The digestion of the dog
A good digestion for the dog naturally starts with healthy food; healthy food has high digestibility and often contains prebiotics, which contribute to a healthy gut flora. However, it can sometimes happen that something goes wrong during the digestive process, causing complaints (often acute and short-lived). In most cases, these complaints arise from eating dirt from the street or a viral infection. In some cases, however, there may be a chronically disturbed gut flora or irritated stomach/intestine lining. This can have various causes.
How does the digestion of the dog work?
The digestive tract of dogs begins, just like in humans, in the mouth. The big difference, however, is that dog saliva does not contain digestive enzymes; human saliva contains the digestive enzyme amylase. This means that the mouth and teeth in dogs are only used to grind the food into smaller pieces. So be aware that if your dog has dental problems, this can greatly affect digestion.
Following the mouth, the food enters the esophagus. This is nothing more than the connection between the mouth and stomach. The stomach of a dog is relatively large compared to that of a human. The ancestors of the dog, namely the wolf, are naturally carnivores. For this reason, the animals’ stomach is large enough to hold as much food as possible. Dogs also produce more stomach acid than humans, enabling them to break down proteins quickly and digest various ingredients that humans cannot digest.
After the stomach, the food mash enters the intestines. The intestines of dogs are much shorter than those of humans; a dog digests food in the intestines faster than we humans do. For good digestion, a balanced gut flora (the collection of microorganisms, mainly bacteria, in the gastrointestinal tract) is very important. The bacteria in the stomach and intestines help break down the food so that the smaller nutrients can then be absorbed into the blood through the intestinal wall.
Because the gut flora of dogs is relatively vulnerable, it is important to maintain it well. For example, it is important to provide high-quality food enriched with prebiotics and possibly probiotics.
The average duration of digestion in dogs is around eight to ten hours; in some cases, it can last up to about twelve hours. It is normal for an adult dog to have bowel movements several times a day, typically two to three times per day.
The causes of digestive problems in dogs
As mentioned earlier, problems can sometimes occur during the digestive process. We list the most common causes for you:
- Eating dirt
- Change of food
- Food allergy
- Viral infection
- Lower quality food
- Worms
The symptoms of digestive problems
The digestive system of the dog is important and can be a good indicator if the dog is unwell. It is therefore important to get to know your dog’s eating habits and bowel movement frequency. This may sound a bit unpleasant, but only in this way will you quickly notice if your dog behaves differently and no longer eats or poops as usual. The best thing to do then is to visit the vet. Below you will find the symptoms of digestive problems:
- Soft stool / diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Weight loss
- Becoming lethargic
- Bad breath
- Fever
- Dull coat
Prebiotics and probiotics for support
It is possible to support a healthy gut flora through prebiotics; prebiotics are the good bacteria themselves. By providing food that contains prebiotics, you contribute to a good balance of the gut flora. The foods from Riverwood are therefore enriched with MOS (Mannan-Oligosaccharides) and FOS (Fructo-Oligosaccharides).
In addition to prebiotics, you can also enrich food with probiotics. Probiotics serve as food for the good bacteria in the intestines. When these good bacteria are provided with nutrition, they can multiply, which has a positive effect on the health of the gut flora.
