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Writer's pictureLyndall Pinchen

Two of the best Probiotic strains for Autoimmunity in your dog!




Out of all the supplements we can give our dog I think that probiotics have become a buzz word and are now more than ever becoming important to keep our pets healthy. And when it comes to autoimmune disease this is an even more important tool to have in our tool kits. Today lets explore two of the best strains of probiotics when it comes to autoimmune disease and how these can help your dog so stay tuned to learn more.


With so many different brands of probiotics all containing different combinations of specific bacteria strains it can be very confusing to say the least – how do I know which one is best for my dog you ask? Well of course these are benefits to each and every strain of probiotic but in todays video lets focus on the favourite two strains when to comes to helping to reverse autoimmunity.


Part of the process of overcoming autoimmunity through a natural approach is focusing on the gut health and working to heal and bring this back into balance- the truth is that this is the case for any disease pattern but it rings even more true for autoimmune patterns.


Our two strains today that we will look at on more details are lactobacillus paracasei and lactobacillus rhamnosus, both of which have been studied and show their ability to bring the immune system under control as well as help where there are patterns of overactivity which is the case in autoimmune disease. And the good thing about both strains as that they are suitable to be given long term if and when needed in your dog.


Common autoimmune diseases including IBD, thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus have been studied to see what the response of using certain probiotic strains.


Firstly lets look at Lactobacillus paracasei. Whenever we add probiotics of any kind into the gut microbiome, we can help this diverse ecology of bacteria to communicate more clearly to one another and this in turn helps the gut communicate better with the immune system.

How does this particular strain help?

The part of the immune system found within the gut is known as GALT which stands for Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissue. The GALT plays a crucial role in immune surveillance, defense against pathogens, and tolerance to harmless substances, including food antigens and microbes. When this becomes disrupted through leaky gut (also referred to as dysbiosis) inflammation can trigger and become chronic if left untreated. You can learn more about leaky gut in my other videos but when it comes to leaky gut, we know that the levels of good bacteria found in your dogs gut become compromised and this not only leads to inflammation patterns but also causes an overactivation of what are known as Th 1 and Th17 cells found in this GALT . Overactiviity of these Th1 and Th17 lead to an overactive immune response of autoimmune pattern.

Lactobacillus paracasei has the ability to interact with that GALT that we mentioned earlier (the immune system found within the gut) and regulate these T cells (Th1 and Th17) with the result being a more balanced immune system and a reduction of the inflammatory response. In addition to this they also help to reduce the amount of bacteria that might come into the gut that can potentially cause damage to the gut lining.

This strain (along with some others) can help prevent pathogens like bacteria from damaging the gut lining. This strain is also excellent for eczema and allergy skin conditions. Look for a strength of around 2 to 3 billion units and give this daily for 4-12 weeks or longer depending on your dogs needs.


Our second strain is Lactobacillus rhamnosus (or LGG)

This is one of the most common strains found in probiotic formulas and for good reason. It has been widely studied and has many known health benefits. In a similar way to paracasei, LGG has the ability to regulate your dogs immune system from and overactive to a more balanced state. But LGG also can help to suppress inflammatory markers that can be triggered from bacteria in the gut. Not only this. The majority of bacteria release toxins into the gut- LGG has the ability to bind these toxins and remove them from the body thereby also helping to further heal and protect the gut .


LGG in human studies where 10 billion units of lactobacillus rhamnosus were given daily for a period of 12 months in cases of rheumatoid arthritis showed around a 50% reduction in symptoms including joint swelling, pain and stiffness. Similarly studies have been carried out with children suffering from  both Crohns disease (another autoimmune condition)where improvements in the intestinal lining of up to 73% were found when taking around 20 billion units over 4 weeks. Another study in adults with ulcerative colitis where the participants were followed over 3, 6 and 12 month time frames found that the disease pattern was still in remission with the use of this particular strain. And while these are human studies, the same principles apply for our pets.

Look for a product of around 5-10billion units given daily but once again, this will vary depending on the dog. Most products will contain other strains too which is fine. But make sure that there are good levels of this strain within the formula you choose.


So as you can see these 2 humble strains can have a significant effect on your dogs autoimmune disease pattern and when used correctly, will be one part of the process of helping to reverse that autoimmune and inflammatory pattern and help bring your dog back into balance.

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