SBO Probiotics - What’s the Deal?

“90% of chronic diseases are caused by an unhealthy intestinal system primarily the colon.”

Soil-based probiotics are found scattered throughout the environment in places such as soil, rocks, dust and vegetation — they can even be found in aquatic environments. Because of a unique protective layer, the inner spores of these bacteria are kept safe from environmental factors, allowing them to survive for years, decades and even centuries while lying dormant. 

So what probiotic does my dog need?

The majority of probiotic supplements are derived from lactic acid; bacteria that already live within the gut and are essentially “native” to the body. While they are effective and often considered a “one-size-fits-all” approach for a variety of ailments affecting the gut, lactic acid-based probiotics are limited in certain ways — most notably in their inability to properly withstand the degrading effects of stomach acid.

Spore-forming probiotics (SBO’s) are an entirely different type. Unlike most probiotics, these bacteria aren’t naturally found within the gut. Instead, these strains of Bacillus are found scattered throughout the environment in places such as soil, rocks, dust and vegetation — they can even be found in aquatic environments. Because of a unique protective layer, the inner spores of these bacteria are kept safe from environmental factors, allowing them to survive for years, decades and even centuries while lying dormant. 

Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are great for fixing general issues like GI upset etc, but if you want to recolonise the gut, soil-based (or spore-forming) probiotics are the way to go. So we would specifically recommend four-leaf rover Protect or Kiki or another form of SBO.

It’s also worth noting that Microbes or bacteria grown on dairy products and/or grains like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium bacteria found in traditional probiotics can take months to years to build up the beneficial bacteria/flora in the gut even when given regularly. With SBO probiotics, it has been found that just a few doses quickly take hold in the gut and multiply quickly to dispatch most cases of minor GI upsets.

Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium bacteria strains also contribute to SIBO (small intestine bacteria overgrowth). SIBO is a major cause of leaky gut and yeast overgrowth. As probiotics become more popular and products have a higher and higher CFU, SIBO is becoming more prevalent and ironically causes some of the health issues you're trying to prevent with probiotics. Soil-based probiotics don't exacerbate SIBO because soil-based probiotics do not colonize the small intestine or feed the bacteria already growing there since they don’t contain Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium strains. And yet, they still provide all of the benefits of a traditional probiotic. 

“But SBO’S Have Fewer CFU’s?”

SBO probiotics are spore formers so you don't always need as high of a CFU compared to other, more fragile probiotics therefore, SBO probiotics will generally contain fewer strains and a lower CFU compared to traditional probiotics due to them surviving in the gut longer.

Regardless of which probiotic you choose, Dogs with large amounts of beneficial bacteria are better equipped to fight the growth of unhealthy organisms. So, supplementing your dog with a quality probiotic supplement daily will go a long way for supporting your dog's health!