Best Probiotics for Dogs in 2025 to Improve Gut Health, Backed by Vets

This guide lists the best dog probiotics for 2025.

We looked at many options and picked the top 10. These help dogs with diarrhea, allergies, and other issues. Vets have also reviewed these.

We used these rules to rank the probiotics:

• CFUs: More colony forming units mean a stronger product.
• Bacterial Strains: More kinds of bacteria can be better.
• Price: Cheaper options ranked higher.
• Refund Policy: Good refund policies are a plus.
• Best For: We looked at what each probiotic helps with.
• Ingredients: Fewer bad ingredients are better.

The rankings are based on these things: CFUs, bacteria, price, refunds, and ingredients. We checked each product to see if it could help dogs' digestion and immunity.

The best probiotics are strong, have good bacteria, and have good customer policies. This guide will help you choose the right probiotic for your dog.

Here are the top 10 probiotics for dogs, from best to good:

What are dog probiotics, and how do they work?

Probiotics are good bacteria. They live and grow in your dog's gut, which is part of their body. These bacteria help keep your dog healthy. They are important for digestive health and overall health.

They are part of something bigger called the microbiome. This is a system of bacteria and other tiny things that help your dog's body work right.

Research shows these good bacteria are important for:

• Digestion: They help your dog break down food.
• Immune system: They help your dog fight off sickness, enhancing immune response.

If your dog doesn't have enough good bacteria, they can get health problems. This is called dysbiosis. Maintain digestive balance is key to preventing this.

What causes dysbiosis in dogs? Here are some common reasons:

• Bad dog food with lots of carbs
• Antibiotics and steroids
• Stress

These things can kill the good bacteria in your dog's gut. Then, bad bacteria can grow.

When a dog has dysbiosis, they can get "leaky gut." This is when bad things leak from the gut into the blood. This can cause inflammation.

Inflammation can lead to problems like:

• Diarrhea, gas, and bloating
• Ear and skin infections
• Flea, food, and seasonal allergies

We think leaky gut causes many health issues in dogs. That's why we think it's important to give your dog probiotics. A probiotic product can help.

Probiotics can help fix the bacteria balance in your dog's gut. This can help prevent or improve leaky gut. It can also help with other health problems. You have to maintain digestive health because it's important for canine health.

That's why we recommend probiotics. They can really help dogs!

To get the most from probiotics, your dog should finish any antibiotics they're taking. They should also eat less bad food. This helps the probiotics do their job and grow more good bacteria. Maintaining digestive balance is important for long term health and immune health.

Probiotics help dogs in many ways. They are often given with food to help their tummies work right. They make sure there's more "good" bacteria than "bad" bacteria in their guts.

All dogs can get these benefits from probiotics:

• They help dogs get more nutrients from their food.
• They help stop tummy infections.
• They help keep things moving in the tummy, so dogs don't get constipated or have other problems.
• They make the immune system stronger.
• They might help older dogs avoid some heart and bone problems.

Are probiotics good for dogs? Yes, for sure! Maintain digestive health is essential for overall well-being.

Common Dog Health Problems

Why should you give your dog probiotics? Don't they get enough from their food?

Well, yes and no. Good dog food has what they need. But dogs can still get sick from bacteria. This can happen from:

• Wounds
• Being around other sick dogs
• A weak immune system

Dogs can also spread diseases to each other, like kennel cough and Lyme disease.

Many tummy problems in dogs come from their urge to eat anything they find. This can cause:

• Throwing up
• Diarrhea
• Constipation

Moving, new food, antibiotics, and getting old can also mess up the bacteria in a dog's tummy. The digestive tract is sensitive to these changes.

Dogs have over 500 kinds of bacteria in their tummies. These bacteria help them stay healthy. Good bacteria, like bifidobacteria and L. acidophilus, keep the tummy balanced. This stops bad bacteria from growing and making dogs sick. These good bacteria also:

• Help the body fight inflammation
• Help stop cancer
• Help turn food into good things for the body

When dogs don't have enough good bacteria, bad bacteria can grow and make them sick. Maintaining digestive balance is key for canine health.

What Makes Them Good?

