Your pet’s gut is a truly wonderful thing. It’s a part of the body that doesn’t get much love – and that’s understandable when it’s competing with springy whiskers, waggy tails, and paws that seem made for kisses.
But while you’re admiring your pet’s glossy coat and perky ears, the gut is working away, producing essential nutrients, communicating with organs across the body, and supporting the immune system.
If the microbiome that sits inside the gut (think of it like an ecosystem) is unbalanced, it can affect your pet’s wellbeing in a multitude of ways. Gut health can be disrupted by a lot of things, including some of your pet’s most disgusting habits – like puddle-drinking and soil-eating. Dirty food dishes, household stress, a lack of exercise and highly processed diets can also all play their part.
So if you’re thinking about introducing a gut health supplement into your pet’s routine, here’s some signs you might want to keep an eye on:
Teeth
Pet Loyalists can’t expect their dog or cat’s breath to be minty fresh, but if your pet has unending bad breath, that can be a sign of microbiome imbalance. That’s because when there’s not enough good bacteria, the harmful bacteria overgrows, leading to stinky breath and gum disease.
Skin & Coat
Is your dog’s coat looking a little less glossy than normal? Are they leaving clumps of fur around the house? Is your cat overdoing the grooming? Have you noticed recurrent hot spots or irritated skin? Skin and coat quality can be an indicator of microbiome health – and that’s because the gut’s microbial community influences inflammation, nutrient absorption and immune signals, all of which play a role in maintaining healthy skin and a resilient coat.
When the microbial community in the gut becomes imbalanced, it can influence inflammation, nutrient absorption, and immune signaling, all of which play a role in maintaining healthy skin and a resilient coat.
Digestion
Keeping an eye on the bathroom situation is just what a good Pet Loyalist does. If you’re noticing changes in stool consistency, whether too soft or too firm, that could be connected to poor gut health. Vomiting, burping or frequent hairballs (from cats) can also be signs to watch out for.
Energy levels
This is a more subtle one, but if your dog isn’t tearing round the park like they usually do, or your cat is swapping playtime for naptime, that could suggest their microbiome needs support. Your pet’s gut is pivotal in nutrient absorption, and if that’s suboptimal – or if inflammation is brewing – energy levels can drop.
Mental state
Is your pet less interested in the usual things they love? More easily startled? Finding it hard to relax? People often think of the microbiome as connected to digestion, but there’s a very real gut-brain axis, because the microbiome influences mood-regulating brain chemicals.
Behavior
We just mentioned the all-important gut-brain axis, and that can affect neurotransmitters responsible for calmness, motivation, pleasure, relaxation, attention and memory. Gut imbalance and stress can also amplify one another. So if you’re seeing more restlessness, reactivity, vocalizing or any other sudden change in behavior, you might want to think about introducing extra gut support.
Getting balance back
Worrying about your pet’s physical or mental health is tough, and we always recommend a conversation with your vet if you’re feeling concerned. They can advise you on next steps, and recommend supplements where appropriate.
The good news is that supplements can help restore gut balance, to get your pet feeling good inside and outside.
WellJoy’s Dual-Benefit supplements all contain our signature GutBoost™ formulation – a biotic blend which is beneficial to overall gut health. As well as helping to restore gut balance, it boosts all the other ingredients in our supplements and treats. Even better, all of our recipes are pet-approved – so they’re happy, and you are too.
Curious? Read our guide on introducing supplements to your dog and to your cat. Still curious? We’ve put together a quick gut health debunk class that tackles common questions around the microbiome.
And be sure to check out our Pet Gut Health video, explaining why every WellJoy product includes our signature GutBoost™ biotic blend, to boost the gut and boost the benefits of our cat and dog-specific line-up.
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.