Cancer and chronic illnesses are on the rise. In my 20 years of practise at my veterinary facility, it became abundantly evident that the deterioration of gut health and various health problems were closely related. I understood that if an animal's gut health is compromised, a variety of systems all over their body may be impacted. A damaged stomach can lead to a wide range of health problems, and your dog's surroundings contain many potential triggers.

Dog Gut Health Issues' Symptoms

Vomiting, diarrhoea, or loss of appetite in your pet are pretty obvious indications that something is wrong. However, there is much more to dog gut health than that. And it makes sense because the gut is where up to 80% of your pet's immune system is located.

And occasionally the indications may be far more difficult to see.

Leaky gut syndrome (gut trauma), for instance, can cause anything from food allergies to digestive issues to ear infections, and virtually any common medical ailment that results from an inflammatory disorder. However, it can be more difficult to detect. Leaky Gut is a condition that develops when the junctions (tiny openings that absorb nutrients) in the mucous membrane lining grow larger than they should, allowing undigested food and other particles—including toxins, chemicals, allergens, and pathogens that cause disease—to “leak” through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream.

What Causes Gut Damage?

Numerous factors can harm the gut environment, resulting in dysbiosis (a drop in friendly, beneficial gut bacteria), which underlies a large portion of the chronic illnesses that plague our pets today. This comprises:

antibiotics
steroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
processed foods
stress
Beans
vaccines (anything with lectins)
yeast (candida)

What can we do, then, to promote canine intestinal health?

FIVE EASY STEPS TO IMPROVE GUT HEALTH

You can take a variety of actions to boost your dog's overall health by enhancing gut health in general.

These five items are arguably the most crucial, and you can make changes to them right away.

1.PROBIOTICS

The digestive system is where the great majority of bacteria are found. In a healthy digestive system, both “good” and “bad” (pathogenic) bacteria are present. However, after a traumatised gut, pathogenic bacteria may overrun the area, displacing the “good guys,” and resulting in poor gut health.

Probiotics promote the growth of these beneficial communities in the gut, helping to drive out harmful bacteria and maintain equilibrium.

Probiotics that are species-specific are much better. Finding probiotics with those host-specific characteristics means they are at home in your animal's gut and are thus even more effective because each kind of animal has its own unique microbiota.

2.PREBIOTICS

These essential probiotics would hunger and die without prebiotics. They nourish the colonies of good bacteria in your animal's intestines. My preferred prebiotics are arabinogalactans, which are plentiful in larch trees.

3.DIGESTIVE ENZYMES

The role of digestive enzymes in digesting is crucial. They support the digestive system's cooperative function by assisting in the breakdown of food into nutrients that may be absorbed.

Supplements and naturally occurring foods like pineapples, papayas, kefir, kiwifruit, ox bile, and pancreas can both contain digestive enzymes.

4. A DIET FIT FOR THE SPECIES

As already established, foods that have been through a lot of processing are particularly difficult to digest, and foods containing a lot of starch might be even more problematic. In the body, carbohydrates are converted to sugar, and because yeast thrives on sugar, the microbiome in the gut becomes out of balance.

Fresh, whole foods instead of processed, high-carb foods make up a species-appropriate diet that helps provide the gut (and, by extension, the entire body) everything it needs to thrive.

Gut health-promoting additives are:

Fermented foods include yoghurt, kefir, fermented veggies, and sauerkraut.
Bone bouillon
Make sure to purchase only pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.

5. BENEFICIAL HERBS

There are numerous herbs that might enhance the digestive health of dogs, including:

Large, native to Eastern North America, deciduous Slippery Elm trees are prized for their mucilaginous, fortifying, and nourishing qualities. It has a calming effect on the mucous membranes of the digestive tract and can help prevent colitis, diverticulitis, stomach and duodenal ulcers, as well as GI inflammation and acidity.

The therapeutic properties of aloe vera on the skin and digestive system are well documented. Its main internal uses are to relieve GI discomfort or constipation. According to study, it can aid with a number of digestive-related ailments in people.

The root of the licorice plant yields licorice root, one of the oldest herbal treatments known to mankind. By enhancing circulation, increasing the secretion of a protective layer, and promoting the development of new mucosal cells, it improves the gastric mucosa.

I've been deeply involved in the study of the microbiome for the past 30 years. What I've learned is that the foundation of a healthy body is gut health and bacterial organisms. A balanced diet, a varied gut ecosystem, and love are the first steps in assisting in the prevention and derailment of chronic illnesses.

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We are dedicated to helping pet parents to give their dogs the life they actually desire, which is a lifestyle that is full of happiness and enjoyment. We all think of dogs as family members and are glad to connect dog parents to the greatest professional care providers so that your furry friends will always have access to cuddles, walks, scritches, playing, and more.

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