Probiotics can help your dog feel better if they have these problems:

• Skin and coat problems (like shedding, scabs, and itchy spots)
• Throwing up a lot
• Not eating or losing weight
• Allergies
• Loose poop or diarrhea
• Gas
• Yeast infections
• Tummy problems like colitis or IBD
• Feeling tired, sad, or restless

Antibiotics can also cause diarrhea. This is because they kill all bacteria, even the good ones. This lets bad bacteria like Clostridium difficile grow and cause infections. A probiotic product can help restore balance after antibiotic use.

Anything that changes a living thing can cause side effects. Some side effects are small and happen inside the cells. Other side effects can be bigger and depend on your dog's body. This can be affected by:

• Illness
• Hormones
• A weak immune system

Probiotic supplements are usually safe for dogs. They only have natural things, like the good bacteria already in your dog's tummy. If side effects happen, they are often tummy problems, like:

• Too much gas
• Constipation
• Diarrhea (if your dog doesn't already have it)

Also, your dog's health might get a little worse before it gets better. This is because their tummy is getting used to the new bacteria. Digestive health can fluctuate during this adjustment period.

Weakened Immune System in Dogs

If a dog has a weak immune system, too much of a certain bacteria (L. bacillus) might grow. This can happen if the dog is sick, doesn't eat well, or is old. This is rare, but it can let bacteria get into the blood and cause problems.

Allergic Reactions

Experts think only one in a million dogs might be allergic to probiotics. We don't know why this happens. Signs of an allergy are:

• Lots of itching
• Trouble breathing
• Swelling of the tongue and lips
• Trouble walking

If your dog has these signs, take them to a vet right away.

Low Quality Probiotics

Bad companies make cheap probiotics that don't work well. These probiotics break down in the tummy before they get to the intestines. If the bacteria don't get to the intestines, they won't help your dog. They might even be bad for them. Digestive health depends on quality probiotics.

Also, some probiotics say they are "for dogs," but they are really for humans. Bacteria are usually specific to one type of animal. So, human probiotics might cause:

• Throwing up
• Bad diarrhea
• Dehydration

Good bacteria for dogs are:

• L. plantarum
• Bifidobacterium animalis
• L. acidophilus
• L. rhamnosus
• L. fermentum
• L. reuteri
• L. salivarius

Good dog probiotics will have these bacteria. They will also have the right amount of bacteria (CFU).

The Advantages Outweigh the Risks

Besides antibiotics, other things can also kill good bacteria in your dog's tummy. These include:

• Bad food
• Stress
• Changes in their home
• Some medicines

Probiotics can help by:

• Helping them digest food better
• Helping them get more vitamins and minerals
• Helping with minor food problems
• Reducing tummy inflammation
• Giving them more energy
• Helping them make vitamins
• Helping their immune system
• Helping get rid of bad things in food
• Keeping their hormones balanced
• Helping stop pee infections in female dogs

The digestive tract benefits from these actions, improving overall health.

What Causes Them?

We don't know all the reasons why, but sometimes a dog's body overreacts to things called allergens. Most allergens are proteins. When these allergens attach to special molecules in the blood, they tell cells in the body to release a chemical called histamine. Histamine causes allergy symptoms like:

• Itchy eyes
• Sneezing
• Swelling

When histamine is released, tissues around blood vessels get tight and leak fluid. This makes the nose and eyes swell and get watery. Histamine also makes the body create more white blood cells. These cells try to get rid of the allergen, which can make the dog sneeze and cough even more. How bad the symptoms are depends on how sensitive the dog is and how long they are around the allergen. Enhancing immune response can help reduce allergic reactions.

Symptoms of Airborne Allergies

• Watery, itchy eyes (the dog will paw at the eyes or shake their head)
• Very wet nose or clear stuff coming from the nose
• Sneezing and wheezing
• Diarrhea
• Throwing up
• Snoring (from a stuffy or swollen throat)
• Not wanting to eat
• Sleeping more than usual
• Drinking more water than normal

Symptoms of Food Allergies

Soy, wheat, and corn are common causes of food allergies in dogs. But dogs can also be allergic to meat and dairy. Symptoms of a food allergy include:

• Itchy skin, especially on the face, ears, armpits, and around the butt
• Hair loss or "hot" spots from scratching
• Ear infections that keep coming back
• More poop or diarrhea
• Trouble breathing
• Not wanting to eat and losing weight

Reverse Sneezing and Dog Allergies

Reverse sneezing is when a dog blows air out of their nose, then quickly sucks it back in.

