Anyone ever heard of "Pet Flora"???

[Sonia59]

I had a quick look at the website. It is a probiotic and they give a vague bacterial content of the product, but it does not say so much. Some of the species they mention could be good and other ones could be bad, there is not enough information about them. Their claims may be scientifically proven but it is not very clear. I checked the name of the scientist mentionned. He has participated in a study testing probiotics in humans with IBD, but I did not find any published study with cats and dogs. The only clear thing is that the bacterial content is completely different than the yoghurt bacteria. It could work and I tend to believe in it, but I would like to know more about it before I use it.

Have you tried giving yoghurt to Brodie?
My cats love yoghurt!

And yes, Brodie is very cute! He deserves t(and you too) having his problem solved!

[christa]

I had a quick look at the website. It is a probiotic and they give a vague bacterial content of the product, but it does not say so much. Some of the species they mention could be good and other ones could be bad, there is not enough information about them. Their claims may be scientifically proven but it is not very clear. I checked the name of the scientist mentionned. He has participated in a study testing probiotics in humans with IBD, but I did not find any published study with cats and dogs. The only clear thing is that the bacterial content is completely different than the yoghurt bacteria. It could work and I tend to believe in it, but I would like to know more about it before I use it.

Have you tried giving yoghurt to Brodie?
My cats love yoghurt!

And yes, Brodie is very cute! He deserves t(and you too) having his problem solved!

Thanks for your input, Sonia . . . like I said, I really just didn't know about this product and really value everyone's opinions on this stuff! Anyway, sounds like you know what you're talking about . . .

About yogurt . . . we used to give Brodie yogurt all the time . . . but I was confused becuase I couldn't remember if we stopped giving it to him and then it started throwing up or if he started throwing up while we were still giving it to him. So I guess I was afraid that it was causing or contributing to his throwing up. But now that I think back, I believe that he was throwing up less, maybe none at all when we were giving it to him like every day . . . because I remember that we would give it to him with L-Lysine . . . at the time, we were having herpes issues. That was our main problem. No vomiting at all . . .

I think I will go get some full fat yogurt . . . he hasn't been eating our Lite stuff as well lately, I think he's sick of it. Or maybe doesn't like the taste . . . I don't even really like it, LOL . . . Thanks guys!

[sirrahbed]

YES, Brodie is a cutie and that picture is just adorable

As for the yogurt - you can also buy acidophilus capsules instead. These are in health and nutrition stores and I am pretty sure this is the same bacteria that makes yogurt. You keep the capsules in the fridge and open them to sprinkle on kitties food. One a day. This was really good when my kittens had stomach upsets the first half year of their lives. Someone here suggested them and they really did help. Acidophilus is supposed to restore normal bacterial flora. I take them also

Sure do hope something will be found to help Brodie feel better.

[christa]

As for the yogurt - you can also buy acidophilus capsules instead.

Thanks for the suggestion Deb. At this point, I am willing to try just about ANYTHING.

I know this is gross, but hey, this is Pet Talk . . . The *smell* of his vomit doesn't bother me so much, it just smells like his food . . . it's the smell of the cleaner that's starting to get to me. YUCK! And maybe the mix of the two together, I don't know . . . anyway, I can smell it all the time . . . hubby says it's just me, where I clean it up all the time . . . he says he can't smell it . . . must be just me.

Poor baby . . . here he comes now . . . wanting to lay on my lap while I work.

[sirrahbed]

it's the smell of the cleaner that's starting to get to me.

Maybe switch to another cleaner? I know what you mean here The smell of a product starts to remind you of the yuck it is cleaning....it seems like it gets into your pores and stays in your nose eh? Have you tried OUT!? That one does not seem to have any odor at all to me. Works great for pee on the tile floor where someone keeps going

[christa]

Maybe switch to another cleaner? I know what you mean here The smell of a product starts to remind you of the yuck it is cleaning....it seems like it gets into your pores and stays in your nose eh? Have you tried OUT!? That one does not seem to have any odor at all to me. Works great for pee on the tile floor where someone keeps going

The thing is, we have hardwood *laminant* floors and there are only so many products you can use on those . . . know what I mean??? As far as cleaners go anyway. I wonder if OUT is safe for that type of floor? Guess I'll have to go to the store and do some reading!

[jazzcat]

I hope one of these things will help Brodie. I would definitely try the tablets Debbie suggested or the yogurt first.

What you said about the cleaner smell getting to you made me think of Richard. He can't handle anything Pine Sol smelling because he says he remembers in grade school the kid next to him throwing up everywhere and the janitor cleaning it up with pencil shavings and then mopping it all down with Pine Sol. He almost turns green when he smells it today. LOL.

I hope Brodie gets some relief soon, poor little guy.

[kuhio98]

Christa ~ I can't remember all the things you've tried, but have you tried human baby food? Meat flavored, of course. When Kuhio was getting very ill, it was the only thing she could keep down. I checked with the vet and he said it was fine. She ate a jar or 2 a day. Those suckers are $1 a jar up here. But, it was definitely worth it not to have to clean up puke all the time and it helped keep her weight up.

[Sonia59]

Christa, this is just the field I am working in! Which does not mean I have the 100% good advice for Brodie. I don't know much about cats intestinal problems and I also don't know exactly about the origin of Brodie's problem. But if my thoughts can help a bit...

About yoghurt, except if Brodie is allergic to something specific in yoghurt he should not throw up more if you give him some. And it's full of healthy compounds.

Debbie, acidophilus is not the same as the bacteria contained in yoghurt. The acidophilus you take is probably a probiotic and has been selected to have more beneficial effects in the intestine than the classical yoghurt bacteria.

The difference between acidophilus and Pet Flora is that acidophilus is supposed to be adapted to humans and Pet Flora is for cats and dogs, who do not have the same microbes as we have. And I have no idea whether it is good or bad to give human bacteria to a cat! If you decide to try it may be you should give Brodie a dose lower than for humans.
And in any case, yoghurt or other, this is never a short term "treatment". It has to be eaten daily and you will see effects after let's say two weeks or so.

Pet Flora also contains different bacteria, which is expected to be more efficient than only one. But from what I read from the website, they do not explain how they have selected the strains, what the strains are exactly, what the amounts are and if they have tested their safety. You should be careful with these probiotic products because most of them actually do not contain what's claimed on the package. It is already vague for humans but I think it is even worse for animals. Since my previous post I checked a bit more about the available studies in this field...and I could find almost nothing!

[christa]

Wow, thanks so much guys . . . Especially Sonia for all the info. Your doubts about it are enough to steer me in the opposite direction!

Anyway, I am on my way out the door right now to the store to get the little guy a tub of his own yogurt!

How much do you think per day??? Spoonful or so?

I just hope the yogurt doesn't come back up . . . I can only imagine what a mess that would be to clean up! GROSS!

[Sonia59]

Your doubts about it are enough to steer me in the opposite direction!

Anyway, I am on my way out the door right now to the store to get the little guy a tub of his own yogurt!

How much do you think per day??? Spoonful or so?

I just hope the yogurt doesn't come back up . . . I can only imagine what a mess that would be to clean up! GROSS!

I feel a bit guilty, if ever this would be good for Brodie and you choose not to give him... Please do not take only my opinion into account, but from a scientific point of view, if I would see this, I would hesitate to give it to my own cat. The claims are not strong enough. I truely believe in probiotics as long are they have been seriously checked. May be you could try to write them and get more info on the content, the tests they have made, etc... and see what they reply.

A spoonful of yoghurt sounds good. May be not too much at the beginning, to be sure he won't throw up. If he throws up there could also be something not good for him in the yoghurt.