Hydration, exercise, and stress management
Supporting dogs’ gut health can be done through a variety of methods. Aside from appropriate nutritional support, which I’ll discuss in a moment, you can also promote your pet’s well being through adequate hydration, exercise, and stress management. Any one of these can contribute to gut problems in dogs, so as with all areas of canine health and happiness, I highly recommend adopting a holistic, all-inclusive approach.
Adequate hydration is key for survival; the body quite literally cannot function without appropriate water intake. Whilst providing fresh drinking water is of course important, it’s also possible for dogs to consume moisture through their food, especially when they’re fed a raw food diet. Adding bone broths to food or water also serves to increase hydration and nutrient levels, whilst helping to encourage dogs with digestive upsets (and potential lack of appetite) to eat or drink.
Exercise is critical for dogs for a variety of reasons, including their physical and mental health. However, it also impacts their gut health, as regular movement allows the digestive tract to maintain its momentum throughout the digestion process.
Stress management is also important, as feelings of anxiety, fear or nervousness can transfer to the gut through the gut/brain axis and vice versa (as mentioned earlier).
Suggested reading if your dog displays signs of separation anxiety is, ProDog Behvaiourist, Caroline Spencer’s article, Overcoming Seperation Anxiety, or for dogs displaying reactive behaviours my article, Cultivating Calm, may be helpful.
Prebiotics and probiotics
Prebiotics are especially helpful for dog digestive problems. These are foods containing a specific type of fibre that feeds the friendly bacteria in your dog’s gut. This promotes the wellbeing of the “good guys,” thus contributing to improved gut health in dogs.
Healthy prebiotic foods for dogs include mushrooms, asparagus, berries, leafy green vegetables, and seeds such as pumpkin, chia, and flax. I highly recommend ProDog’s Digest supplement which contains prebiotic fibre, amongst various other gut-friendly ingredients to help restore balance to your dog’s digestion.
Probiotics are the friendly bacteria themselves, and are also highly beneficial for dogs’ gut health [5]. Adding these to dogs’ diets is an effective way to restore balance to their digestive system, and can often help to rectify various gut problems in dogs. There are multiple strains of probiotics, each suited to different purposes. ProDog’s probiotics range includes a variety of options for each dog’s individual needs.
Natural approach to parasite prevention
Whether your dog shows signs of gut imbalance or you want to maintain their gut health, minimising routine chemical parasite treatments is a great step. These pesticides can harm your dog’s gut and overall health. Overuse has also been suggested as being detrimental to the environment [6].
It seems logical to me that chemicals meant to kill parasites could also be toxic to pets. Although these chemicals are given to dogs in small amounts that might not cause immediate problems, their accumulation over time can lead to health issues.
While chemical treatments may be necessary to address infestations, I prefer natural preventative measures, such as ProDog’s Repel food supplement.
For more on natural parasite prevention, read our articles, Natural Flea Prevention for Dogs, Worms in Dogs and Ticks On Dogs.
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