What can I give my dog to aid digestion?
At ProDog, we have an extensive range of dog digestive supplements and products designed to aid digestion and support a healthy immune response. These include our supplement blends, Protect and Digest, which are added to food as a meal topper, Kiki probiotics, Colostrum and our nourishing Scottish Bone Broths. All of these supplements are specifically designed and chosen for their all-natural, nutritionally enriching properties.
When to give digestive enzymes for dogs
You may be wondering when you should give digestive enzymes to your dog. Generally they are required by older dogs, dogs that are suffering with allergies or yeast conditions and dogs that suffer with other health issues such as pancreatitis and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI).
What are digestive enzymes?
Digestive enzymes found in our dog digestive supplements are proteins that help to break down the food molecules into smaller pieces. This means that the dog’s digestive system can utilise the nutrients from the food far more effectively. There are 4 main types of digestive enzymes that a dog needs:
- Protease breaks down proteins into amino acids
- Amylase breaks down the starches into smaller carbohydrate molecules
- Lipase helps to digest fats in the diet
- Cellulase breaks down plant and grain fibre. This is not something that is found naturally in a dog’s body so helps to be supplemented.
These enzymes mainly originate in a dog’s pancreas. As the food travels through the dog’s small intestine, digestive enzymes are released from the pancreas breaking down the food components for absorption by the body.