Dogs act as companions and security for your home. Once you own a dog, you wish you could have him for the rest of your life. While this is not possible, you can help ensure that you keep your dog happy for as long as they live by maintaining their gut health. The gut also called the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), affects almost all aspects of your dog’s health. From immunity. Below are some reasons why you should keep your pet’s gut in perfect health.
Maintain Energy Levels
The GIT is where all nutrient digestion and absorption happens in the body. Therefore, when your pet has maximum absorption, they enjoy high energy levels that keep them happy and active. As dogs grow older, their energy levels reduce due to lower absorption rates. However, with a healthy gut, they can still absorb as much as possible from food and supplements.
This will keep your dog energetic, allowing him to run around the home and stay awake for hours. Low energy levels can be seen through a lack of interest in activities, sleeping more often, and the general reduction in their participation in their favorite games.
Improve Immunity
Your pet’s gut is the primary immune system in its body. This is because it has millions of microorganisms called microbiomes. These organisms are always active, preventing harmful pests, parasites, and bacteria from being absorbed into the bloodstream. Therefore, eating healthy and keeping a healthy gut gives the body more strength to fight and reduces the work for the organisms.
One of the ways of improving immunity is by ensuring a healthy diet. Experts in dog health recommend giving your pet raw dog food. Since dogs have been eating raw food since time immemorial, it is best to go back to this diet to help them continue living healthy lives. Raw food usually contains all the required nutrients in their natural form, thus making it easy for the body to digest and absorb them.
Bone and Joint Strength
Just like in humans, bones and joint health determine how active your furry friend will be. Weak bones and painful joints will cause your dog to lose interest in physical activities and opt to sleep. This makes a very sad dog. Nevertheless, you can avoid this by ensuring that their gut remains healthy. When the GIT operates at optimum, it allows the good bacteria in the intestines to produce essential vitamins like Vitamin K.
When this vitamin is available, the body metabolizes calcium, an essential mineral in the growth and strength of bones. Consequently, your pet will have strong bones that allow him to leap around and be as active as possible. The bacteria also help in the production of specific enzymes that aid in the general absorption of minerals into the bloodstream.
Weight Management
Even though you love a chubby furry friend, excessive weight may cause serious health issues. Your dog will have difficulty walking, get tired quickly, and may even develop other health complications. However, with a healthy gut, your dog’s body can regulate the amount of sugar absorbed during digestion. This maintains the sugar levels at the desired range while maintaining proper food digestion. Therefore, when the GIT remains healthy, it will automatically help regulate your furry friend’s weight and eating habits.
Reduces Stress
Dogs get easily stressed, especially due to unexpected changes or unpleasant circumstances. Some common reasons for stress in our pets are going to the vet, unfamiliar surroundings, being left alone, and a change in their daily routine. A healthy gut will help your dog produce feel-good neurotransmitters like serotonin. This allows the body to regulate the amount of cortisol, the stress hormone, produced at a time. The result of this regulation is fewer instances of anxiety or stress, even in unpleasant situations. A more controlled and calm dog will give you an easier time training your pet how to navigate such situations.
Conclusion
Your pet’s gut health is essential when you want to keep your dog healthy and active for a long time. Please ensure that you feed your furry friend the appropriate food and supplements. You will notice changes in gut health through the fur, activity energy, dog poop, and even the smell of their mouth. Keep your pet’s gut in optimum health and enjoy stress-free companionship.
Apart from this, if you want to know about 10 Heart Healthy Foods To Eat And 10 Healthy Foods To Avoid then please visit our Pets category