A healthy digestion is a sign of a healthy dog. Mealtimes and potty schedules are two big parts of your dog’s life. These two things also take up a fair amount of the time you spend caring for your pooch. So, you may have wondered how long it takes for a dog to digest food. Here’s the lowdown on doggy digestion.
It typically takes 4-8 hours for a dog to digest food. It can vary depending on your dog’s breed, size, age, food type, and activity level. In some dogs, food digestion can take 12 hours while in others it may just take only 2 hours.
Keep in mind that this is the time taken to complete the digestive process. The time taken for food to move out of a dog’s stomach can be as little as 1-2 hours.
In general, dogs digest food up to three times faster than humans (it takes us approximately 36 hours to fully digest a meal). This is because a dog’s digestive system is built to handle large volumes of food. It harks back to the time when dogs, like wolves, were wild animals and tended to “wolf down” food.
Note: Be careful when sharing table food with your dog. Some human foods are dangerous for dogs.
Age
Puppies digest food quickly and need to use the bathroom more frequently as a result. Senior dogs, on the other hand, tend to have slower digestion due to reduced gut motility with age.
Breed and size
Larger dog breeds generally take longer to digest food, typically 8 hours. In comparison, smaller sized dogs can digest food in 4 hours. There are other differences too in big dogs vs small dogs, including the types of health problems (digestive issues) you might have to deal with.
Type of food
It takes a dog longer to digest dry, processed food compared to fresh food. Giving your dog fresh food vs kibble also has other health benefits. If you do decide to prepare home-made meals for your dog, you should know how to do it correctly, such as how to boil chicken for a dog.
Exercise
Exercise plays an important role in your dog’s digestive health. Daily walks help your dog stay regular by stimulating bowel movements.
Gut microbiome
The gut microbiota in dogs (and humans) refers to all the organisms that call the gut their home. This includes both good bacteria and bad bacteria. The good bacteria help with digestion, boost immunity, and protect against bad bacteria. How much time it takes your dog to digest food also depends on a large extent to the gut microbiome. If you want to boost your dog’s digestive health, consider giving a probiotic supplement for dogs. This can be especially helpful if your dog has frequent digestive issues like diarrhea, constipation, or upset stomach.
If your dog has not eaten for 3-5 days, get her checked out by the vet. There could be several things going on and it’s important to get a proper diagnosis and timely treatment.
If your dog has not pooped for more than 48 to 72 hours, again, call the vet. Assuming your dog is constipated, the vet might recommend a high-fiber diet, increased hydration (access to fresh water 24x7), increased exercise, a stool softener or laxative, or an enema (this must be done in the vet’s office) if the constipation is severe.
27 December, 2022