Saccharomyces Boulardii: What is the Proper Dosage for Dogs?

Saccharomyces Boulardii is often recommended for both humans and dogs with bowel discomfort, but what’s the right dosage to give your dog?

In this blog post, I’ll compare recommended dosage from vets, manufacturers, and prominent studies related to Saccharomyces Boulardii.

Before giving any new supplement or food to your dog, you should discuss any changes with your vet.

I may earn a commission if you buy through my links, but I only recommend products that I support and you pay nothing extra.

What is Saccharomyces Boulardii and What Does it Do for Dogs?

Saccharomyces Boulardii is a tropical probiotic yeast derived from lychee and mangosteen fruits.

Both humans and animals use it to prevent and treat gastrointestinal (GI) issues, primarily diarrhea. It’s shown to be especially helpful for dogs that are taking antibiotics.

I have another article specifically on how Saccharomyces Boulardii treats and prevents dog diarrhea.

Observed benefits of S. Boulardii include:

• Anti-inflammatory properties
• Anti-toxin effects against toxins like E. coli
• Protects your dog’s intestinal walls from damage
• Modulates different parts of your dog’s immune system

Most studies have researched the probiotic’s GI benefits, but recent studies have shown promising results for heart health, parasitic infections, and even newborn and infant illnesses.

What Do Manufacturers Recommend?

You can give Saccharomyces Boulardii to your dog in powder or capsule form, as well as coupled with additional probiotics and supplements, so the manufacturer recommendations vary.

Always consult with your vet to determine what dosage is right for your dog.

Here is a look at some of the most popular manufacturers of these supplements.

Full Bucket Health

Full Bucket (20% off applied on checkout screen) offers several probiotic products for dogs containing Saccharomyces Boulardii. They’re veterinary owned and operated, so have the expertise behind their product.

You can buy their daily dog probiotic or their probiotic paste meant for times of stress.

For the daily dog probiotic, each scoop contains 5 billion colony-forming units (CFUs). For adult dogs, it is recommended to have one scoop with each meal with a total of 1-2 scoops per day or as directed by a veterinarian. This would mean their recommended dose is 5-10 billion CFUs per day.

For puppies, they recommend 1/4 scoop for puppies with each meal.

Check out Full Bucket’s probiotic products (use link for 20% off on checkout screen or use code DOGENDORSED).

DoggyBiome

This manufacturer provides S. Boulardii as part of a gut health probiotic and prebiotic powder supplement. The supplement comes in 2 sizes: one for small dogs and one for larger dogs.

For smaller dogs, each scoop of the powder contains 6.6 billion colony-forming units (CFUs). The dosage recommended for your dog scales up depending on your dog’s weight:

• 0-10 lb dogs should have 1 scoop per day
• 11-20 lb dogs should have 1.5 scoops per day
• 21-35 lb dogs should have 2 scoops per day

For larger dogs, each scoop of the powder contains 13.2 billion CFUs, and the dosage scales as follows:

• 21-35 lb dogs should have 1 scoop per day
• 36-50 lb dogs should have 1.5 scoops per day
• 51-70 lb dogs should have 2 scoops per day
• 71+ lb dogs should have 2.5 scoops per day

Dr. Mercola Probiotics

This manufacturer also includes S. Boulardii as part of their daily probiotics, and they differentiate the dose based on daily maintenance and therapeutic doses.

Each scoop of Dr. Mercola’s probiotics contains 3.3 billion CFUs. For daily maintenance, dogs are recommended to have:

• 1 scoop for 0-14 lbs
• 1.5 scoops for 15-29 lbs
• 2 scoops for 30-49 lbs
• 2.5 scoops for 50-79 lbs
• 3 scoops for 80+ lbs

If your dog needs a therapeutic dosage (if your dog is currently experiencing diarrhea or GI issues), the recommended dose is:

• 2 scoops for 0-14 lbs
• 3 scoops for 15-29 lbs
• 4 scoops for 30-49 lbs
• 5 scoops for 50-79 lbs
• 6 scoops for 80+ lbs

For therapeutic doses, you would only give your dog that amount for the duration of their GI issues. Once the diarrhea stopped, you would lower the dosage to the daily maintenance amount.

Paw Digesticare SB

This supplement is almost completely S. Boulardii, and it’s given in capsule form.

Each capsule contains 10 billion CFUs (500mg), and the manufacturer recommends 1-2 capsules per day no matter what the weight of the dog is.

Jarrow Formulas

This is the most popular manufacturer of Saccharomyces Boulardii for humans, but the capsules can be given to dogs as well.

Each capsule contains 5 billion CFUs of S. Boulardii which is the typical recommended dosage from veterinarians.

What Do Studies Recommend?

Saccharomyces Boulardii is one of the most well-researched probiotics in the veterinary industry. While none of them give a definitive dosage amount to give your dog, these studies have used between 250mg and 600mg, the equivalent of a human child’s dosage.

Most studies agree that between 5-10 billion CFUs is the right dosage for your dog, depending on your dog’s weight and the level of their GI discomfort.

A 2018 study by the Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences at the University of Bologna, Italy used daily capsules of 523 mg, or 10 billion CFUs.

In another study, however, dogs were given doses of 20 billion CFUs.

What Do Vets Recommend?

Like previously mentioned, there is no one-size-fits-all dose for dogs, as it’s greatly dependent on your dog’s size and needs.

Also, Saccharomyces Boulardii isn’t destroyed in your dog’s gut, so you can give them a lower dosage than typical probiotics.

Many vets recommend following the guidelines outlined for a human’s dosage, and then adjusting the amount accordingly.

Dosage for humans is based on a 150-lb person, so dosage amounts for dogs would be a proportion of the human’s dosage, based on the dog’s weight.

If you’re treating diarrhea in your dog, the typical therapeutic dose given by a vet is 5 billion CFUs. This dosage is split between 2 half doses to gauge how your dog reacts to the probiotic.

Common Side Effect of Saccharomyces Boulardii in Dogs

One key thing to keep in mind is that S. Boulardii can cause constipation in dogs, so you need to monitor your dog’s symptoms.

If your dog becomes constipated, talk to your vet and lower the dosage until your dog’s bowel movements return to normal.

The good news is that it’s generally considered a safe, effective supplement to give your dog. In most studies, there were no other side effects observed when dogs were given doses of Saccharomyces Boulardii.

Conclusion 

In short, the right dosage is going to be a controlled experiment between you and your vet.

While they will base the original amount on how much your dog weighs and how severe your dog’s diarrhea or intestinal discomfort is, the right dosage may still differ.

You’ll need to watch your dog’s symptoms and behaviors as you adjust the dose up and down before finding the perfect amount to treat your dog’s GI issues.