How To Prevent Digestive Problems In Your Dog

By Author: Sarah McDermott
Total Articles: 143
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Dogs are just as prone to diarrhea and bloating as humans are. In fact, some breeds are more prone to digestion problems while others can tuck in like a truck driver, and have no issues at all.

If you've noticed your dog is frequently suffering from indigestion or diarrhea, take a few precautions at feeding time to enhance the digestive process. Digestive problems can cause a dog to become listless and lose weight. His body begins to get rid of important nutrients even before they are digested, and this causes the same fatigue and tiredness that it does in humans.

Take your dog's height into consideration while choosing a feeder for him. Many people make the mistake of buying a feeder that's too low or one that's too high. Style and looks should be secondary when it comes to something as important as your dog's feeder. Taller dogs will find eating from an elevated dog feeder less stressful on their back and legs. Moreover, food eaten off an elevated dog feeder makes its way smoothly down the digestive tract, to be digested easily and quickly. A dog who is forced to stoop to get to his food on the other hand, will ...
... suffer from strain in his neck muscles and his legs. He is also at increased risk for back aches.

Some amount of indigestion is normal when you're introducing a dog to a new food. In this case, there is nothing much you can do, except to give him time to adjust to his new diet.

Don't make a habit of changing his diet every few days. A little variety is excellent but changing the contents of a feeder every few days wile lead to taste fatigue, and cause even more digestive problems. If your dog is fed too many different varieties of foods of flavors, he might stand to lose his appetite and get turned off food. Find a dog diet that's good for your dog and stick to it, more or less.

Lastly, make sure your dog gets plenty of rest and sleep. Even the most active dog needs some rest and a comfortable dog bed placed in his favorite spot will help him to sleep at the end of a long hard day. If you find he has difficulty sleeping, he may have body ache issues you aren't aware of. Consider an orthopedic dog bed - it provides extra support, so muscles aren't strained.