Should I give my dog probiotic foods or supplements?

August 15, 2025
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All about raw feeding
Caring for your pet

Probiotics for dogs are the next wave to overcome us pet parents looking for ways to provide our furry companions with the best shot at life possible. With so much information to sift through on the internet about probiotics for dogs, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.

At Big Dog, we put the pro in probiotic, so let us help clear up the differences between probiotic supplements and probiotic foods.

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For starters, the biggest difference between probiotic foods and supplements is that probiotic supplements will often use strains at therapeutic levels, based on documented research, for example, some strains may benefit digestive related issues and some will help with mood, and have documented scientific evidence to support this. Probiotic foods can’t make these claims, but are great at promoting a diverse microbiome with beautiful live organisms that will happily make their way through your pet’s digestive system encouraging healthy flora.

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Probiotic Supplements recognised by WHO

Don’t just take our word for it, the World Health Organization (WHO) defines probiotics as “live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host”.

To help clarify the differences between probiotic supplements and probiotic foods, we asked Canine Nutritionist and Naturopath, Narelle Cooke to highlight key advantages and disadvantages of each:

Probiotic Supplements

Advantages Disadvantages
  • Have a documented health benefit.
  • Allow greater control over the specific type and number of bacterial species that you give your dog, which can be important when it comes to addressing particular health issues.
  • Allow easy dosing of extremely high numbers of bacteria, which can act to increase their efficiency.
  • Free of common allergens such as wheat, gluten, dairy and soy.
  • May cause transient gastrointestinal upset in the beginning if high doses given.
  • Can be expensive when given long-term.
  • The number of live bacteria can be reduced if not stored correctly.

Probiotic-rich Foods

Advantages Disadvantages
  • Provide additional beneficial nutrients rather than just probiotics alone.
  • Often contain sources of fibre which act as prebiotics (the food source to the probiotics).
  • Can contain a wider diversity of bacterial strains compared to supplements.
  • Probiotic bacteria must be alive at the time of consumption to provide any benefit. Food processing methods such as heat-treatments, pasteurisation and extended storage times can negatively affect bacterial survival.
  • Fermented foods can have a strong flavour and smell that is off-putting to many dogs.
  • Fermented foods can worsen allergies by stimulating histamine release.
  • Many dogs do not tolerate dairy-based foods.
  • There is limited evidence surrounding the number, type and benefits of bacteria present in certain foods.

Probiotic foods found in Big Dog raw food

If you’re keen to include some probiotic-rich foods in your dog’s diet, then Big Dog has you covered. Our raw dog food recipes are loaded with probiotics and prebiotics (prebiotics are food for probiotics, you can learn more here). Many of our recipes contain goats whey, dandelion, green banana, psyllium, and washed tripe, which will all encourage a diverse micobiome  in your dog.

Probiotic Supplement options for your dog

Big Dog has formulated three specific probiotic supplements for pets.

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All Big Dog Probiotics:

•  Are microencapsulated to shield them from harm until they reach their targetdestination within the gut 
• Contain colony forming units (CFU) inthe billions 
• Contain multiple strains for a diverseand healthy microbiome 
• Include prebiotics, which feedprobiotics, and digestive enzymes toassist in the digestion process 

We hope this article helps clear things up. Where possible, we recommend including probiotic-rich foods to encourage a diverse microbiome, and for targeted health support for a specific concern, we recommend a probiotic supplement.

If you enjoyed this article, we have more!

Narelle Cooke explains the health benefits of probiotics for dogs here: https://www.bigdogpetfoods.com/guides/the-health-benefits-of-probiotics-for-dogs
Discover which probiotic is best for your dog here:
https://www.bigdogpetfoods.com/guides/which-probiotic-supplement-is-right-for-my-dog
Browse the Big Dog supplement range here:
https://www.bigdogpetfoods.com/natural-probiotics-for-dogs
Find Big Dog supplements near you:
https://www.bigdogpetfoods.com/where-to-buy