Your Dog’s Digestion

Most dogs will experience digestive issues at some point in their life. In fact, gastric upset is among the top three reasons for vet visits. Vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and refusing to eat are all possible signs that something’s amiss within the digestive system.

One of the reasons that so many dogs suffer digestive issues, both acute and chronic, is because their gastrointestinal system is so different than a human’s.

For humans, digestion begins with chewing, and enzymes produced in our saliva help begin breaking down starches in our food. This helps us digest plant matter, which requires a longer digestive process to break down than meat.

You’ve probably noticed that your pet chews each mouthful of food just once or twice before swallowing. Dogs and cats do not have enzymes in their saliva. They produce fewer enzymes overall, with a pancreas that is, proportionally speaking, much smaller than ours.

Like tigers and wolves, cats and dogs have a highly acidic stomach and short digestive tract that’s designed to quickly break down meat and bones. Unlike their wild ancestors, though, dogs and cats have adapted to eat a modern diet, and to a point, can eat grains, fruit, and vegetables. Still, your pet has a meat-eater-s digestive system that can be sensitive and may need extra support to run smoothly.

Every dog is different, with some more sensitive than others. Many pets experience mild, short-term gastric upset from triggers like stress, eating trash or table scraps, overeating, or switching to a new food too quickly. Others struggle with long-term digestive issues due to food sensitivities or health conditions like pancreatitis, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).