stool quality, immune system help, and healthy gut flora.
Key Ingredients: Each 2g sachet contains Lactobacillus acidophilus (1.8x10¹⁰ CFU), Lactobacillus plantarum (2x10⁹ CFU), and Enterococcus faecium (1.05x10⁸ CFU). There’s also fructooligosaccharides (720mg) for prebiotic fiber and Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast.
Product Highlight: One sachet daily for any dog size. The powder blends right into food, so even picky dogs won’t notice.
Pricing: $40 CAD per 30 Sachets
Things to Consider: You’ll need to give it daily for best results, and it might take a couple of weeks to see stool improvements.
Proviable Forte Probiotic Kit is a bit more involved. It is a two-step system with paste for quick relief and capsules for longer-term gut health.
Main Uses: Great for sudden digestive upsets, after antibiotics, when your dog eats something unusual, travel stress, or when you just want to get their gut back on track.
Key Ingredients: The paste has several strains and delivers 0.5 billion CFUs per gram. Capsules have 10 billion CFUs with Enterococcus faecium, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Streptococcus thermophilus, etc.
Product Highlight: Dogs can get fast relief from the paste and ongoing support from the capsules. Supported by multiple published studies and contains beneficial probiotic strains shown to help maintain and restore healthy gut balance.
Pricing: $31 - 36 CAD per 30ml paste & 15 capsules
Things to Consider: Both paste and capsules are started on the same day. This makes it slightly more involved than single-form supplements but offers a broader benefit.
PetAg Bene-Bac Plus Pet Gel is a concentrated probiotic supplement for small animals (including dogs) dealing with digestive stress.
Main Uses: Perfect for adverse conditions like stress, dietary changes, antibiotic recovery, or supporting hand-fed orphans and newborns. Also great when you need a gentle probiotic boost during transitions or challenging times.
Key Ingredients: Contains seven strains of lactic acid producing bacteria delivering 20 million CFUs per gram, including Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and others. Enhanced with fructooligosaccharides (FOS) as prebiotics to help the beneficial bacteria establish and thrive.
Product Highlight: Simple weight-based dosing. The gel comes in convenient 15-gram syringes. Pet owners can place it directly in their dog's mouth or mix it with food.
Pricing: $15 CAD per 15g gel
Things to Consider: The CFU count is lower than some advanced formulations, so it may not be sufficient for severe or chronic digestive issues. This supplement is mainly for intermittent use.
Advanced GI Oral Paste offers quick gastrointestinal support for dogs dealing with digestive upset. It's a veterinary-formulated paste that works fast to help normalize digestion and improve stool quality.
Main Uses: Perfect for dogss with diarrhea, dietary sensitivities, chronic gastrointestinal conditions, or any time you need to get their digestive system back on track quickly.
Key Ingredients: Features a comprehensive blend of potent prebiotics to support beneficial microbes, multi-strain probiotics to populate good bacteria and displace harmful ones, premium adsorbing clay to clear toxins and stabilize stool quality, digestive enzymes for healthy digestion, and B vitamins for accelerated results.
Product Highlight: The convenient dial-a-dose tube makes administration easy, and dogs love the taste. One tube provides a complete 24-hour treatment protocol with three doses spaced 6-8 hours apart for maximum effectiveness.
Pricing: $21 CAD per 15mL gel
Things to Consider: This is designed as a short-term intervention rather than daily maintenance. After the initial rapid response treatment, you may want to switch to their powder formula for ongoing daily support.
When Should Your Dog Take Probiotics?
Just like people, dogs can show clear signs when their digestive balance is off. Probiotics aren’t a cure-all, but they can support gut recovery and overall wellness when the microbiome is disrupted.
1. Digestive Disturbances
If your dog frequently has soft stools, diarrhea, constipation, gas, or bloating, it could mean their gut bacteria are out of balance.
Probiotics help restore healthy bacteria populations, improving stool quality and nutrient absorption.
They may also shorten recovery time from temporary digestive upsets due to food changes, stress, or minor infections.
2. After Antibiotics or Illness
Antibiotics can reduce both harmful and beneficial bacteria in the intestines.
Adding a probiotic during or after antibiotic treatment can help re-establish the good bacteria that protect your dog’s gut lining and immune system.
Always space probiotics and antibiotics by at least 1–2 hours for the best effect.
3. During Stressful Events
Dogs often experience digestive upset when stressed — such as during travel, boarding, or grooming visits.
Probiotics may help maintain normal bowel movements and appetite by supporting the gut-brain connection during these high-stress times.
4. Skin or Allergy Issues
Emerging studies suggest a connection between gut bacteria and skin or immune health.
In some dogs, probiotics may help calm mild skin inflammation or reduce allergy flare-ups by supporting immune balance — though results can vary and depend on the probiotic strain.
5. Frequent Diet Changes or Sensitive Stomachs
Dogs with sensitive digestion or frequent diet adjustments may benefit from a daily probiotic.
It can help smooth the transition to new foods and reduce the risk of stomach upset.
6. When to Talk to Your Vet
If your dog has chronic digestive issues, skin allergies, or other health conditions, speak with your veterinarian before starting probiotics.
They can help you choose the right strain and dosage — since probiotic effects are strain-specific, and not all products work the same way.
Probiotic Foods vs. Supplements
Dog owners have a choice: natural probiotic foods or commercial supplements. Each has its perks and drawbacks, and the best pick depends on how easily they deliver helpful bacteria to your dog’s gut and your own lifestyle.
Natural food sources of probiotics (yogurt, kefir, fermented vegetables)
Plain yogurt contains live cultures like lactobacillus acidophilus that can benefit some dogs. The yogurt must be unsweetened and free from artificial sweeteners, especially xylitol, which is toxic to dogs.
Kefir provides more diverse bacterial strains than yogurt. This fermented milk product offers higher concentrations of probiotics but should be given in small amounts due to its dairy content.
Fermented vegetables like sauerkraut can provide probiotics for dogs. These foods must be prepared without salt, garlic, or onions, which are harmful to pets.
Important considerations for natural sources:
Many dogs are lactose intolerant and may experience digestive upset from dairy-based probiotics
Natural sources don't guarantee specific bacterial counts or strains
Homemade fermented foods may contain harmful bacteria if not prepared properly
Pros and cons of food sources vs. supplements
Food sources advantages:
Budget-friendly
Extra nutritional value
Simple to add to meals
Supplement advantages:
Reliable probiotic amounts
Formulated for dogs specifically
Longer shelf life
No risk for dogs with dairy intolerance
FAQs
Can dogs take human probiotics?
Technically, dogs can take human probiotics, but they’re not the best fit. Dog-specific probiotics are more likely to survive stomach acid, colonize properly, and deliver consistent benefits.
How long do probiotics take to work in dogs?
It depends on the reason for use and your dog’s overall health. Most dogs show digestive improvements within days to weeks starting probiotics. Behavioural changes like reduced anxiety may take 3-6 weeks weeks to become noticeable.
What are the side effects of probiotics for dogs?
Yes, most veterinary probiotics are safe for healthy dogs when used as directed.
Mild, temporary symptoms like gas, bloating, or soft stools can occur during the first few days as the gut adjusts.
If your dog has a weakened immune system or serious illness, check with your vet before starting probiotics.
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