Quote:
Originally Posted by Periwinkle
Thank you! So how do you know what probiotics are and are not appropriate for hamster consumption?
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Oh sure, I'll share why I use it / like it. I know there are other probiotics for small animals but the one I'm most familiar with for hamsters is the Benebac plus powder. It's recommended by the Ontario Hamster Club for inclusion in a hammy first aid kit and I used to get it from a few Exotics vets here in the past but just ordered online this time as*the company kindly delivered to me the same day I ordered and we had a really bad blizzard going on so I didn't want to be driving looking for it.
Sorry.. I know the link just shows a very small pic of it. It's by Pet Ag and the writeup is...
"Bene-Bac Plus for Small Animals.*For specialty pets such as hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits and gerbils.
With added FOS prebiotic & 7 different strains of fat encapsulated bacteria. A palatable, concentrated source of live naturally occurring digestive bacteria found in the intestinal tract. For any time an animal experiences stress from changing nutritional or environmental conditions.*Give the indicated amount when an animal first arrives; when traveling (before departure and after arrival); one to two hours after worming; at birth; prior to supplementing or hand rearing of the newborn; at weaning; when dietary changes occur; or as indicated by your veterinarian when animals are treated with antibiotics.
Ingredients:*Dextrose, maltodextrins, fructooligosaccharide, sodium silico aluminate, dried Bifidobacterium bifidum fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus fermentum fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Bifidobacterium bifidum fermentation product, dried Pediococcus acidilactici fermentation product.*
Guaranteed Total Live Bacteria:*20 million colony forming units (CFU) per gram. (Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus faecium, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Pediococcus acidilactici).
This product is intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding only."
Elsewhere on the web
"(For) Pocket Pets
Bene-Bac®*Plus*should be given daily to these animals while in the pet store to help prevent wet tail.
Animals being shipped to stores should receive several doses prior to shipping.
Each animal that is sold should be sent home with either the powder or gel.
Any condition that creates stress or any antibiotic therapy should be treated as described above."
I personally just like the powder better (versus Bene Bac gel) as I know exactly how much he's getting with powder on a single food source and it's been easier to get the powder in Canada. I go with the "plus" because I like that it has the prebiotics (FOS / food source for the probiotics) in it to promote probiotic growth. Normally I'd probably keep giving it to my guy for a week or so after the abx just to make sure his tummy flora is alright, but the food he eats (Higgins Vita Garden) has a prebiotic / probiotic pellet in it that he really likes so I just make sure he eats one of those pellets everyday. The pellet cookie in his food contains*dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product.*
If I had a diabetic hamster I'd probably ask an exotics vet before using the Benebac plus as it has some sugar in it (food for the probiotics to multiply). But for my sweetie even though he's a dwarf I felt the benefits outweighed the risks for him because I really worried about him getting dysbiosis / diarrhea from the antibiotic plus all the stress of his surgery, anaesthesia, and vet visits, more than the extra sugar he would get for a few weeks on the Bene bac plus.
Re: Is the Vet really doing the right thing?
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