As long as your dog is receiving the proper food and nutrition, its digestive system can often take care of itself. However, even with your attention, it may occasionally run into unforeseen issues.
Your dog's fun and busy lifestyle includes a fantastic mealtime, and they love the healthy food and occasional treats you offer them! When you enjoy their food as much as they enjoy it, it might be easy to overlook the need of monitoring their digestive health.
However, a change in diet can quickly address many of these issues, so there's no need to panic.
To learn how to maintain your dog's digestive health and what to look for, continue reading.
General dog digestive health
Even though your dog's digestive system is pretty resilient—imagine what they might eat if they were permitted—it's still a good idea to keep an eye on their appetite. In addition to what you give them, keep in mind that your loved ones innately like showing your dog extra care, attention, and goodies!
The following common advice pertains to feeding your dog:
-
In addition to having the proper ratio of nutrients, a high degree of palatability will guarantee that your dog will truly love eating high-quality, complete dog food.
-
Despite its allure, mixing human food with commercial dog food that is balanced and nutritionally adequate can lead to stomach issues in dogs.
-
It's likely that your dog has a variety of strategies to convince you to give them leftover food from the table! Please, but firmly, disregard "begging behaviour" for more food.
-
Give your dog lots of hugs, praise, and fun so that you can both enjoy it when they are concentrating on acquiring table scraps!
-
Feeding your dog at regular planned intervals is the greatest option. To keep your dog in peak physical condition and keep them in top form, use the right amount of food.
To find out more, check out our guide to feeding adult dogs.
General causes of digestive disorders in dogs
In a perfect world, our dogs would have no digestive issues, but naturally, sickness cannot always be avoided.
The capacity of your dog to digest and absorb all those wonderful nutrients that keep them healthy is typically compromised by digestive (gastrointestinal) diseases. What are some of the potential causes of digestive issues in dogs, then?
- Suddenly change in diet
- Trauma
- Indiscretionary eating
- Toxins
- Allergies
- Foreign objects
- Medications
- Infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites
Even your veterinarian may find it challenging to diagnose digestive issues in dogs because there are so many possible causes! To make things even more complicated, the condition may start in any area of your dog's digestive system, including the mouth, stomach, liver, pancreas, and intestinal tract. To ensure your dog receives the quickest veterinarian care possible, there are a few things you can watch out for.
Signs of dog digestive problems to look out for
Given that dogs can occasionally be unpredictable, it might be natural if your dog exhibits fluctuations in appetite or becomes picky about what they eat. However, it may also be a sign of an underlying medical issue, so be sure to consult a veterinarian if you are concerned about your pet's health. If you don't believe that their digestive system is the cause of the issue, you can learn about other unusual dog symptoms should watch out for instead. Dogs with digestive issues can have a variety of symptoms, including:
- Loss of appetite
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Constipation
- Excess gas or flatulence
- Straining when passing stools
- Blood or mucus in the stools
If your dog exhibits any of these symptoms, it may be a sign of digestive health issues such constipation, colitis, gastroenteritis, or stress diarrhoea. What can you do to help your dog, though, and what are these illnesses?
You should see your veterinarian with any concerns, though, since more severe illnesses may cause weight loss, dehydration, and debilitation. They can readily offer advice and decide on the best course of action for your dog.
All things considered, they'll be back on their feet quickly with the correct care!
Next, learn how to recognise the symptoms of dogs' delicate digestion.
