Saliva contains mucus, a very effective lubricant that coats the food to help with swallowing. Once the food arrives in the mouth, its taste and physical presence help increase saliva production. The sight and smell of food stimulates the flow of saliva, causing the dribbling and "lip smacking" often seen at mealtime. Still, many dogs have a tendency to bolt down their food, often chewing only the toughest of foods before swallowing. Although dogs aren't strictly carnivores, their teeth are particularly suited to meat eating, and can cut, chew, and crush food. But they may need to be released from proteins, fats, or carbohydrates before they can be absorbed.ĭigestion begins in the mouth, where food is mechanically broken down and mixed with saliva before it's swallowed. Other nutrients (minerals, vitamins, and water) are absorbed in more or less the same form as they are found in food. The three major classes of nutrients that need to be digested are carbohydrates, protein, and fat. These digestive enzymes speed up the process of hydrolysis, by which food is broken down.
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The components of food that give them all the energy and raw materials they need are called “nutrients.” After dogs eat, the nutrients in the food are digested, absorbed, and processed (or “metabolized”) by the body to fulfill the dog's needs.įood gets broken down into a simple form that can be absorbed and used by the body in a process called "digestion." In mammals, this process takes place in the digestive or alimentary tract, often simply called the "gut." This is a hollow tube that the food passes through and is acted upon by acids and enzymes from organs, like the stomach and small intestine that discharge into the tube. Your role in the canine digestion process usually involves the “before” and “after.” Here's a look at what happens in the “during” stage.ĭogs need to eat nutritious food in order to live a healthy life.