Do healthy pets need enzymes?

healthy pets need enzymes

We get a lot of questions asking whether healthy pets need enzymes. The simple answer is yes, nearly every pet can benefit from supplementation with enzymes. Even healthy pets may improve their absorption and utilization of nutrients through the use of digestive enzymes. To understand why, let’s take a look at how enzymes work.

Why digestive enzymes for pets are important

The primary purpose of enzymes in supplement form is to enhance the enzymes available in raw food, and replace those enzymes lost when food is cooked or processed.

Only raw or uncooked foods contain enzymes. Supplemental enzymes replace the enzymes once present in raw food. Even if your pets are eating all natural healthy foods, most enzymes are lost during cooking and processing.

Why healthy pets need enzymes

If you feed your pet kibble, canned, home cooked, or commercially processed raw foods, he or she will benefit from supplementing with digestive enzymes for pets. While these types of foods can provide high quality nutrients for your dog, once the food is cooked or heated to a temperature above 118 degrees Fahrenheit, all of the digestive enzymes in the food will have been destroyed. However, enzymes are necessary for complete digestion. So your pet’s digestive system goes to work pumping out enzymes to digest each meal.

However, your pet’s digestive system may not be able to produce the enzymes necessary for complete digestion. For example, a dog’s saliva does not contain any amylase, the enzyme that digests starches. So if your dog’s food contains things like peas, corn, potatoes, rice, beans, or oats, your dog will not be able to digest his or her food completely. Incomplete digestion can cause uncomfortable side effects such as bloating, gas, and abnormal stools.

Benefits of digestive enzymes for pets

Enzyme supplementation can absolutely benefit already-healthy pets. When supplementing with enzymes, pets in good health can expect to notice:

  • smaller and firmer stools
  • healthy skin and coat
  • good digestion
  • normal gas
  • normal bowel habits

healthy pets need enzymes

Total-Zymes® digestive enzymes

Total-Zymes® is the NWC Naturals® brand digestive enzyme for cats and dogs. It is all natural, vegetarian, and is made from Non-GMO ingredients. It does not contain fillers, chemicals, gluten, dairy, corn, or eggs. All NWC Naturals® products are made and bottled right here in the USA. To learn more about Total-Zymes® digestive enzymes for pets, read What is Total-Zymes®, or shop online at nwcpet.com.

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