Gut Health
Healthy Tummy…Happy Pet
A healthy microbiome is the cornerstone of wellness.
More than 80% of a dog or cat’s immune system is located in the wall of his or her intestines, where food is absorbed and enters the bloodstream as nutrients. This is also where disease-causing organisms can reside. Without a healthy gut, a pet’s immune system is compromised and cannot function optimally.
The gut is where nutrient absorption takes place, which is why having a healthy gut is among the most important factors when it comes to your pet’s overall health and well-being.
“All disease begins in the gut...”
— Hippocrates
What is Leaky Gut?
When it comes to a pet’s well-being, leaky gut (intestinal permeability) and resulting chronic inflammation of the gut can be the source of many significant (and costly) ongoing health issues.
Stress, processed diet, toxins, medications, pathogens and organ malfunction are believed to be the cause of a prevalent condition called leaky gut.
Leaky gut (in humans or pets) consists of small holes in the intestinal lining that allow toxins, bacterial components, chemicals and other debris in the digestive tract to escape and enter the bloodstream.
Once in the bloodstream, the white blood cells of the immune system see these components as invading molecules, so they attack them in order to protect the host. This is an inflammatory response.
Many scientists and physicians agree that this intestinal permeability and resulting inflammatory response is the root of many chronic diseases, autoimmune disorders, allergies, skin conditions, anxiety, food sensitivities, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and a myriad of other chronic conditions.