The digestive system of our dogs

Our dogs' digestive tract is a highly complex, finely tuned process that not only provides them with energy but also contributes significantly to their health. Anyone who wants to feed their dog species-appropriately and mindfully should know what's happening in their four-legged friend's body—from the first bite to the final excretion.

1. The oral cavity – the beginning of digestion
Unlike humans, dogs' digestion doesn't begin significantly in the mouth. While they do have saliva, it doesn't contain any significant digestive enzymes, such as amylase. Saliva serves primarily to lubricate food.

🔍 Special feature: Dogs hardly chew. Their teeth are designed to tear, cut, and quickly swallow prey. This natural behavior is especially evident with raw pieces of meat.

2. The esophagus – the food express
After swallowing, the food is transported through the esophagus into the stomach by wave-like movements (peristalsis). This process takes only a few seconds. There is no conscious influence on the direction – backward movement (vomiting) is merely a protective mechanism.

3. The stomach – acid bath and enzyme power
The first real digestion takes place in the stomach. A dog's stomach acid is extremely acidic (pH approximately 1–2) to kill bacteria and germs from raw meat and dissolve bones.
Enzymes like pepsin work here to break down proteins into smaller building blocks. Depending on the type of food (meat, bones, vegetables), the food stays in the stomach for varying lengths of time—often several hours.

🔍 BARF tip: Raw bones are generally well digested – provided the stomach is sufficiently acidic. Therefore, bones are best given separately from grain- or vegetable-rich meals to avoid diluting the acid concentration.

4. The small intestine – center of nutrient absorption
This is where most of the digestion and nutrient absorption takes place. The small intestine consists of three sections:
- Duodenum (duodenum)
- Jejunum (jejunum)
- Ileum (ileum)

With the help of enzymes from the pancreas (e.g. lipase, amylase, protease) and bile (for fat digestion), the food is broken down into its individual components:
- Carbohydrates → Sugar
- Proteins → amino acids
- Fats → fatty acids and glycerol

The mucous membrane of the small intestine is highly folded and contains millions of villi – this gives it a huge surface area and makes nutrient absorption particularly efficient.

🔍 Important: If the small intestine is damaged (e.g. due to chronic inflammation), nutrient absorption suffers - deficiency symptoms occur despite "good" feeding.

5. The large intestine – recovery and fermentation
In the large intestine (consisting of the cecum, colon, and rectum), digestion hardly takes place. Water and electrolyte absorption primarily takes place here. It is also home to countless intestinal bacteria (intestinal flora/microbiome), which ferment insoluble fiber (e.g., vegetable matter) and produce short-chain fatty acids from them – an important energy source for the intestinal mucosa itself.

🔍 Mindfulness tip: A balanced gut flora is crucial for the immune system, skin health, and behavior. Fresh, fermented, or fiber-rich foods such as pureed vegetables, herbs, or psyllium husks can specifically support the gut flora.

6. The anus – excretion of the remains
The indigestible remains, exfoliated cells, fermentation products, and water residues are excreted through the rectum as feces. Healthy feces are malleable, easily passable, and do not have an overly strong odor.