Did you know that your dog’s digestive system is filled with billions of living things and together they form his biome? It can be a little odd to think about having living creatures inside our bodies—but they are present in your gut, too! And it’s important to keep your dog’s GI system in balance to support his digestive health and overall wellness. Here’s why your dog’s gut is key to his health and how to support it naturally.
What Is Gut Health?
Your dog’s gut has many names that all refer to the same thing: your dog’s digestive system. The gut is often used to describe your pet’s stomach, but it actually includes everything between his mouth and his rear end!
Here are some of the terms that you might hear when discussing dod digestion that all mean the same thing:
- Gut
- Biome
- GI tract
- Digestive system
While your dog’s digestive system works very differently than yours does, it shares a key thing in common with the human digestive system: it needs to be in balance to best support your pet. Your dog’s digestive system is seriously impressive, but it can only function when there is the right balance of friendly bacteria, fungi, and living things working together to break down food, absorb it and move it through your pet’s body as waste.
How Gut Health Affects Overall Wellness
If your dog’s digestive system is not in balance, if there are too many of one bacteria and not enough of another, it can lead to a host of uncomfortable symptoms that can make things pretty unpleasant for your pet.
Of course, the digestive tract is responsible for your dog’s bowel movements, and digestive upset can cause constipation, loose stool, and irregular bowel movements. But, it can also affect almost every other area of your dog’s body.
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Immune System: Did you know that the majority of your dog’s immune system cells live in your dog’s digestive system? That means that digestive health can have a major impact on your pet’s immune system and affect his health in a serious way!
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Mood: Digestion also has a hand in mood balance and can affect your pet’s hormones and emotions. If your dog’s digestive system isn’t healthy, he is prone to mood issues that can lead to anxiousness or depression.
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Weight Management: Your dog’s gut also plays a role in weight management and can cause your dog to gain or lose weight if it is not balanced.
- Energy: Your dog’s body gets energy from food and it is his digestive system that breaks down dog food into fuel. If his biome is not balanced, it affects the way his body breaks down and absorbs energy from food and can leave your dog seriously sluggish.
What You Can Do To Promote Dog Gut Health
Because your dog’s digestive system is key to his overall wellness, it’s essential to support your pet and his digestive health. But the good news is, there are lots of things you can do to help out your pet with his gut health. Here are some ideas to get you started:
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Get Plenty Of Exercise: Your dog needs exercise to stay healthy but it is especially important that your pet is active to support his gut health. Moving, regularly, helps ensure your pet’s metabolism is strong and supporting his digestive tract the way his body needs it too!
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Reduce Stress! Help your dog’s digestive system by helping him calm down. If your dog has separation anxiety, gets stressed in new situations, or is otherwise on edge, help him calm down. It’s good for his gut and is key when it comes to supporting his overall health.
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Fill Up With Fiber: Reach for fiber-rich food to feed your dog. Pumpkin is a great option, so are fresh greens and oatmeal. Add a little bit to your dog’s bowl to infuse his normal food with some gut support or choose dog treats made with fiber-rich ingredients to help support his digestive health.
- Add A Probiotic To His Diet: Probiotic supplements for dogs are a great way to promote digestive health. They are packed with healthy bacteria to replenish and rebalance your dog’s biome with the living creatures it needs to carry out all his digestive functions.
Pet Honesty Products To Support Gut Health For Your Dog
When you want to promote gut health and support your dog’s digestive system, try Digestive Probiotics Chews. They include a blend of probiotics and additional gut-targeted ingredients like an enzyme blend and pumpkin for a chew that can help your dog’s entire digestive system! Or, add probiotics to your dog’s diet with Pet Honesty’s 10-for-1 Multivitamin. It includes all your dog’s daily essential nutrients, plus a probiotic blend designed to promote digestive health.
Sources:
https://www.k9magazine.com/improve-dog-gut-health/
https://shop.animalbiome.com/blogs/pet-health/dog-gut-health-the-4-ways-to-restore-it-naturally
https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/5-steps-to-restore-gut-health/
