Digestive health is fundamental to dog welfare, affecting energy, immunity, mood, and quality of life. Understanding nutritional needs and the gut-brain axis improves wellbeing for companion dogs.
Digestive health underpins dog welfare in ways that extend well beyond simple digestion, with growing evidence for gut-brain connections that link gastrointestinal function to mood, anxiety, and behaviour. Dogs with chronic gastrointestinal inflammation or dysbiosis may show behavioural changes including anxiety and irritability that resolve when digestive health improves. Appropriate nutrition including adequate dietary fibre, high-quality protein sources, and appropriate fat content supports both gut microbiome diversity and overall health. The proliferation of dog food choices creates both opportunity and confusion for owners, and evidence-based guidance from veterinary nutritionists remains the most reliable guide to optimal dietary choices for individual dogs with varying needs and health conditions.