gut issues: gassy, motility, poor digestion / absorption, etc.

[leashedForLife]

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Some breeds suffer far more with gut issues, & their owners also suffer with them -  as gassy guts are a side-effect of an irritated colon, food that doesn't agree, hard-to-digest items, VARYING ratios of ingredients in commercial foods by batch!, various intolerances, &  even emotional upsets.

GSDs are frequent heartbreakers with gut-issues; some develop sudden-onset diarrhea whenever emotionally upset or distressed, & that's mizrable for pet & person.    Others have IBD / IBS, or major intolerances  to certain proteins or grains - they can constipate, have painful intestinal cramps, have gut motility that suddenly speeds-up & they GOTTA GO, NOW... & U're at work, the poor dog can't stop the BM, & the only indicator that it's not a 'normal' BM is a slightly-softer stool & a layer of mucus on the outside, like a wrapper.

Dogs who can't gain or maintain condition are a related problem: leggy, slab-sided dogs who perpetually look teen-aged, often have a heritable inability to absorb nutrients as the root-cause of their bony bodies.  Their chests don't fill out with muscle as adults; some have ribcages that look like xylophones.

Boxers, Bulldogs, & all their relatives often have gassy guts; they are notorious for room-clearing flatulence.
Whatever breed or mix, & whatever the problem, there are ways to help relieve or prevent the symptoms.   :thumbsup:

1st thing: Probiotics
buy a high-potency, high-quality capsule with BILLIONS of live-critters per cap - not 'millions', & not shelf-stable - those that need refrigeration are far-more potent.
This is a good name-brand - get the capsule out, put the jar away, slip the 2 halves of the capsule apart, sprinkle the powder over a small amount of organic yogurt, stir it in so a sneeze won't spray the powder around the house, LOL, & plop it on their meal. // 2 Tbsp of yog is plenty for a good-sized dog, it's support for the microflora in the gut. IF THE DOG IS LACTOSE SENSITIVE, there's lactose-free milk; U can make lactose-free yogurt at home, it's super-simple & excellent nutrition for gut function.

2nd suggestion: Digestive enzymes
Same maker, very high-quality - my mother took these when age & anti-Bs for a tough bronchitis messed up her microflora, they were fantastic.
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3rd: if serious symptoms persist & the vet can't find a medical cause, an elimination diet to find foods they can tolerate well, may be needed.  Remember DIET is 'anything by mouth', so pork intolerances mean no pig BONES & no pig EARS, if they can't have beef they can't have a BEEF knuckle, etc.

Gut health is important, our immune systems are largely in our guts.     Once U have a diet that works, keep one or two proteins OUT OF THE DOG'S DIET entirely as back-up [e-g, turkey & duck] - then U don't have to find a source for ostrich & kangaroo. 
 - terry

Terry Pride, member Truly Dog-Friendly
'dogs R dogs, wolves R wolves, & primates R us.'  - (™ 2007)

 

[leashedForLife]

just to add, digestive enzymes help the dog get every bit of nutrition out of the food they eat - U get "more bang from the same buck" [in this instance, more nutrition for the money U've spent].
The enzymes disassemble the more-complex ingredients, & the dog can then absorb it, vs have it move thru the colon & be expelled, unchanged, in their feces.

Heritable or acquired intolerences:
in the U-S, 1 in 5 dogs has at least 3 food intolerances, but contrary to myth, most of them are intolerance or actual allergy to a PROTEIN, not a grain, nor to grains in general.
Contrast that with the fact that every single dog in the U-S, random-bred, crossbred, or purebred, carries an average 5 "bad" genes, which her / his progeny can carry or be affected by.
Allergies & intolerances are almost always to things U've tolerated well for years - not to a novel thing U've never tried, but to the thing U've been exposed to over & over, & thus become sensitized to.

http://www.tuftsyourdog.com/issues/19_6/features/Chances-Are-Its-Not-a-Food-Allergy-for-Your-Dog-253-1.html

Dogs are omnivores - unlike wolves, who eat prey [muscle, organs, guts, skin, bones, gut contents, brains...] plus assorted seasonal treats - fruit, especially berries; some nuts, etc; & domestic cats, who are obligate carnivores - if U try to feed a cat a vegetarian diet, s/he will die. First, they go blind - but if U persist, the cat will die.   
Dogs, in strong contrast, can eat a vegan diet - or an omnivore diet; a wide variety of foods are all possible food, for dogs. Sweet potato, veg of all sorts, fresh & canned & dried fruits [except grapes! - & no raisins], dairy, greens, & more, plus of course animal & veg proteins - as-is & combinatory. [EX, rice + beans, grain + legume, & so on.]

GRAINS are not "bad" for dogs, per se - but conventionally-grown grains, GMOs, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, chemical fertilizers, etc, that can be on & in the grains, is certainly not optimal nutrition.  Try to choose organic when possible, & also choose whole grains, & complex - not simple - carbohydrates.
FLINT CORN, a-k-a maize in the UK, is lousy nutrition for dogs; it's rock-hard, an extremely complex carb, high in cellulose & starch, & bl**dy hard to digest. Most of it goes in the mouth, & right out the other end.    I'd skip it.

OTOH, whole-grain oats for breeds who originated in Scotland & Ireland are generally excellent - it's literally what they evolved with, just as Japanese dogs [Akita, Shiba, etc] thrive on fish -- with seaweed as an iodine source for the thyroid.

U can create a home-based diet with a protein of Ur choice, various veg & carbs, and add a commercially-made BASE of vitamins, minerals, & trace elements, to ensure nothing is left out.  It's a whole new world compared to the old "open a bag of kibble" or "pop the top off a can".
 - terry