How To Improve Your Dog’s Gut Health
How To Improve Your Dog’s Gut Health
by Albert Faye

One of the best things you can do for your dog is to make sure that they have a healthy gut. Improving your dog’s digestion will help enhance the overall quality of life. Also, it’s your primary responsibility as a pet owner to ensure the health of your pets.
For dogs to have good digestion and gut balance, the bacteria, yeast, and other microorganisms found in their digestive tracts must work properly and in harmony with one another. As a result, they can better digest and absorb the nutrients from their food, which is one of the grain pet food facts about probiotics.
Many things contribute toward maintaining a balanced gut. Diet, antibiotic exposure, gut lining health, and physical exercise all have a role. Another key aspect of gut health is safeguarding the immune system by removing harmful bacteria from healthy bacteria.
The most important factors in promoting microbial variety and balance are a high-quality fresh diet, minimal medicines, and moderate physical exercise. In the following section, you’ll learn why your dog’s gut health is so important and how to keep it healthy.
How To Spot The Signs Of Gut Problems?
It’d be best if you recognized the signs of a dog’s poor digestive health so that you can take the appropriate actions. However, note that symptoms might be a sign of a more serious issue.
To look for signs of gut problems, you have to observe your dog closely. Examine their skin, ears, and stool, and note any change in behavior. Suppose your dog suffers from a skin illness, a dull coat, ear infection, food allergy dry segments or soft stools, or decreased immunity. In that case, your dog may have an unhealthy and unbalanced digestive system.
Ways To Improve Dog Digestion
The following are some things you can do to help improve your dog’s digestion:
Feed Them Raw Food
Providing your dog with a raw food diet is a nutritious and healthy option. However, you must be careful if you decide to feed your dog raw meat as it’s highly susceptible to contamination.
Dogs in their natural condition are carnivorous scavengers, which means they thrive on a high meat diet. In recent research, fresh meat diets have resulted in dogs’ healthier and more diversified microbiome.
So, while feeding your dog raw food might grow quite pricey, it’ll be worth it in the long run. On the other hand, you can enhance your dog’s diet with a piece of raw food and still reap the benefit even if you’re tight on the budget.
Try Probiotics
Microbiome restoration is necessary for improving your dog’s digestion. The health benefits of probiotics come from their ability to promote healthy bacteria and yeast growth.
These beneficial microorganisms may turn fiber and plant-based carbohydrates into vitamins and fatty acids, which can enhance your dog’s digestion. Probiotics can also aid in treating infections of the respiratory tract and genital area.
Probiotics, commonly found in meats and yogurts, are now included in a growing number of dog food supplements and toppers. Because of this, it’s simpler to give your dog the beneficial bacteria they need. To keep the probiotics thriving, you must continue to feed your dog with fermentable fibers.
Pay Attention To Ingredients
Whenever you shop for dog food, you should opt for products made of high-quality ingredients. To boost the health of your dog’s digestive system, you should seek foods high in meat protein, animal fat, and prebiotic fiber.
Any of the ingredients mentioned can improve digestive health. Remember to always read the labels before purchasing your dog food, and ensure that meat is the first ingredient on the list.
Avoid Overuse Of Antibiotics
As a result of antibiotic use, the original healthy bacterial makeup is affected. The gut disorder is also a result of the overuse of pain medication, flea and tick preventatives, and other medications. Thus, it’d be best to avoid antibiotics to minimize potential harm to your pet’s digestive system.
Antibiotics can eradicate bacteria that cause illnesses in dogs. However, they also eliminate the beneficial bacteria in the digestive system. Even if merely applied to the skin, they’re still harmful.
Remember that the health of the bacteria in the stomach directly influences the microorganisms on the skin. Because of this, you should only use antibiotics if they’re really necessary. Make sure you administer a probiotic simultaneously if you must use them.
Exercise And Reduce Stress
Exercise and playtime are essential for your pet’s physical and emotional wellbeing. Every dog is different as to the amount of activity needed. Your dog’s exercise demands will change as they get older and mature, so find the appropriate one for your pet’s age.
Stress reduction through exercise will keep your dog active. It’ll also help reduce the amount of cortisol your pet’s body produces. Cortisol may suppress the immune system and trigger inflammation, thus, avoiding stress and engaging in physical and mental stimulation exercises will help lessen your dog’s stress levels.
Final Note
No matter what the issue is, it’s necessary that you get help from a veterinarian since a dog’s digestive tract and stomach health can be very sensitive. A veterinarian will examine your dog to verify that they’re not suffering from any major illness. They’ll also recommend home remedies, vitamins, or medication that can help improve your dog’s digestive health.