What you should know about your dog digestive system
Specifics of the dog digestive system
The dog's teeth
In contrast to humans who have 32 teeth, dogs have around 42. And among these 42 are those for biting, gripping, chewing food, and breaking down meat and bones.
The dog's mouth
While the digestive system of humans starts in the mouth where the food we eat gets moistened with saliva containing digestive enzymes, the dog's digestive process starts in the stomach, and dogs can just glump the food to get it directly to the place where the digestion starts.
The dog's stomach
The acid in the dog's stomach is 100 times stronger than it is in yours, so it allows softening even bones when they are eaten. The key function of this acid is to unfold the proteins and activate the enzyme pepsinogen to release amino acids.
The dog’s small intestine
After the food is broken down in the stomach, it gets into the small intestine where nutrients from food get absorbed. The remained waste products get to the large intestine.
The dog’s large intestine
The large intestine is a long, muscular tube that allows your dog to pass stools formed from the remained waste products.
Now, when you understand how the digestive system of your dog works, let's see what you can do to contribute to your pet's health. And the most important thing to mention here is that it's initial to spot any changes from normal digestion. These could be shying away from food, a change in excrement consistency, or an increase in flatulence. In case something of these happens, things you can do include:
- Increasing in vitamins and minerals.
- Switching proteins.
- Eliminating of free-feeding.
- Adhering to rules of dry and canned eating, which we'll discuss later.
In case symptoms remain, we always recommend vet consultation.
Check more useful tips and hints, video lessons and training plans, from dog experts on the App Store or Google Play. Walk tracking, family sharing, and reminder features included.
