With most commercial food doesn’t have any living natural enzymes which help break down your pets’ food. This makes it really hard for your cat or dogs stomach and digestive tract to break down their food. Enzymes are needed to help unlock these food nutrients and aid in digestion. Enzymes help with everything in your dog and cat from their immune system processes to the functioning of their internal organs. There are also specific enzymes necessary for your pet’s proper digestion.
These digestive enzymes include:
Protease: Helps break down protein into amino acids
Amylase: Helps break down carbohydrates
Lipase: Helps with digesting fats
Cellulase: For breaking down fiberDr. Karen Becker. DVM
Your dog and cat produce these digestive enzymes naturally, however they do not produce enough of the enzymes necessary to process their food completely and efficiently especially if they are on a commercial diet.
The pancreas is the organ responsible for producing your cat and dogs digestive enzymes, in particular, amylase which helps to process carbohydrates. However, since cats and dogs did not eat a lot of carbs as part of their natural ancestral diet the pancreas does not produce enough amylase to break down the number of carbs in most of our pets diets today.
Cats and dogs are designed to get supplemental enzymes from the foods they eat. For example, your cat kills a mouse then eats the whole mouse. The enzymes in that mouse’ digestive tract would help break down the food for the cat. The same goes for coyotes and wolves when they kill an animal they will eat the entire animal. The guts and digestive tract of prey would help the coyote or wolfs own digestion.
Since we do not have easy access to guts and digestive tracks to feed our cats and dogs they become enzyme deficient. Most cats and dogs are lacking in the number of enzymes needed to properly digest their food. This puts extreme stress on his digestive system, which can ultimately interfere with nutrient absorption and cause recurrent digestive issues.
9 signs that your cat or dog may need digestive enzymes include?
- Bloating
- Burping and gas
- Diarrhea
- Bad breath
- Stomach gurgling
- Bad smelling poop
- Undigested food in your pets’ poop
In Brownies case, my foster dog, you can hear his stomach rumbling after he eats, he often has gas, his poop has undigested food it in and he has really bad breath.
The best thing you can do to help your pet is transition to a species appropriate diet. I like feeding a raw diet. I am still learning about home cooked and how to make sure all the correct minerals, vitamins etc are included so I have chosen to buy a pre-made raw diet.
Another thing you can do is add digestive enzymes to your cat or dogs diet. My research has shown that even if you have a pet without any systems starting them on digestive enzymes can help protest them.
In fact, even if your pet is eating a high-quality, species-appropriate raw-food diet, he can actually benefit from digestive enzyme supplementation as well, because you’re probably not feeding him enzyme-rich entrails and guts.
Digestive enzymes are so important for your pet’s health that I wholeheartedly recommend them for all animals, regardless of their diet.
In searching for a digestive enzyme for your pet, look for one that has gastric acid support, amylase, lipase and protease as well as gallbladder support all in one product.
So, again my recommendation, not only for the pets that are having digestive problems, but for all of you who are interested in creating abundant health in your animals, is to consider adding digestive enzymes to your pet’s diet.
The addition of digestive enzymes will allow your pets to process food more efficiently, and give them the extra support they need to not just survive, but thrive!
Dr. Karen Becker.
You can buy digestive enzymes here.