Related Products
Related Products
How Your Dog Feels Your Stress — And How Modern Science Can Help Both of You Heal
Allen Rippy, Veterinarian, Author
Oct 28, 2025
6 min read
When it comes to probiotics for your dog, not all bacteria are created equal. Choosing the correct bacterial strains — and ensuring they’re alive and active — is what separates a truly effective probiotic from a fancy label and clever marketing. The difference can mean everything for your dog’s gut health, immune balance, skin quality, and even emotional well-being.
Scientific research shows that beneficial bacteria like Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Enterococcus species must be alive and metabolically active to work their magic. These living microorganisms help balance your dog’s intestinal flora, improve digestion, reduce allergy flare-ups, and protect against yeast and bacterial overgrowth that cause itching, odor, and inflammation. But here’s the catch — these bacteria are delicate. The most beneficial species are sensitive to heat, oxygen, and light, which is why proper storage matters.
If your probiotic supplement proudly states “no refrigeration needed,” it’s worth pausing to think. Many shelf-stable products are filled with hardy, low-grade spore-forming bacteria that may survive storage but provide little of the true health-promoting power of more advanced, research-backed strains. The best probiotics — the ones proven to strengthen the immune system, reduce skin problems, and support healthy digestion — nearly always require refrigeration to maintain viability.
So when choosing a probiotic for your dog, look for the “Keep Refrigerated” label. It’s your guarantee that the manufacturer is using sensitive, high-quality bacteria chosen for their genuine health benefits — not for their ability to survive sitting on a shelf.
In short, the need for refrigeration is a good sign. It means your probiotic contains living, active, beneficial bacteria — the kind your dog’s body can actually use to stay healthier, calmer, and more resilient from the inside out.
— Allen Rippy, Founder of DocItchy.com