Digestive Enzymes to the Rescue!

Since Lucy started scratching her luscious black fur off a few months ago, I'd been pulling my hair out trying to relieve her suffering. She responded beautifully to the addition of Naturvet's Digestive Enzymes and Plato Salmon Oil...itching relieved, fur growing back, everyone sleeping through the night. The itching diminished, but we weren't done yet and now we are battling a Candida flare-up, but I'll save that appetizing tale for another post. Guess what, though? Part of the treatment includes, you got it, digestive enzymes. What's up with that? Digestive enzymes are recommended for everything these days, it seems.

Enzyme depletion is at the root of many issues--skin problems, immune system failure, allergies, digestive upset, even premature aging. And it makes sense when your realize that health starts with what we put in our mouths, and enzymes are critical for making nutrients available to our bodies. In fact, enzymes play a role in every process in the body. So if our pets are enzyme deficient, they are susceptible to a whole host of issues.

Signs of Enzyme Depletion

• Digestive disorders like gas, diarrhea, food sensitivities, stool-eating
• Bad breath
• Skin problems like itching, rashes, hot spots
• Excessive shedding, dull coat

Remember, enzyme depletion leads to nutritional deficiency because your pet isn’t able to get the nutrients out of his food because the food isn’t breaking down completely.

Other problems associated with nutritional deficiencies

• Arthritis, joint pain
• Cancer
• Epilepsy
• Fatigue
• OCD
• and more!

My pet is fine. Do I still need to supplement?

Unless you are feeding your pet a raw food diet, then, yes, you will need to supplement his food with enzymes.

Natural enzymes in food are delicate. Cooking above 118 degrees Fahrenheit will destroy the enzymes in your pet's food so that your pet has to somehow manufacture 100% of the enzymes needed to break down food and make nutrients available. Other forms of processing and storage also destroy these important digestive aids. This ends up straining the entire system because bodies are meant to get most of their enzymes from the foods that enter the system.

By middle age, most dogs and cats are severely deficient in the enzymes they need to break down their food. They are well on their way to being malnourished and undernourished and it's just a matter of time before they start showing the signs.

I’m starting to scare myself with this post, so let’s get on to the good news. It is easy to bring back balance to your pet's digestive tract, improve your pet's natural immune response, make his breath smell better. Here’s how:

1. Convenient supplements, like Naturvet’s Digestive Enzymes. Very tasty, just sprinkle on top of their food.
2. Raw meaty bones. Even cats can enjoy raw bones to boost enzyme intake...just be sure you always supervise your pet while he chews.
3. Raw food diet. Make your own (make sure it is balanced) or purchase prepared raw patties, like Green Earth Pet Food or Stella & Chewy’s, that have been prepared with your pet’s health in mind.

Good luck, and send me your stories of how dietary changes have helped improve your pet’s health. I’ll post them on the website. Be sure to take before and after pictures so you can see for yourself the positive changes you are providing to your best friends. Remember to call if you have any specific questions...828.215.9503.