How to heal leaky gut syndrome in your dog

The causes, symptoms, and remedies to your dog’s healthiest gut.

Every time your dog eats their dinner, a complex system of organs, hormones, nutrients, and wirings work together to absorb the most nourishment possible. And at the very center of this digestive path is your dog’s gut — where nutrients are separated from toxins, and either let pass into the bloodstream or sent to exit the body.

But when your dog is missing key nutrition for too long (or some acute injury occurs), they may be susceptible to leaky gut syndrome that disrupts their balanced internal ecosystem.

Not to worry — it’s treatable and easily prevented with the right tools under your belt. Let’s get started.

What exactly is leaky gut syndrome?

Leaky guts occur when your dog’s intestinal walls begin loosening or thinning, decreasing their ability to keep toxins, pathogens, and other foreign materials from entering the bloodstream or tissue.

When your dog eats dinner, the food passes through the mouth, esophagus, and stomach before entering the intestines. At this final stage of digestion, your dog’s intestinal systems help separate remaining nutrients from toxins, allowing only good substances to absorb into the bloodstream.

With a leaky gut, this protective barrier function is compromised.

What causes leaky gut?

Typically, it’s caused by any significant enough damage to the intestines.

In a handful of cases, the damage is acute (or short-term). This could result from infection, physical trauma to the stomach, toxin exposure, or over-medication that attacks the cells of the intestinal walls.

But most cases point to more gradual damage, compounded over time — and is most likely attributed to bacterial imbalances in the gut. These imbalances can stem from food allergies, nutritional deficiencies, or long-term medication use that cause stress and inflammation to your dog. If left untreated over enough time, these causes can change the bacteria makeup, and in turn the physical integrity, of your dog’s intestine.

How do I know if my dog has a leaky gut?

If you notice these signs in your dog, visit your vet for a proper diagnosis:

• Significant weight loss
• Vomiting
• Excessive gas
• Abnormally fluid or soft stools

If left untreated, leaky gut syndrome may lead to more severe diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, hepatitis, pancreatitis, or chronic fatigue.

That’s my dog. How do I heal their leaky gut?

The most permanent solution? Change their diet. Leaky gut is caused and exacerbated by stress in your dog’s body that builds into inflammation.

Grains, gluten, dairy, and other toxins found in processed dog foods are super inflammatory to your dog’s system. Cutting them out — and refilling your dog’s diet with whole and raw proteins — will work to repair your dog’s gut and keep it strong.

Adding Bone Broth can help. L-glutamine, a non-essential amino acid, and glucosamine, an amino sugar, are both densely concentrated in Bone Broth. They work together to lower gut permeability (the rate at which the gut barrier protects) and strengthen the gut lining.

*If you think your dog is suffering from leaky gut syndrome, we always advise you to visit your local vet and confirm the diagnosis first.