Your dog’s digestive system is extremely sophisticated. There’s a lot that goes into doggy digestion — and while you can’t see everything that’s happening inside of your pup’s digestive system, you can help support it through proper nutrition.

It’s worth noting that your dog’s digestive health plays a big role in their overall health. The digestive system has many vital functions, including: breaking down food and absorbing its nutrients, taking in and absorbing water and electrolytes, and getting rid of waste.  The microorganisms that reside in the digestive tract even play a role in your pup’s immune function. 

Read on for more info about your dog’s digestive system, including: the dog digestion process, how long it takes for dogs to digest their food, and how to stay on top of your pup’s digestive care.

What is Dog Digestion?

Vitamins, minerals, fats, sugars, and other essential nutrients are contained in the food your dog eats everyday. The job of your pup’s digestive system is to break down the food they take in, so that their body can absorb the nutrients. Without healthy digestive function, your pup won’t be able to effectively absorb the nutrients from their food into their body. These nutrients support your dog’s overall health — everything from their energy levels, to strong joints, cognitive function, organ function, and more — so proper absorption is crucial.

Digestive health is overall health — so how do you support your canine companion’s digestive system? Start by learning a little bit more about how it works in the following sections.

Understanding the Dog Digestion Process

Your pup’s digestive system involves much more than just their stomach. Let’s take you through the process from start to finish.

Mouth

As you know, the digestive process starts with the mouth, where your pup chews and swallows their food. The esophagus then transports the food from your dog’s mouth to their stomach through a movement called peristalsis. The epiglottis, found in the back of the throat, prevents the food from going down their trachea airway instead.

Stomach

Inside your pup’s stomach, digestive juices break their food down even further. A sphincter from the esophagus to the stomach is responsible for keeping this digested food from coming back up the esophagus and being regurgitated. After your dog’s stomach breaks down their food, it moves into the small intestine.

Intestines

The small intestine is made up of three parts: the duodenum, the jejunum, and the ileum.  As food passes through these three connected parts, it mixes with juices from the pancreas, liver (via the gallbladder), and the intestine, while water and nutrients are absorbed into your pup’s body. 

Waste products move through your pup’s small intestine into their large intestine, which is made up of four parts: the cecum, colon, rectum, and anal canal. The cecum connects the ileum to the colon, where stool is stored until it eventually leaves the body through the rectum and anal canal.

So, Exactly How Long Does it Take a Dog to Digest Food?

Some dogs take just a few minutes (or even seconds) to devour their food — but the time it takes them to digest it is much longer. From start to finish, the entire dog digestive process has been said to take about 6 to 8 hours, but some studies suggest that it could take up to 13 hours.

It’s thought that the digestive process for extra large breeds could take considerably longer than that of smaller dogs — as long as 21 to 57 hours. These discrepancies show that the dog digestive process can vary greatly depending on the size and breed of your dog, as well as their health, stress levels, the type of food they eat, and other factors.

People often think about digestion as how long it takes for a dog's stomach to be empty, but this should not be confused with the digestive process in its entirety. A dog's stomach may empty in as little as 1.5 hours (but some studies suggest it’s more likely between 4 and 10 hours, or closer to the 6 to 8 hours that is commonly stated as the digestion time of a dog). Again, the time that it takes for your pup’s stomach to empty depends on several factors —  most importantly how much food they ate, and how liquid the food is.

Digestive enzymes are key components in the breakdown and passage of your dog’s food. While over-the-counter digestive enzyme supplements are available, most dogs do not need them unless they have a medical condition where they don’t produce enough digestive enzymes from their pancreas (this can be diagnosed with a blood test from your vet). All dogs, however — especially those with sensitive stomachs — may benefit from prebiotics and probiotics to support their gut microbiome and digestive function.

How to Maintain Your Dog’s Digestive Health

Whether you’re proactively trying to keep your dog’s gut healthy, or your pup is dealing with tummy troubles — there are ways you can support their digestive system. Let’s take a look:

Healthy Diet

Food, of course, plays one of the biggest roles in keeping your dog’s digestive system running smoothly. Your dog’s daily diet must deliver the right amounts and proportions of macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrates) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, and amino acids) to support their bodily functions — so, a complete and balanced diet is essential. 

Fiber is also a major player in your dog’s digestive health. It’s a key contributor to regular  bowel movements, helping your pup remove waste from their body effectively. Jinx recipes, including our Beef & Sweet Potato Kibble and Grain Free Salmon & Sweet Potato Pate Wet Food contain fiber-rich sweet potato — which not only supports healthy digestion, but helps support your pup’s energy levels.

