We talked in an earlier blog about the benefits of fibre in general. For this article we are going to focus on our own product, Digestive Care, and explain the ingredients in relative detail.

Let’s first review the two different types of fibre: Soluble and Insoluble. Soluble fibre, as the name suggests, dissolves in water. It forms a gel in the intestine that helps regulate water in the gut, and also feeds gut flora. Since soluble fibre absorbs water, moisture will be added to stool that is too dry (constipation), and bulk will be added to stool that is too soft (diarrhea) since it will absorb some of the excess water. Insoluble fibre does not dissolve in water and mostly adds bulk to the stool. It can also help stool move through the bowels, which helps with constipation and regularity. Both these fibres are extremely useful in the diet and have additional benefits as well, such as lowering cholesterol and blood glucose levels.

The first two ingredients, pumpkin seed and psyllium husk, are added in equal amounts. Pumpkin seed is high in soluble fibre and psyllium husk is high in insoluble fibre. Pet owners tend to use dietary supplements most commonly for diarrhea. However, most of the pet supplements out there contain primarily pumpkin, which actually helps with constipation more than diarrhea. Our Digestive Care contains both in order to deal with constipation and diarrhea at the same time. We decided to use pumpkin seed rather than pumpkin because it is much more nutrient dense, containing more minerals and fibre per serving.

One side effect of chronic diarrhea that we wanted to address is nutrient loss. When an animal has diarrhea for an extended period of time, they not only lose water. They are unable to properly absorb vitamins and minerals from their food since it is not being digested properly and often moving too quickly through the digestive tract. Because of this the body can become deficient and weak. The wheatgrass is in our Digestive Care formula in order to mitigate this. Since it is extremely nutrient dense even if the animal absorbs a small amount of the vitamins and minerals it contains it can help prevent deficiencies.

The final ingredient, burdock root, is pretty amazing on its own. Another of the issues animals come across is inflammation in the bowels when digestive problems appear. The burdock root helps with this because it is anti-inflammatory, and therefore soothes inflamed digestive tracts. Burdock root is also a good source of inulin, a prebiotic that good bacteria in the gut love to feed on. By helping the good gut flora grow you can help reduce the presence of pathogenic bacteria that can cause digestive problems. This can aid in preventing digestive issues happening in the first place.

As you can see, a lot of thought and research went into our ingredient selection. We wanted to make a digestive supplement that was different from the other guys’ and tackled more than simply diarrhea and constipation. Fixing the problem is our goal, not simply covering up the symptoms of an upset digestive tract.

[1] The Carbohydrate Content in Psyllium Husk, https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/carbohydrate-content-psyllium-husk-11597.html

[2] Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/fiber/art-20043983

[3] Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, dried [pepitas], https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3066/2

[4] Fiber Content of Foods, https://www.prebiotin.com/prebiotin-academy/fiber-content-of-foods/