Digestion And Indigestion In Dogs
Digestion is the process of absorption and assimilation of the nutrients that we obtain through food. Indigestion problems in dogs occur when some of these processes do not work properly.
Digestion in a healthy dog
Digestion in dogs begins in the mouth: the chewing movements of the muscles of the face and teeth grind up the food while it mixes with the saliva and thus forms the food bolus. The tongue helps swallowing and, thanks to its papillae, food is savored. The palate separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity, and without it it would not be possible to swallow the bolus.
From the mouth, the food passes into the esophagus, which reaches the stomach, where gastric juices are secreted which, together with peristaltic movements, reduce the food to small particles that will be pushed into the intestine. It is here, thanks to the action of a stomach enzyme, pepsin, where proteins are assimilated.
The entrance of the stomach or cardia, and the exit or pylorus, act as muscular sphincters that prevent food from being regurgitated into the esophagus or passing into the intestine before undergoing gastric digestion.
Following the stomach is the small intestine with its portions: duodenum, jejunum, and ileum; at the end is the large intestine, divided into: cecum, colon and rectum. The intestine is proportionally much longer in herbivores than in carnivores.
The duodenum receives digestive secretions from the liver and pancreas, which help digest carbohydrates and fats. And the large intestine absorbs water and vitamins.
Most of the fermentation of non-ruminant animals occurs in the cecum, greater in herbivores than in carnivores, especially fiber from which it obtains fatty acids and fats.
The colon carries feces from the cecum to the rectum and from there to the anus, where they are expelled when the anal sphincter opens. On both sides of the sphincter there are anal glands that produce a secretion that serves to leave odorous signals and to lubricate the stool when it comes out.
Why does indigestion occur in dogs?
Indigestion is a feeling of discomfort in the upper abdomen that appears during ingestion or immediately after eating. In most cases, indigestion is not a sign of a serious health problem, unless it occurs alongside other symptoms such as weight loss.
If our dog has an upset stomach, it is normal for us to see him adopt a strange posture, such as crouched, and the belly area hurts.
In dogs, the most common causes of indigestion are usually:
- Empacho. The dog has eaten much more than normal.
- A food has not sat well, very typical if they usually eat human food.
- Eating too fast. Anxiety about food is a problem that we must work on in dogs.
- Stress. The animal is going through a stressful situation that affects its digestive health.
- Intense exercise right after eating. Ideally, there should be a minimum time of rest, which can be very dangerous in dogs with a tendency to stomach twisting, such as giant breeds.
What do I do if my dog has indigestion?
Indigestion in dogs can be associated with other more serious problems such as gastritis, enteritis or gastroenteritis and other problems such as pancreatitis, ulcers …
What we must do is monitor the animal, keep it fasting and hydrated and observe if it vomits or makes liquid or bloody stools. In this case, we must go to the vet with all the useful information that we can provide: when the symptoms began, if he ate something strange or has been able to swallow something, the color and shape of the stool, if he regurgitates or vomits …
