Yogurt for Diarrhea in Dogs

If you're dog likes to rummage and eat anything it gets its mouth on, eventually you will be confronted with a dog with diarrhea. Many online dog forums say yogurt helps treat the condition, but there isn't a consensus. Regardless, some types of yogurt hold more promise than others.

Yogurt with live cultures, or probiotics, contains the good bacteria that live in your dog's digestive system. Your dog may be lacking these friendly bacteria for a number of reasons: antibiotic treatment, diarrhea, bad diet. Antibiotics kill bad and good bacteria, so if your dog was rcently on antibiotics, he may have diarrhea because of low amounts of good bacteria. Feed your dog one or two tablespoons of yogurt a day to refortify his digestive health.

All yogurts are not created equal. Check the label to make sure you're purchasing a yogurt with active cultures. Avoid flavored yogurts, or yogurts with added sugar.

Yogurt can be mixed with chicken and rice and substituted for your dog's regular meal. A small portion of boiled chicken and white rice is the typical home remedy for a dog suffering from diarrhea. Add a tablespoon of yogurt to this bland diet for a boost of probiotics.

There is some debate over how effective yogurt is for treating diarrhea. Some argue that it's not enough to feed your dog yogurt with active cultures--that Lactobacillus acidophilus, a specific type of bacteria, must also be present. And even if your yogurt has the right bacteria, the jury is still out on whether there's enough bacteria in yogurt to have an effect.

Regardless, yogurt is known to have soothing properties, so if your dog has an upset stomach or diarrhea, yogurt might put him at ease, even if it's not righting the balance of bacteria in his digestive tract.