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Maintaining good digestive health is important for dogs because it directly impacts their overall well-being and quality of life. Just like people, dogs rely on their digestive system to break down food, absorb essential nutrients, and eliminate waste. Digestive issues can cause various symptoms such as nausea and diarrhea, as well as lead to more serious outcomes over time, such as nutritional deficiencies, dehydration and weight loss. This article covers common causes and symptoms of poor gut health in dogs, and natural ways dog parents can help improve their pup’s digestive health!

How Good Digestive Health Helps Your Dog Thrive

Your dog’s digestive health affects all aspects of their overall health, including:

Proper digestion even has benefits for your dog’s mood and behavior! Because of the gut-brain connection, a healthy gut promotes mood regulation and helps reduce anxiety by regulating stress hormones. Of course, other factors such as exercise, socialization and training also play a significant role in supporting your dog’s mental health.

How Your Dog’s Digestive System Is Different from Yours

While dogs and humans both need a balanced and nutritious diet, there are some big differences in how dogs and people digest their food:

A dog’s digestive tract is optimized to process animal proteins and move things along quickly. In general it only takes 8-10 hours for a dog to digest a meal, compared to 24-48 hours for humans.

Wet Dog Food For Digestive Health

Causes & Symptoms of Digestive Issues in Dogs

If you think your dog’s digestive health could be improved, you’re not alone. Digestive issues are relatively common in dogs, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe including:

There are many potential causes of digestive problems in dogs, including:

Digestive issues can also be caused by underlying health conditions like pancreatitis or chronic gastrointestinal disease. If your dog is suffering from digestive issues, start by consulting your veterinarian to rule out serious illness.

Natural Ways to Help Improve Your Dog’s Digestion 

There are several ways dog parents can support their dogs’ digestive health:

You may also want to consider slow feeding methods such as a puzzle feeder. Dogs that wolf their food can be more prone to bloating and indigestion.

Dog Food For Digestive Health

What to Feed Your Dog for Good Digestive Health

Stella & Chewy’s dog food supports intestinal health with high-quality ingredients, minimal processing, a variety of animal proteins (including single source protein meals) and added prebiotics, probiotics and fiber. Browse our digestive health dog foods and learn more about how each of our product lines is designed to promote optimal digestion:

Stella’s Solutions Digestive Support

Stella & Chewy’s Digestive Support probiotic dog food is a great place to start as this recipe can be easily added as a topper and mixed in with your dog’s current diet. These morsels are packed with prebiotics and probiotics, natural sources of fiber like coconut flour and pumpkin, along with other ingredients to aid in nutrient absorption and intestinal health. Simply scoop and add the recommended amount to your dog’s food (or serve alone as the complete and balanced meal for adults).

Raw Dog Food

Our minimally processed raw diets for dogs, including frozen raw and freeze-dried raw, offer several digestive health benefits:

Many raw-fed dogs have smaller, firmer and less frequent stools. Raw meat also has natural enzymes that help break down food, which aids digestion.

Dry Dog Food

If you prefer the convenience of dry dog food, Stella & Chewy’s baked kibble recipes are a great option to support digestive health: 

Our kibble recipes with and without grain contain responsibly sourced proteins that are grass-fed, cage-free, wild-caught, or farm-raised.
Whether grain-free or grain-inclusive dog food is easier to digest depends on the quality of the grains used in the recipe, and your dog’s unique needs. It’s best to ask your vet for a personalized recommendation for your dog, and learn about the differences between grain-free and grain-inclusive dog food.

Wholesome Grains Superblends Raw Blend

Our SuperBlends raw blend kibble is superfood-powered dog kibble, coated and blended with freeze-dried raw to support digestive health: 

Grain-Free Raw Coated Kibble

Our grain-free raw coated kibble is gently baked and coated in raw goodness with added probiotics. Available in a variety of high-protein recipes including beef, chicken, duck, lamb, and whitefish with small breed and puppy options.

Raw Coated Kibble with Wholesome Grains

Our raw-coated kibble with wholesome grains is gently baked and coated in delicious freeze-dried raw. Guaranteed probiotics and pumpkin are added to promote gut health. Wholesome grains include pearled barley, oatmeal, brown rice, and quinoa. Available in beef, chicken, duck, lamb, salmon, and small breed recipes.

Grain-Free Raw Blend Kibble

Our grain-free raw blend recipes are raw-coated kibble with pieces of real freeze-dried raw. Each recipe contains added probiotics and a unique blend of high quality animal proteins for great taste, with red meat, poultry, and fish recipes available.

Raw Blend with Wholesome Grains

Our wholesome grains raw blend baked kibble is raw-coated kibble with pieces of real freeze-dried raw, with red meat and poultry recipes available. Guaranteed probiotics and pumpkin are added to promote gut health. Wholesome grains include pearled barley, oatmeal, brown rice, and quinoa. Each recipe contains added probiotics and a unique blend of high quality animal proteins for great taste.

Wet Dog Food

Wet dog food has a higher moisture content than dry dog food, which can help make digestion easier for dogs that don’t drink enough water on their own. Wet dog food also has lower overall carbohydrate content compared to kibble, which can help improve digestibility for dogs with sensitive stomachs.

Whether wet food or dry food is easier to digest ultimately depends on the individual dog—the formulation and quality of ingredients are the most important things to look for in either format.

Our wet dog food products are wholesome and nutritious and made with high-quality ingredients:

Our wet food recipes can be served as a complete meal or mixed with kibble to add hydration to your dog’s diet.

Learn more about supporting your dog’s digestive health through diet:

  • Stella’s Solutions Digestive Support

    Stella’s Solutions Digestive Support

  • Chewy’s Chicken Frozen Raw Dinner Morsels

    Chewy’s Chicken Frozen Raw Dinner Morsels

  • SuperBlends Raw Blend Beef, Beef Liver & Lamb Recipe + Superfoods

    SuperBlends Raw Blend Beef, Beef Liver & Lamb Recipe + Superfoods

  • Chewy’s Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw Dinner Patties

    Chewy’s Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw Dinner Patties

  • SuperBlends Raw Blend Chicken & Duck Recipe + Superfoods

    SuperBlends Raw Blend Chicken & Duck Recipe + Superfoods

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