We’ve heard a lot about the importance of gut health in humans recently but what about dogs? Dogs can develop a poorly gut just as we can. In fact, the way a dog’s digestive system works can make them prone to poor gut health. In this article, we’ll look at signs your dog has poor gut health, what’s different about a dog’s digestive system, and foods that promote good gut health.
5 Signs your dog has poor gut health
Smelly breath or ‘ripe’ body odour
This could mean a bacteria imbalance.
Excessive itching and scratching
Suggests a compromised immune system.
Dry, flaky skin, dull coat, excessive shedding
Your dog is not properly absorbing nutrients
Recurring ear infections (constant head shaking)
An overproduction of yeast
Obsessively licking paws
Suggests dermatitis resulting from allergies or bacteria
Foods that promote a healthy gut
With humans, variety is the key to a healthy gut, but we frequently give our dogs the same dog food and treats. So how can you improve your dog’s gut health? Here are the 6 major food groups to concentrate on:
Fresh fruit and vegetables
Fresh fruits and veggies are full of fibre which helps increase diversity of the microbes in the gut (microbiota), reduce inflammation, boost immunity and help digestion.
Apples
Bananas
Blueberries
Broccoli
Brussel sprouts
Cantaloupes
Carrots
Celery
Cranberries
Cucumbers
Green beans
Mango
Oranges
Peas
Pears
Strawberries
Fermented foods
Fermented foods like unsweetened yoghurt contain prebiotics and probiotics that balance the gut microbiota. Fermented foods also break down plant matter dogs find hard to digest. Fermenting vegetables for dogs is easy. You just boil up veggies until they’re cooked, then store them in a bowl in their cooking water in the fridge for a few days, then serve.
Moderation is key when giving fermented foods to dogs for the first time. Start with small portions and monitor their reaction.
Carrots
Celery
Cauliflower
Beets
Cabbage
Broccoli
Kefir
Sauerkraut
Unsweetened yoghurt
Kimchi
Pickles
Prebiotic foods
Prebiotics are food for probiotics. They are a type of fibre the probiotics eat which supports the growth of beneficial bacteria and flora in the gut.
Pumpkin
Butternut squash
Flaxseed
Lentils
Beans
Peas
Raw oats
Jerusalem artichokes
Probiotic foods
Probiotics help with digestion by improving the gastrointestinal tract.
Goat’s milk
Bananas
Sweet potato
Pumpkin
Cottage cheese
Oatmeal
Lean meats, fish and proteins
Lean meats and fish are gentler on a dog’s stomach and don’t stress their digestion. Good quality protein strengthens the immune system, improves bad breath and reduces allergies.
Chicken
Turkey
Lamb
Beef
Venison
Offal
Eggs
Salmon
Tuna
Bone broth
Bone broth is the liquid produced from simmering bones for a long time to extract all the goodness. Bone broth contains gelatine, which soothes the digestive tract, helping dogs with pancreatitis or inflammatory bowel disease. As well as an excellent source of protein, it contains vitamins and minerals, collagen, glycine, and glucosamine. It’s perfect for dogs with sensitive tummies as it’s gentle on the stomach and helps to repair the stomach lining. It also provides nutrients whilst keeping them hydrated.
So, why is good gut health so important?
The gut underpins our overall health. It is home to trillions of bacteria, viruses, yeasts and other microorganisms. This is our gut microbiota. Good gut health maintains a balance within the microbiota in the gut.
Good gut health is important because gut microbes produce hormones, serotonin and vitamins essential to our health. Not only that, but a whopping 80% of our immune system is in the gut. The gut helps us digest and extract nutrients from food which provides energy. It also gets rid of waste products and toxins.
So, if your gut is unhealthy, it will compromise your dog’s immune system, making it harder for them to fight off infections or diseases. Levels of serotonin and hormones will decrease which affects body functioning. Harmful toxins will remain in the body for longer, causing fatigue, inflammation and chronic illnesses.
The difference between human and dog’s digestive system
Humans and dogs have unique ways of digesting food. In humans, digestion begins in the mouth, where chewing and saliva break down the food.
Digestion for dogs begins in the stomach. Dogs cannot move their jaws from side to side. Their mouths evolved to bite, tear and crush food, allowing them to swallow large pieces of meat without chewing.
Food goes directly to the dog’s stomach. Dogs produce 100 times more acid in their stomach than humans. This allows them to break down material like bone and cartilage.
The stomach acid of a dog can reach a pH of 1.5, which is strong enough to dissolve bone. This extremely harsh environment explains why dogs can eat almost anything and not become unwell. However, the high acidic stomach content also destroys the friendly bacteria, the probiotics that a dog needs for the next stage where food passes into the gut.
Another difference between humans and dog’s digestive systems is we have a long intestine specifically designed to break down fibrous grains and complex carbohydrates, whereas dogs have a shorter intestinal tract. For this reason, dogs find it difficult to digest raw veggies and grains which puts strain on their gut.
So, if you think your dog is suffering from poor gut health, feed them with a varied, nutritious diet that maintains healthy levels of microbiota and you should see their health improve significantly.
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