Dog food for sensitive stomachs is not as hard to find as you may think. And it doesn’t have to be expensive. It’s worth searching until you find a dog food that’s right for you and your dog’s particular needs. When you do find one, it can make a huge difference to both of your lives.
Some dogs are simply born with an extremely sensitive stomach – you may notice at an early age that they have unusual stools and struggle to digest certain foods. Other times, the situation is due to illness or ongoing lifestyle issues, including eating things other than what they’re supposed to, being stressed out during travel in a vehicle, or having improper diet at home. Regardless of the cause, you need to start dog food for sensitive stomachs by adding a few ingredients that’ll help with the problem.
The first thing you should look for in dog food for sensitive stomachs is protein. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Many of the enzymes dogs need come from protein, too, so dogs can sometimes get sick if their diet is lacking. Chicken and beef are some of the best proteins dogs can get. Look for a variety of different kibble brands, though, because some use low-grade meat and poultry ingredients that aren’t beneficial to them.
Another thing to look for in dog food for sensitive stomachs is flavor. Many people think that dry food is best, but this isn’t necessarily true. All dogs love sweet things, so consider giving them a blend of canned and kibble. If you want to give your dog a treat once in a while, try canned meats or chicken. Dry foods can also be used in small portions when your dog is sick.
Your dog’s intestines are very efficient at filtering out waste products, and the same wastes can come back up in your dog’s system as they digest the food they’ve eaten. To minimize these toxins, make sure you include an enzyme supplement that includes amino acids like cysteine and caprice. Cysteine specifically stimulates the production of digestive enzymes, which is why it’s good for dogs with sensitive intestines. Other great enzymes to look for are glutamine and pyridoxine.
Another important nutrient to look for in dog food for sensitive stomachs is vitamin E. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that can help prevent the formation of stomach ulcers, and its presence in the dog food for sensitive stomach is especially important since dogs’ diets usually contain less vitamin E than we do. Even if your dog eats a diet rich in vitamin E, you’ll still want to add a small amount of vitamin E directly to his food. If you absolutely can’t find any natural vitamin E, you can get a synthetic form from a health supplement or from a product like GNC (where it’s sold under the name enteric-coated fish). Synthetic vitamin E is less effective in healing the lining of your dog’s stomach but it’s still worth using.
You may be concerned about the possibility of adding fish to your dog’s diet, because there’s a higher risk of mercury contamination with fish. This is simply not true. Since most commercial chicken meals come from chickens that have been fed byproducts, there’s very little mercury contamination. Chicken is easily digested, and its protein and amino acids can be broken down by the digestive enzymes in the dog’s stomach. As long as you don’t feed your pet too much chicken, and you only provide dry food when he has intestinal problems, you won’t have any problems. In fact, one of the strongest antioxidant herbs for healing stomach issues is goldenseal.
Probiotics, like the other ingredients I mentioned above, also help maintain the overall health of your dog’s gut health. One of the ways that dogs get sick is because they’re not getting enough good bacteria in their systems. Dogs get sick because their immune systems attack bad bacteria instead of recognizing good bacteria to keep them under control. Adding probiotics to your dog’s diet helps restore the right levels of bacteria in his system. Some of the most commonly used probiotic for this purpose are Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium smelly water and Acidophilus berry. To find probiotics that are specially formulated for dogs, look for brands that are certified as being made with specially selected strains of bacteria.
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