Good digestion affects the health and functioning of the entire organism

Nutrition is essential for the health of the animal.

Suitable foods should be introduced through food: what is physiological for the animal’s body.

These foods are broken down  into micronutrients through the process of digestion where the food is digested into smaller molecules that the body can absorb and use.

Digestion, in addition to being  a very important process, is also a process that constantly occurs in the animal’s body. Good digestion is important:

• to nourish the cells with all the necessary nutrients
• to eliminate waste substances and excesses from the body.

The most important role in the digestion and breakdown of food is played by digestive enzymes. Digestive enzymes are molecules present in different parts of the digestive tract that are responsible for breaking down and absorbing foods. The thousands of enzymes produced by the body aid in a wide variety of chemical reactions. Digestive enzymes are produced primarily in the pancreas and released into the duodenum to help digest food from the stomach. The intestine also  secretes amylase and other digestive enzymes.

Explained in a simple way, digestive enzymes are like scissors that cut and shred food so that it can be absorbed more easily by the body.

There are three main types of enzymes  that help break down macronutrients in foods:

1. Protease, to break down proteins
2. Lipase, to digest fats.
3. Amylase, to process carbohydrates.

Each group of enzymes has its own task, together they take care of the correct breakdown and absorption of the nutrients ingested by the animal.

Dogs and cats are carnivores. The diet of a carnivore in nature is composed of meat and organs of prey. Carnivores don’t spend much time chewing; nor do they consume many carbohydrates, so nature has not thought about the amylase requirement in saliva.

Statistics show that our 4-legged friends today are mainly fed with industrial foods. So with foods processed at high temperatures. In these foods the  heat destroys (“denatures”) the natural form of the enzymes, so they become non-functional. This means that in dogs and cats that eat heat-treated pet foods, these enzymes are absent; the pancreas must provide all the enzymes necessary to digest food. This applies both to industrial foods such as kibble and to home-made foods that are cooked or thermally treated (microwave, oven, boiling).

To this must be added another important fact that kibble  is often much richer in carbohydrates than the diet of a carnivore. The absence of amylase in the mouth reminds us that in nature, carbohydrates are not their main source of nutrition.

In veterinary medicine there are several medical conditions in which digestive enzymes may be deficient or absent and their integration is essential. However, even clinically normal dogs can benefit greatly, such as animals that eat both industrial foods and thermally processed homemade diets. In these cases, digestive enzymes can help pets digest and assimilate food better.

What is the main difference between digestive enzymes and probiotics and why both are necessary for optimal digestion?

The main difference between digestive enzymes and probiotics is their action.

Digestive enzymes are:

• molecules present in different parts of the digestive tract that
• participate in the breakdown of food into smaller molecules
• promote nutrient absorptio

Dogo Digestive  complementary food for dogs and cats in palatable tablets formulated with Betaine hydrochloride, Mango, Gentian and Angelica promotes normal digestive function and supports your pet in all phases of the digestive process.

Probiotics:

• they are live microorganisms
• they promote the balance of the intestinal microbiota and support the immune system
• help digestion and  absorption of nutrients

Different families of bacteria that your dog/cat needs live in your pet’s intestine. The microbiota is in eubiosis or equilibrium when the ratio between good and bad bacteria is balanced.

If this balance is compromised, use LactoAdapt, composed of pre- and probiotics, to restore normal intestinal well-being.

LactoAdapt promotes the balance of the intestinal flora, therefore also useful following:

• use of antibiotics
• diet changes
• eating disorders
• intoxications
• stressful times
• seasonal changes.

Digestive processes involve both digestive enzymes and probiotics and their intake can be of great help in the digestion of foods.