When dogs do this, they will snort and sound like they can't breathe. But it stops after about 30 to 60 seconds and doesn't hurt them. Vets think allergies and infections can cause reverse sneezing. Dogs with long noses (like collies and German Shepherds) get it more often.

Diagnosing Food, Parasitic and Airborne Allergies

To find out if a dog has a respiratory allergy, vets use tests like ELISA or RAST. These tests find special allergy fighters in the blood. The ELISA test is more accurate.

Vets might also do skin tests. They put a patch on the dog's skin and inject possible allergens. If the skin reacts, the dog is allergic to that thing.

Treating Canine Allergies

Dogs and people need enough "good" bacteria in their tummies to digest food. Illness, new food, stress, and some medicines can mess up the balance of good and bad bacteria. This can cause health problems, like allergies. Digestive health is closely linked to allergies.

Probiotics are bacteria that live in the dog's tummy. They help with digestion and make vitamins and minerals. They also make lactic acid, which helps kill bad bacteria.

When you use probiotics, allergy symptoms can get better or go away. Probiotics help the immune system work better and stop it from overreacting to allergens. Unlike allergy medicines, probiotics don't have side effects. They help your dog get healthy in a safe way and stop allergy symptoms. A probiotic supplement can be very beneficial for canine health.

Skin yeast infections are common in dogs. Vets treat them a lot. Did you know:

• Many dog breeds often get yeast infections. They need special care to avoid getting them again.
• Yeast infections can be caused by stress, hot weather, or bug bites.
• Ear infections are often yeast infections. They can hurt a dog's hearing.
• Steroid medicines for yeast infections can cause problems like trouble breathing or hair loss.
• Probiotics are a safe way to treat yeast infections. They don't have side effects. Maintaining digestive balance can help prevent yeast infections and improve immune health.

What Causes Dog Yeast Infections?

Yeast infections happen when there are too many bad germs and not enough good germs. In dogs, yeast skin infections start when a fungus called Malassezia pachydermatis grows too much. This causes ear infections or skin infections. Yeast likes to grow in places that are:

• Wet
• Warm
• Dark

...like ears, armpits, and between the toes. If a dog doesn't get the right medicine, like probiotics, the infection can spread fast. The digestive tract can influence yeast overgrowth.

Yeast infections often affect a dog's ears, toes, or armpits. Dogs with skin folds (like bloodhounds and Shar-Peis) are also likely to get them. If you don't treat it, the infection will spread and make the dog itchy. They will scratch and chew a lot.

What can cause a yeast infection?

• Antibiotics
• Hot, wet weather
• Allergies to bugs
• Food allergies (like corn or wheat)
• Not enough protein or good fats in their diet
• Steroid medicines
• Hormone problems
• Chemotherapy

Yeast cells usually live on dog skin without problems. Vets aren't sure why they start growing too much. But they think these things can cause it.

Symptoms of Yeast Infections

• Chewing, biting, scratching, and licking the skin a lot. They might scratch so much that they bleed.
• Dandruff or scaly skin
• Skin that's too oily
• Skin that smells bad
• Skin that gets thick and dark (like elephant skin)
• Crusty, swollen skin
• Not wanting to eat or losing weight
• Feeling sad, tired, or worried

Too much oil on the skin can make yeast infections worse. This can happen if a dog is stressed or if you bathe them too much. Using the wrong shampoo can also cause problems.

Ear Infections in Dogs

Dog ear infections are often yeast infections. They need to be treated right away. Signs of an ear infection are:

• Scratching the ear a lot. They might also rub their ear on the ground.
• Yellow, brown, or bloody stuff coming out of the ear. It might smell bad.
• Red, crusty, and swollen ear
• Tilting their head or shaking it
• Losing their balance
• Hearing loss

Dogs with floppy ears (like cocker spaniels and poodles) or hairy ears (like schnauzers) often get ear infections. If yeast grows in the ear, it can spread to the inner ear. This can cause fluid to build up and break the eardrum. This can cause hearing loss.

