02 Jun 2023
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Nutrition
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All dogs are different, especially when it comes to their dietary needs. When it comes to getting what they need through food and nutrition, there is no one-size-fits-all! To help your dog be as happy and healthy as they can possibly be, it's good to understand the basics of how their digestion works.
For dogs, the process of living, breathing and going about their daily life is basically a lot of individual chemical reactions within the body. Chemicals, nutrients, vitamins and minerals mostly come into their bodies from the food they eat,
Digesting is essentially breaking down the food so that the body can use what it needs and excrete the waste.
For example when dogs eat a piece of salmon, the body breaks this down and sends the Omega 3 around the body, with some being used for joint function, some for heart function, some for skin and coat/hair etc.
The digestive enzymes are what help break down the food into its component parts so the body can efficiently absorb all the goodness from it.
If this doesn't happen efficiently, then you can end up wasting the beneficial nutrients that you are eating. The best way to ensure effective working of the digestive system is to manage the levels of good bacteria.
The gut plays a huge part in your dog's digestion process, and it's also home to their gut microbiome.
Your dog's gut microbiome is a little ecosystem of bacteria that aid the function of the main processes around your dog's body, including digestion. In a healthy microbiome, the bacteria are rich and balanced, meaning the species of bacteria vary but are in equal proportion to each other.
When your dog's microbiome is rich and balanced, the aforementioned bacteria within your dog's gut can efficiently help your dog break down their food and absorb all the nutrients, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins, fats and fibres they need to function and aid their health and overall wellbeing. When the balance of bacteria is thrown off, or is suffering from dysbiosis, things can't function as they should, and problems, particularly with digestion, can arise in the form of detrimental symptoms. Finding out whether your dog's gut microbiome is well-balanced is investigated via a dog gut health test.
This is why at Pooch & Mutt we suggest that all dogs either have a digestive supplement for dogs added to their food, or they have a dog food that contains probiotics and prebiotics. This, along with a tailored diet plan and gut healthy superfoods, you can help your dog get things back on track. gut-healthy
Your dog's body uses the same nutrients for different things.
As mentioned above, Omega 3 is used for brain function and joint function as well as skin and coat. Similar is true for many other nutrients.
The body is also efficient and clever; it knows that a brain is more important to survival than joints, and that joints are more important to survival than coat, so the body allocates the nutrients to the parts of the body that need it most.
This is why skin and coat are important. If the skin and coat are not in good condition, you know that the body is not getting enough of the right nutrients. If the skin and coat are in good condition, this is a good sign that your dog is getting enough of the right nutrients, as it has enough left over to allocate some to the skin and coat.
Many vets recommend that your dog is fed on a grain-free dog food. Whilst there are arguments both ways on whether or not dogs can digest grain, what we know for sure is that most dogs do not do well on a diet high in grains such as wheat. The foods that do contain grain tend to contain a high level of grain, so it is best to stick to grain-free dog food.
There are certain natural ingredients that can help a dog's digestion.
A great diet is key to your dog's overall health and well-being. To get your pooch feeling back on track, be sure to explore our extensive range of healthy, natural dog food, including both wet and dry food, treats, dental sticks and functional supplements.
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