Living with a dog implies taking on a great responsibility, since its happiness depends entirely on you and the care you provide. Therefore, as an owner, it is natural that you ask yourself many questions about how to care for it to ensure its well-being and he alth.
One of these questions is the one we will deal with in this article on our site, that is, how long does it take for a dog to digestThe digestion of dogs goes through various phases, in which various organs, enzymes and fluids are involved. For all these reasons, it is necessary to know how your furry's body works to establish a routine, such as deciding how many meals a day you are going to give him or when you are going to go out for a walk.
Stages of digestion in dogs
The process of digesting a food is made up of several stages and begins when the food reaches the dog's mouth, where the food is ingested thanks to the chewing and salivation.
Subsequently, the food will travel through of the esophagus into the stomach Inside the stomach, solid food is dissolved by thesecreted acid , a fact that will give as a product a substance called chyme. Next, it will go to the small intestine , where all the nutrients the body needs will be extracted.
Finally, the remaining waste will travel through the large intestine to its elimination in the form of feces, which you will have to collect with a bag once you take your dog for a walk.
All these stages are very important and take their own time, since all kinds of organs, structures and substances that They will transform the food into its final product. Therefore, and as you may have deduced, there is nothing simple about this system, since various factors are involved.
If you think your dog has digestion problems, we encourage you to read this other article on our site about 5 symptoms of poor digestion in dogs.
How long do dogs digest?
Unfortunately, there is no set time for digestion, as it will vary greatly depending on the following factors, which are Involved in your metabolism:
- Age: Older dogs have a slower metabolism than puppies.
- Type and amount of food: Not all foods are equally easy to digest. For example, wet food is much easier to digest than dry food. Also, the more food you have eaten, the slower the digestion process will be.
- Animal size: Large dogs tend to take significantly longer to digest than small dogs.
- Daily activity: a sedentary lifestyle slows down the digestive process. A dog that performs adequate physical activity daily will have a he althier body.
- Hydration: Water is essential for all metabolic processes to take place.
Finally, it can be said that the digestion of dogs is much slower compared to that of other animals. In fact, a dog's stomach can work to break down dry food for approximately 8 to 12 hours (depending on the digestibility of the food), before spending to the small intestine. However, if it is wet food, for example, this takes half the time In humans, on the other hand, this process takes between 4 or 5 hours. Next, the process from the small intestine to the excretion of the residues does not usually last more than a couple of hours if the food has been digested correctly, otherwise we would speak of constipation and it would be necessary to give the animal more digestible food.
All this is because dogs are opportunistic omnivorous animals and their body is prepared to digest practically any food, despite the fact that you can't use it all. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the duration of digestion in its entirety, that is, from when the food is ingested until it is excreted, since it can last from half a day(if, for example, it is easy to digest food) up to a couple of days if you have to break down a more complex food, such as a bone.
How long do you have to wait to take the dog out after eating?
It is not recommended to take the dog for a walk directly after eating. This advice is often given, as there is a risk that if your dog goes out to exercise on a full stomach, he may suffer a gastric torsion To avoid this, the recommended time to wait after he has eaten is at least two hours before taking him out for a walk.
Gastric torsion, technically known as gastric dilatation-torsion syndrome, is a syndrome that occurs mainly in large dogs. It is characterized by an abnormal stomach dilation while it is full (of gases, food or liquid), which means that the stomach cannot recover its original shape (a fact that it would be possible to be empty) and twists on itself. Unfortunately, this torsion obstructs all the pathways that connect to the stomach, as well as the blood vessels, which causes the inevitable death of the animal if urgent action is not taken taking him to the vet
Due to how dangerous this anomaly is, it is important to prevent and minimize the risk of your dog suffering from gastric torsion. The cause that normally originates this syndrome is the great intake of food or liquids suddenly or the presence of gas that is difficult to evacuate (especially in older dogs), as well as the fact that the animal is in a state of stress or excitability For example, there have been cases of gastric torsion in large dogs with fear of firecrackers. Of course, dogs that have had a family history of these cases are more likely to suffer from it.
The most advisable, therefore, is walk the dog before eating, since it is the best way to prevent this risk, which, as you have seen, should not be taken lightly. Conversely, by taking your dog out on a full stomach, you expose him to an altered mood if stressful situations occur that are out of your control, such as meeting another dog on the street who scary.
Finally, as prevention, it is best to avoid feeding your dog all the food in one single feeding per day, but instead take it in dosesthroughout the day to prevent sudden swelling. In the same way, do not take him out for a walk, or do physical activities with him that could make him nervous (such as playing) right after eating. In fact, the most common thing is for a dog with a full stomach to take a good nap to digest properly. If you don't know if your dog sleeps a lot, we advise you to read this other article on How many hours does a dog sleep a day?
Can I give my dog a bath after eating?
Surely more than once you've been told the saying “you can't go into the water until an hour after eating”. The belief that you can suffer a digestion cut when bathing in water is partly true and partly false. It is for this reason that it usually generates so much confusion, also, when it comes to bathing or not our dog after eating. But how much truth is there in this saying? And does the same thing happen to dogs?
First of all, although the popular expression refers to this fact as a digestive cut, the correct term is known as peripheral shock due to vascular difficulties And what happens during this state is that there is a sudden drop in blood pressure, which can render the animal unconscious. Unfortunately, this happening while submerged in water can lead to drowning
But then, why does this drop in blood occur? The main reason why this occurs is due to a sudden change in temperature when submerged in cold water while the body is warm. This implies that the risk of suffering from shock after eating will depend on the amount of food that has been eaten, since excessive intake increases blood flow, increasing the temperature in the organs that are working to break down food and decreasing irrigation in other areas, which makes the dog may be lethargic.
As you may have deduced, this risk is not only present if your dog bathes after eating, but also after having done intense physical exerciseor any situation that increases your body temperature.
In addition, there is another reason why it is not recommended to bathe the dog after eating, because as you have seen, if there are circumstances in which your dog becomes stressed or very nervous after eating Recently, you could have a stomach twist. In fact, dogs get restless (for better or worse) when they go near water, either because of the happiness of visiting the sea or a deep distaste for bathing, for example, with the risk of torsion.
However, if your dog feels fear when approaching water and it makes it difficult for you to maintain his hygiene, we recommend you read this other article on How to bathe a dog that is afraid of water?
