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1 min read Gut Goodness

Ingredients, explained: Digestive enzymes

Get to know Digestive Enzymes. Think of these tiny proteins like biological scissors. They ensure that any food your pet eats is broken down into usable nutrients, so they can get the most goodness.

A quick explainer

Digestive enzymes have one job: to cut down your pet’s food into smaller pieces so their body can absorb and make the best use of it. Without digestive enzymes, all those delicious meals you’re serving up will only ever be partially digested – and your pet won’t benefit from them fully. 

How digestive enzymes work

Nutrients going into your pet’s body need to be small enough to cross the gut wall and enter the bloodstream, where they can support energy, immunity, skin and coat health, muscle maintenance and overall wellbeing.

Once the nutrients arrive, those digestive enzymes get to work, chopping them up into a usable size. That looks like this:

  • Proteins (like chicken or fish) become amino acids

  • Fats become fatty acids

  • Carbohydrates become simple sugars

When digestion isn’t working efficiently – often due to inadequate digestive enzyme activity – pets may experience gas or loose, inconsistent poops. A dull coat, flaky skin, or pets that are always hungry but struggle to maintain weight, can also signal that nutrients aren’t being fully digested and absorbed.

How digestive enzymes deliver top-to-tail benefits

We’ve already mentioned nutrient absorption, but digestive enzymes do a lot more than that. They:

  • Reduce digestive workload and stress

  • Support healthy stools

  • Maintain a balanced gut microbiome

  • Reduce the amount of undigested food reaching the colon (which can feed gas-producing or disruptive bacteria)


They work inside WellJoy, too
  • One humble enzyme does its job thousands of times per second.
  • Proper enzyme activity supports a healthier gut microbiome (you can find enzymes in all WellJoy Treats and Supplements)
  • Digestive efficiency naturally declines with age, stress, illness and dietary disruption – meaning your pet might need some extra support as they move through life.

We’re proud to say that all of WellJoy’s content is fact-checked and verified by a Pet Loyalist team, including a veterinarian trained in companion animal nutrition and a PhD board-certified companion animal nutritionist.