What is the GUT?

When we talk about the ‘gut,’ we mean the path food takes in the body. It starts in the mouth, goes through the stomach and intestines, and ends in the colon before leaving the body as poop.

Why Gut Health Matters?

Maintaining a healthy gut is crucial for your dog’s overall well-being. Here’s why:

• Digestion and Nutrient Absorption: A healthy gut ensures that your dog properly digests food and absorbs essential nutrients.
• Immune System: 70-80% of your dog’s immune system cells are located in the gut. A healthy gut helps strengthen the immune system, making your dog less prone to illnesses.
• Overall Health and Vitality: A balanced gut microbiome contributes to better overall health, reducing the risk of allergies, skin issues, and other health problems.

Challenge Guidelines For dogs above 1 year of age

1. Two Meals a Day (Transition details below)

Gradually shift your dog to an intermittent fasting window with two meals a day if you are currently giving more. This helps improve digestion and overall gut health.

Tips:

• Start by slightly increase the amount of food in two meals decrease from other meals.
• Slowly decrease the time gap between meals to introduce intermittent fasting.
• Example Timings: Provide meals within a 5-8 hour window, such as:
  • First meal at 8 AM and second meal at 1 PM.
  • First Meal at 4 PM and second meal at 8-9 PM.

Note: Some dogs may experience acidity or yellow vomit initially. This is normal and they usually get accustomed to the new schedule within 1-4 days without needing medication. Acidity is not directly related to the meal gap. Feeding more frequently can suppress the acidic response of vomiting, but it does not address the root cause of imbalanced stomach acidity.

2. No Packed Treats

Avoid giving any treats before the first meal or after the second meal. Home-made treats like dried chicken are acceptable, but no packed treats of any type.

Tips:

• Use natural, home-made treats to reward your dog.
• Avoid any store-bought treats that may contain harmful additives.
• You can give treats between first meal and second meal, not before or after that.

3. Add ProBelly Probiotic

Introduce a super high-quality probiotic like ProBelly into your dog’s diet every day, once a meal. Start with a small dose and gradually increase to the recommended dosage.

Tips:

• Begin with a small amount and observe how your dog responds.
• Gradually increase the dose until you reach the recommended level.

Steps to Transition to Two Meals a Day

Step 1: Where We Are?

Note down how many times you feed your dog each day. This includes main meals, treats, small meals, anything your dog eats, and at what time.

Example:

• Main meals
• Treats
• Small meals
• Food from your plate
• Food from other family members
• Biscuits, roti, etc.

Step 2: Where We Want To Be?

Our goal is to have our dogs strictly on two meals a day with no daily treats (if overweight, no treats at all until the dog reaches optimal weight). The window between two meals should be under 6-8 hours.

Example:

• If the first meal is at 1:00 PM, the next meal should be before or at 6:00 PM.
• This process triggers autophagy in dogs, helping recycle dead cells into raw material for new cells and aiding in weight loss.

Step 3: How to Achieve This?

1. Family Meeting: Discuss the plan with all family members to ensure everyone is on the same page.
2. No Treats: Stop giving treats altogether, or use home-made treats to reward your dog.
3. Main Meals Only: Eliminate all meals except the main ones.
4. Reduce Meal Frequency: If currently feeding more than two main meals, postpone each meal by 15 minutes daily until you can combine the first and second meals.
5. Shorten Meal Window: If already on two main meals, shorten the time window between them to 6 hours or less by postponing the first meal and preponing the second meal by 15 minutes each day.
6. Fixed Schedule: Maintain a fixed feeding schedule.
7. Meal Removal: Pick up the bowl within 5 minutes if the dog is not interested in eating and provide the meal at the next scheduled time.

Planning: Give yourself time to plan this transition to ensure your dog lives a happy, healthy life.

Benefits of ProBelly

ProBelly is a high-quality probiotic specially formulated for dogs. It helps:

• Balance the gut microbiome.
• Improve digestion.
• Enhance overall health and vitality.