If you’re trying to decide which probiotic product to buy for your dog, you may be wondering what dosage size to look for. Or if you already have a probiotic product for your dog, you may be wondering if you bought a product with the correct recommendations for how much your dog should be taking.
After all, you want to give your dog a dosage that’s enough to be effective but not too much so that it’s safe.
How Much Probiotics for Dogs – A Safe and Effective Dose
There are multiple studies showing that 10 billion CFU (colony-forming units — a measurement of the number of microbial cells in a probiotic product) is a safe and well-tolerated dose. (1) (2) (3)
Somewhere in the range of 6 billion to 10 billion CFU is a good range for larger dogs. Smaller dogs, however, will benefit from much smaller doses such as 2 billion CFU or even just 1 billion CFU per day.
A good dose range to go by is:
- Up to 10 pounds: 1 billion CFU per day
- 11-30 pounds: 2 billion CFU per day
- 30-70 pounds: 4 billion CFU per day
- 70 pounds and up: 6 billion CFU per day
You can adjust the dosage you give your dog as necessary based on results.
It’s important to not go overboard with probiotics. As with anything, too much can be a bad thing. So in general, just give your dog a single serving per day based on their weight.
Conclusion
The amount of probiotics you should give your dog depends on your dog’s size, weight, and gut health.
A good range to go by is 1 billion CFU as a serving for small dogs up to 6 billion CFU for larger dogs.
If you’re looking for a probiotic for your dog, take a look at our article on the best probiotics for dogs.
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