Diagnosis

Vets will look at a skin sample under a microscope. They will look for yeast cells, bacteria, or mites. They might also take a sample of wax from the ear. If they think food allergies are causing the infection, they will do food allergy tests.

Treatment

Probiotics have good bacteria that live in the dog's tummy. They help keep dogs healthy and stop yeast infections. The good bacteria kill the bad bacteria by making special acids. These acids stop the yeast from growing. Digestive health is key to preventing yeast overgrowth.

Using probiotics also means dogs don't have to deal with the side effects of medicines. Probiotics can also help prevent yeast infections by making dogs healthier overall.

Even healthy dogs get diarrhea sometimes. Like people, dogs can have tummy problems like:

• Stomach aches
• Gas
• Feeling sick

Sometimes diarrhea goes away on its own. But other times, dogs need help. Probiotics can help dogs and puppies with diarrhea. They are a safe and natural way to:

• Make their tummies healthy again
• Stop them from getting dehydrated
• Help them feel better

If your dog has diarrhea, here are some things to think about:

• Did it start suddenly or slowly?
• Has it lasted for more than a few days?
• Did you change their food? Did they eat too much wet food or table scraps?
• Are they taking medicine for it, but it's not working?
• Have you thought about using probiotics?

What Causes Diarrhea in Dogs?

Here are some things that can cause diarrhea in dogs:

• Changing their food
• Eating too much or too little
• Eating "people" food or canned food
• Eating bad food, trash, or other things they shouldn't
• Germs (like rotavirus or leptospirosis)
• Food allergies
• Worms (like roundworms or tapeworms)
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• Liver or kidney problems
• Tumors in their tummy
• Colitis (when the colon is irritated)
• Canine hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (CHGE), which causes bloody diarrhea and throwing up

Symptoms Accompanying Diarrhea in Dogs

If a dog only has diarrhea once or twice, they might not have other symptoms. But if it lasts more than two days, they can get dehydrated. Even if they drink water, they lose more water than they take in. Signs of dehydration are:

• Not having energy
• Breathing fast or panting a lot
• Losing weight fast
• Acting different (scared, sad, or jumpy)
• Dry nose, gums, and mouth
• Skin that doesn't bounce back when you pinch it
• A rectal temperature over 105° F
• Trouble walking or standing up

Diagnosing Dog Diarrhea

To find out why a dog has diarrhea, vets will:

• Ask the owner about the dog's food, home, routine, and past health.
• Give the dog a checkup.
• Test the dog's poop. This can show if they have worms or infections.
• Take blood and urine samples. This can show if they have other problems, like pancreatitis or liver problems.
• Do X-rays or ultrasounds of the tummy. This can show if they swallowed something bad.

Treating Diarrhea in Dogs

Now, many dog owners are using probiotics to treat diarrhea. Probiotics are a safe and healthy way to help dogs with diarrhea. They are a natural way to make their tummies healthy again. The digestive tract benefits from probiotics.

Probiotics are good bacteria that you give to your dog by mouth. They start growing in the tummy quickly. They help fix the bacteria balance that causes diarrhea. They also help the tummy work better and make more good bacteria.

Giving your dog probiotics can help stop them from getting diarrhea from stress, eating bad things, or having a weak immune system. Digestive health can be improved with probiotics and bifidobacterium animalis.

One question we often hear is: can I give my dog human probiotics?

The answer is, you can.

But, should you give your dog human probiotics? No.

Human probiotics won't hurt your dog. But, they won't help much either. Your dog needs probiotics made just for them. Digestive health is species-specific.

Your dog's tummy is their biggest organ. You want them to get the most help from their probiotic. The bacteria in dog probiotics are better for dogs. Look for these bacteria in a dog probiotic:

• Lactobacillus plantarum
• Enterococcus faecium
• Bacillus coagulans

Enterococcus faecium is good for pets. Studies show it helps their tummy bacteria. It also helps them make more of a special fighter in their gut lining. This fighter protects them from bad bacteria and viruses. It's called fecal secretory IgA. Digestive health relies on a balanced gut.

Bacillus coagulans is also good for dogs. It can help stop diarrhea. It can also help with tummy problems like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Long term use of appropriate probiotics is beneficial for canine health.