Natural Fiber For Dogs, Discover All Its Benefits

It is essential that your dog consumes a balanced amount of food, but also that it  contains all the nutrients your dog needs to maintain proper health.

Therefore, we can say that, when feeding our animal, we must take into account both the quantity and, of course, the quality.

Something that needs to be present in the dog’s diet is fiber. Otherwise, the dog will suffer from serious intestinal problems. So it’s quite possible that you’re now wondering how to get it and why it’s so important.

In this article, we’ll tell you why natural fiber is so needed by dogs.

What is natural fiber

First of all, it is important for you to know that natural fiber is the part of plant foods that cannot be digested and that, furthermore, it is never absorbed by the body. There are two types of fiber: insoluble and soluble.

The insoluble fiber passes through the digestive tract of the animal and, as its name indicates, it does not dissolve in water. When this occurs, it makes it easier for the body to give body to the stool, which allows its expulsion to be simpler.

The soluble fiber, in turn,  absorbs water and reduces the digestive process. It forms a kind of gel, which causes nutrients to be slowly assimilated by the walls of the stomach and intestine, which is useful for controlling certain pathologies in dogs.

Benefits of natural fiber for our dog

Below, we will see a series of benefits that our dog will have when consuming natural fiber:

• It serves to improve intestinal transit.
• By improving intestinal transit, the dog is prevented from suffering from constipation, with all the inconveniences and difficulties that this entails.
• The consumption of fiber is very suitable to combat the formation of hair balls in the intestine, as the fibers help the body to expel them.

• It helps animals to have a lower level of cholesterol in the blood and also triglycerides, so that they prevent them from having complications in their health.
• Allows them to eliminate possible excess fats in the blood.
• Helps in better elimination of toxins from the dog’s body.
• Improves your dog’s intestinal flora.
• When our pet consumes natural fiber, he feels satiated, thus calming his appetite. Thus, fiber is very effective, both for dogs that need to lose weight and for those who eat a lot and need to control this craving.
• It facilitates the lowering of the glycemic index, which is essential for fighting diabetes, a disease that also affects dogs.

How to administer natural fiber to our dog

One of the options to give the natural fiber that our dog needs is to use rations that contain fiber (which we can find without major difficulties). We may also choose to include the following foods in your diet:

• Wheat bran.  Try adding half a teaspoon to your dog’s food. If you moisten it a little, it will make it easier to digest.
• Apple.  This fruit is very rich in fiber, so it is very beneficial in these cases, but be careful with the amount, as excess can be harmful. Also, prevent it from eating the heart of the fruit and also its seeds, as they can be toxic.

Cook an apple and then puree it. Then add a tablespoon to the ration. It’s a good way to include it in your diet.

• Rice.  A third option is to give the dog some brown rice from time to time. You can make it a little moist to make it look more attractive and make it easier for the dog to eat.
• Pumpkin baked. In small portions, it is also very suitable for achieving our goal. We can incorporate a tablespoon into one of your daily meals.

• Vegetables cooked, such as lentils, carrots or green beans. It is possible that you will have to present them to your dog with some other food, as they are not all that appeal to them.

As we have seen, natural fiber is essential for dogs. Now you know why and where to get it. Still, talk to a veterinarian, who will always give you all the necessary guidelines for your pet to have the most adequate food.