Digestive Enzymes and your pets' health

Digestive enzymes: The first line of defense

Raw foods are healthier than cooked foods because they provide the body with a balance of non-synthetic vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and enzymes that work synergistically to support body at optimum levels of health and well-being. Cooking foods destroys many of these naturally occurring ingredients, which decreases the productivity of the digestive tract and causes imbalances in the system. Supplementation of whole food vitamins and enzymes can help prevent the aging effects that cooked foods have on our pets bodies.

Enzymes are necessary for the breakdown of foods, detoxification of the body and hundreds of other metabolic reasons. Adding digestive enzyme supplements to your pets’ diet can assist your pets’ body by replenishing the enzymes that help process fats, carbohydrates and protein, easing the burden placed on the digestive system. The prebiotic, FOS, feeds the native bacteria that naturally replenish these essential enzymes.

Signs of poor digestive health in dogs and cats include:

-bad breath

-gas

-increased stool volume

-hairballs

-excessive shedding, itching and allergies.

Not all enzyme supplements are created equal. Many supplements are made with fillers such as lactose, sugar or preservatives which may increase digestive upset. Many supplements are also manufactured with inadequate levels of prebiotics and probiotics, decreasing the effectiveness of the product. It is important to have Fructo-oligosaccharides added to the enzyme supplement to provide food for the naturally-occurring intestinal flora in conjunction with the enzymes. Also, many digestive enzyme supplements are extremely bitter in taste and difficult to get your pet to agree to eating.

Hero’s Pets recommends In Clover Optagest for ideal health and benefit. It is virtually tasteless, free of all fillers and preservatives, clinically proven to have sufficient levels of enzymes and FOS, and is made in Boulder, CO.