What does my dog's digestive system produce for healthy digestion?

This answer partially depends on what the problem is. However, the most common thing we will recommend for GI health is probiotics (often in conjunction with pre-biotics). Probiotics are the good bacteria in the GI tract that help it stay healthy. There are a number of products on the market. Some are more complete than others. One good product is called Entero TruBenefits. You can find that here. http://www.vrshealth.com/canine-products/?petcoach=1977957 Nutramax makes a good formula called ProViable. And VetriScience makes a nice probiotic formula that is comes in a chewable tablet. I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would not give Binx any additional medications or supplements as medications can cause pancreatitis. The pancreas aids in digestion by releasing digestive enzymes in to the duodenum (first segment of the small intestine). It also makes and releases insulin. Pancreatitis means inflammation of the pancreas. The digestive enzymes that are normally excreted in to the small intestine are activated to early with in the pancreas, in a sense causing digestion of the pancreas. Pancreatitis can be caused from medications, obesity, high fat foods or getting in to high fat foods and underlying diseases can be a risk factor. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Just like you pointed out, there are many different diets in the market to the point that it is hard to decide which one is best for patients. For any concerns on digestion, I prefer a veterinary prescription diet called Purina EN which is easily digestible and at the same time very good in terms of nutrition. It is also palatable and most dogs seem to like it. Alternatively, you could consider another diet which is the Hill's id which is similar to the Purina EN though in my experience it is not as palatable and some dogs will not eat it. Your veterinarian would have to write up a prescription for this diet. Good luck and have a good night!

Man, that's a loaded question! In general, choose a good-quality commercial dog food, which will provide all necessary protein, fiber, minerals, and nutrients that a dog needs. There are different formulations that are appropriate for dogs with specific issues, but at 4 months of age, I would not expect Mia to have a sensitive stomach or food allergies - discuss this with your vet, though. Adding in a pet probiotic & prebiotic is an excellent idea for intestinal health in all dogs (just like in all humans!) but it has to be given every day to have any positive effect. Probiotics designed for dogs tend to work better than human probiotics. Keeping Mia on good food and flea and tick and heartworm preventatives and vaccinating her according to your vet's recommendation is the best way to keep her immune system at its peak performance.

While dogs can eat plant material, they are carnivorous. This is show in the design of their teeth. They have sharp, blade like molars that are designed for slicing food rather than grinding it. Herbivores, like cows, have molars that are flatter and are made to grind up the plant material. In addition, their digestive system is designed to digest protein and fat, and due to that, they have trouble digesting produce. Produce should therefore be pureed to help them fully digest it.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The Science diet sensitive skin and stomach is quite good. I really like all the Nylabone products. I find that dogs really like them and they are fairly inexpensive. They also seem to help with cleaning the teeth a bit. Have a good day!

I think probiotics can be helpful for dogs with sensitive stomachs, especially those that have diarrhea. Most probiotics have other ingredients in them to make them more palatable and if you feel Brutus gets stomach upset you should stop them. I don’t think digestive enzymes are particular helpful unless a dog has a diagnosis of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.