Why is Supporting Your Dog’s Digestive Health Important?
The Benefits of a Healthy Digestive System / Microbiome
Scientists and veterinarians are still studying the gut microbiome’s full impact, but it is well accepted that it plays a key role in a dog’s overall health and well-being, impacting digestive tract function, nutrient absorption, immune status, body condition, and many important hormonal responses.
When a dog has a healthy digestive system and balanced microbiome, 5 key benefits can include:
1. Optimal Digestion & Nutrient Absorption:
Your dog’s microbiome requires sufficient food to stay healthy and these organisms have the ability to take undigested elements of your dog’s food, like dietary fiber, and break it down into smaller components which are then able to be as additional fuel. With improved nutrient absorption, more of the nutrients from your dog’s food can stay within your dog so you will see regular, healthy, and firm stools in the litter box or backyard.
2. Immune Health:
70% of a dog’s immune system is located within your dog’s digestive system so having a healthy microbial balance is key to ensuring their immune system functions at its best. When your dog has a strong, highly diverse microbiome, it is also more difficult for “bad bacteria” to take up residence and make your dog sick.
3. Vitamin Production:
The bacteria in the microbiome help produce vitamins including B vitamins B12, thiamine and riboflavin, and Vitamin K which all work as micronutrients essential in supporting health and wellbeing.
4. Healthy Skin and Coat:
Keeping the microbiome in a healthy balance helps protect against excessive inflammation or itchy skin. When further combined with nutrition containing increased meat proteins and omega fatty acids, you will be ensuring your dog has all the key nutrients they need to keep their skin healthy and their coat lustrous and soft.
5. Vitality and Energy:
With optimized nutrient absorption, a dog easily digest and absorb the high-quality nutrition they eat to turn it into energy that fuels their day-to-day activity and play.
How do I know if my pet has an unhealthy digestive system?
There are many ways an unhealthy gut can reveal itself. Symptoms & signs of an unhealthy gut can be:
• Loose stools
• Increased flatulence
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Certain food intolerances
• Skin upsets & allergies
• Problems absorbing essential nutrients form their food
How do I find a highly digestible recipe?
Numerous factors such as the total fiber amount, the quality of the ingredients and the overall composition of the recipe can either lower or increase the finished product’s digestibility results. Whilst all complete and balanced recipes are formulated contains all the nutrients a dog needs for health and wellbeing, knowing the total digestibility of the recipe is a key detail that helps you determine the quality of the food you are feeding your dog.
