
Dogs are the most loyal creatures on this earth. They are also man’s best friend. Keeping these two things in consideration, they should be treated like royalty. Dog lovers know how to care for their best friends. However, some people are totally unaware of how to take care of their dogs, and they end up mishandling them.
When dogs are shown affection and love, they thrive in your presence. Too much negative reinforcement or a negative mood from its owners will only make the pet dog get aggressive or low. They love playing games and are jolly creatures for the most part.
Even if you have had a dog as a pet for years, you may not know certain things about their care. And it is never too late to learn a couple of things on how to treat them the best. People are often confused with common things like whether it is safe to give pumpkin for acid reflux in dogs or not. Pumpkin is a superfood for your dog’s health and it can help reduce acid reflux symptoms.
What Should You Feed Your Dog?
This will give you a very general idea of what you should be feeding your dog. Of course there are always some exceptions to the rule in the same way some dogs may prefer one thing while the others might not.
The first rule to remember is that you should ideally feed your dog the best kind of meals that you are able to afford. Even though dogs can function completely fine on a purely kibble diet. It is recommended that you switch it up a little bit with homemade food.
Two dog food brands may be serving the same kind of food in a packet but the quality of ingredients vary a lot. It is highly recommended that you go through the ingredients list very carefully and make a judgment based on that. Just like with babies it is always better to get food guidelines from their pediatrician, it is important that you consult with your veterinarian.
How Much Should You Feed Your Dog?
The ideal way to calculate their daily calorie requirement involves a proper equation which uses the dog’s lean weight. This however can only be done if you are keeping a regular check of the dogs wait which is not always possible.
However you can always ask your veterinarian for a starting point and then you can gradually increase or decrease their meals according to what you observe.
What Causes Acid Reflux in Dogs?
Acid Reflux issues in dogs are quite similar to those in humans. The acid from the stomach can come up to the esophagus when the sphincter muscle relaxes due to reflux. This can be caused due to a number of reasons:
Overproduction Of Acids
If a dog is constantly given a stressful environment their stomach might over produce acid which will travel upwards to the esophagus and cause acid reflux. Different types of bacterial infections or hernias can also cause this issue.
Anesthesia
Since anesthesia can generally cause relaxation of the muscles in the body it can also do the same with the sphincter muscle at the top of the stomach. This will allow the acid to travel upwards and cause acid reflux in the dog. This can be further enhanced if the dog was laid down with its stomach at a higher level than its head.
Allergic Reaction
If a dog is allergic to some component in their food, that can also trigger acid reflux. Some of these religions include soy, gluten and GMOs. It is highly recommended that the dog food must have very low or no preservatives, artificial coloring or flavors.
Diet
This is one of the most common reasons why your dog might be suffering from acid reflux. If you allow them to eat scraps off of your dining table, the high spice or fat content in that food can easily trigger reflux in dogs.
How Can You Find Out If Your Dog Suffers From Acid Reflux?
There are many warning signs that you should keep an eye on to keep a check on this matter. The most common of these signs is regurgitation of food or vomiting. Even with humans it is very common that acid reflux can cause regurgitation.
Agar signs of acid reflux in dogs are snapping off the jaw or grinding of the teeth. If your dog is constantly doing either of these things it means that they might be suffering from acid reflux. Another symptom is weight loss. If this issue has been going on for a longer time period then it may cause weight reduction in the dog.
What Can Help with Acid Reflux in Dogs?
Dog owners seem to have a lot of questions regarding this particular issue. Do probiotics help with acid reflux in dogs? What can help my dog with acid reflux? Is it safe to use pumpkin for acid reflux in dogs? These are some of the questions that you will commonly find regarding this issue in dogs.
Let’s try answering these questions to help dog lovers:
Do Probiotics Help with Acid Reflux?
Probiotics tend to reduce symptoms such as heartburn and regurgitation in dogs. However it cannot completely alleviate the acid reflux issue. This still needs a significant amount of research to form a perfect correlation.
What Can Help My Dog with Acid Reflux?
One of the most common methods that is used in this particular issue is fasting. You can make your dog fast for a specific amount of time and then gradually bring them back to food with low fat and low calorie meals that are not heavy on the stomach.
Another most common remedy is to feed your dog some canned or fresh pumpkin. They are packed with probiotics which can help in removing the most immediate effects of acid reflux in dogs.
Is It Safe to Use Pumpkin for Acid Reflux in Dogs?
Pumpkins contain fiber and micronutrients that make it a superfood. They are especially used in order to control diarrhea in dogs. The high fiber content improves gut health. Not to mention that the high amount of probiotics that it contains make it an amazing choice for your dog.
Conclusion
It must be very difficult to deal with digestion and acid reflux issues in dogs. The main thing that you should focus on is to differentiate between myths and science-backed information. This will help you in making informed decisions regarding your dog’s health.
Whether you hit some kind of confusion it is always the best thing to check in with your veterinarian.
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