How much kefir should I give my dog? Get the best dosage here!

Okay, so I've been hearing a lot about kefir for dogs lately. My golden retriever, Max, has had some tummy troubles, and a friend suggested I try giving him kefir. I was like, "Kefir? Isn't that the stuff I drink for my gut?" Turns out, it can be good for dogs too! So, I decided to give it a shot and document the whole process. Here's how it went down:

Figuring Out the "How Much" Part

First things first, I needed to figure out how much kefir to give Max. I definitely didn't want to overdo it and make things worse. I did some digging, you know, the usual internet browsing. A lot of places said a good starting point is a teaspoon to a tablespoon per day for every 16 pounds of dog.

Max is, ahem, a sturdy 75 pounds, so I used a simple calculation: 75/16, then multiplied by 1. I don't know why some websites do not recommend the starting point with a teaspoon(5ml), and some recommend teaspoon, I decided to use tablespoon(15ml), and I chose a value in the middle, 10ml.

So, according to the advice, 10ml multiplied by 75/16, that's around 47ml.

The Introduction Phase

I picked up some plain, unsweetened kefir at the store – super important, no added sugars or flavors for dogs! The first day, I decided to play it safe. Instead of giving Max the full ~47ml, I started with just one tablespoon, which is about 15ml. I mixed it right into his regular food, and he didn't even seem to notice. He gobbled it all up, no problem.

I kept a close eye on him for the next 24 hours, checking for any, uh, digestive distress. You know, loose stools, gas, anything out of the ordinary. Luckily, he was totally fine!

Slowly Increasing the Dose

Since Max tolerated the initial tablespoon like a champ, I gradually increased the amount over the next few days. I bumped it up to two tablespoons the next day, then three the day after that. I was still mixing it with his food, making sure he was getting it consistently.

The Results!

After about a week of gradually increasing the kefir, I settled on giving Max about three tablespoons (which is roughly 45ml) per day. And I have to say, I've noticed a difference! His stools are more, shall we say, regular, and he seems to have less gas overall. He just seems…happier!

Important Note: Every dog is different! What worked for Max might not work for your dog. It's always a good idea to chat with your vet before making any big changes to your dog's diet, especially if they have any underlying health issues.

So that's my kefir experiment! It's been a success so far, and I'm happy to have found something natural that seems to be helping Max's tummy * you try it yourself, be sure to watch the changes of your lovely dog!