The digestive tract of the dog is home to an incredibly large population of organisms (including bacteria, protozoa, and fungi) that make up the microbiota or intestinal flora.
Probiotics are the beneficial bacteriaors that dogs and cats need to maintain healthy levels of friendly bacteria in their gut and to avoid the possibility of pathogenic bacteria taking control. The digestive tracts of canines and felines are specifically designed to managea tremendous bacterial load of the food they consume because in their natural state they ate prey. That is why your gastrointestinal tract should maintain a healthy level of good bacteria and a diverse spectrum of different types of friendly intestinal organisms to support the immune system.
If populations of healthy intestinal organisms decrease or there is not enough diversity in the microbiota, digestive disorders appear that can develop all kinds of gastrointestinal and immunological problems that can become chronic diseases.
How the intestinal bacteria get out of control in your furry
Stressors that can unbalance your dog’s or cat’s gut bacteria include:
- Sudden change in diet and poor quality foods
- Veterinary medicines (antibiotics and anti-inflammatories)
- Eating live animals or ingesting inappropriate objects such as feces, sticks, stones, etc.
- Gastrointestinal disease
- Drinking contaminated or studded water
- Travel, transfers or emotional stress (often caused by anxiety or a change in routine or environment)
When physical or emotional stress alters the bacterial balance in the intestine, it can trigger a cascade of problems, including poor absorption of nutrients and intermittent or chronic diarrhea. It also opens the door to leaky gut syndrome, which means that partially digested amino acids and allergens can enter the bloodstream. This in turn can create a number of other health problems, from allergies to autoimmune diseases.
BUILD AND MAINTAIN A HEALTHY INTESTINAL FLORA
One of the best ways to make sure your furry has a healthy intestinal flora is to restrict the amount of refined carbohydrates in their diet to less than 20% of calories, include fermented foods that develop biome (such as yogurt or kefir), foods rich in prebiotics and if necessary, a probiotic supplement that restores and rebuilds the microbiota.
Natural foods such as Natsbi, create a more diverse intestinal flora in dogs, compared to those that feed on more processed options. A dog is unlikely to enjoy optimal health if it is fed day after day with this type of food. Switching to diets for fresher, less processed foods with high percentages of fresh meat, rotating ingredients, and replacing highly processed rewards with fresh foods are factors that will improve your furry’s gastrointestinal well-being, and at the same time its overall immune function.
All Natsbi recipes are enriched with prebiotics and formulated to take care of the intestinal flora, with high quality proteins that provide the essential amino acids for optimal nutrition.