Feeding your pup kibble or wet food made with fiber-rich ingredients — like Jinx —  is one of the easiest ways to make sure that they get enough fiber. However, you can also treat them to fresh, dog-friendly fruits and cooked vegetables like sweet potatoes, broccoli, green beans, and spinach. When feeding your pup any fruits or vegetables, just be sure to remove any seeds, peels, stems, cores, or pits, and cut the fruit or veggies into bite-sized pieces to prevent a choking hazard.

Probiotics for Dogs

Probiotics are live “good bacteria” that support healthy digestion. Studies have shown that probiotics may have many benefits beyond aiding in digestion — they can also benefit your dog’s’ immune health, skin health, and more.

Here at Jinx, we’ve added patented probiotics to our dry food, like our Salmon, Brown Rice & Sweet Potato Kibble. In fact, all of our kibble recipes are made with naturally occurring pre- and probiotics to help your pup experience the many benefits of gut health. Now your only job is to find the recipe that your dog likes the best!

Prebiotics for Dogs

Prebiotics differ from probiotics in that they’re derived from specific fiber sources that encourage the growth of good bacteria in your dog’s gut. They can also help maintain a healthy balance of bacteria in the gut, and provide regulation when it comes to digesting food. 

Prebiotics and probiotics are both available as dog digestive supplements, but you can also feed your pup food that’s made with prebiotics — like our Jinx kibble. If you’d like to learn more about probiotics and prebiotics for dogs, check out this article.

Dog Digestion Process FAQs

Can Dogs Digest Bones?

Bones can break down with the help of digestive enzymes — but there’s no guarantee that every bone will properly digest. It’s not worth the risk of your pup choking or getting an intestinal blockage, so we’d highly recommend not giving your dog bones to chew on.

Rawhide bones can be a better option for satisfying your dog’s desire to chew. It’s important to remember, though, that quality and safety are highly important when considering whether or not to feed your dog this type of treat.  Unfortunately, some manufacturers make rawhide bones with subpar quality and safety standards, which could potentially harm dogs by choking, ingesting bad bacteria, or causing digestive upset. Be sure to choose a rawhide treat that’s made from natural ingredients and is of a thicker consistency (so it will take longer for your dog to chew and won’t break off in large chunks that they could choke on). We recommend opting for high quality, rawhide-free chews instead. 

As with any chew treat, it’s important to select the correct size chew for the size of your dog and to monitor your dog to watch out for signs of choking or digestive upset. Supervising your dog and selecting the right size chew for the size of your dog are important factors to reduce risk of choking. 

Can a Vet Diagnose a Dog’s Digestive Issues?

Yes, a vet can diagnose digestive issues or sensitivities in your dog. However, digestive problems are often difficult to pinpoint — dogs’ digestive systems are complex, and it can be tough to diagnose the exact source of the problem.

That said, if your pup experiences any signs of a sensitive stomach or digestive issues — like vomiting or diarrhea — it’s important to contact your vet. A diet tailored to your dog’s specific needs may help get their gut and overall health back on track, or your vet may recommend other treatments for helping your dog manage their digestive issues.

Can Dogs Get Heartburn?

Just like humans, dogs can get heartburn. Heartburn often stems from acid reflux, which occurs when fluids in the esophagus reverse and rise in the throat instead of digesting down. 

Common symptoms of acid reflux include: lip-licking, regurgitating food, drooling, and lack of appetite. If you notice your dog experiencing any of these symptoms, contact your vet. They may be able to provide remedies to mitigate acid reflux, and diet recommendations to help prevent it.

Optimizing Your Dog's Digestive Health with Jinx

Like people, dogs need to properly digest their food in order to absorb nutrients — but the amount of time it takes for a dog to digest its food is not the same as it is for humans.

The dog digestion process is complex, but you can help it run smoothly (and, by extension, support your pup’s overall health) with fiber-rich foods, probiotics, and prebiotics.

Jinx’s range of kibble is formulated with superfoods for fiber, plus patented pre- and probiotics to support a healthy gut microbiome. We even have a Sensitive Stomach Essentials pack, made with easy digestibility in mind. Because a healthy digestive system affects more than your dog’s poops — it’s essential for their happiness and well-being.

At Jinx, we're here to upgrade the way you care for your dog by providing holistic nutrition made with thoughtful formulation, real ingredients, and a whole lot of love.