Most dog owners don’t spend a lot of time thinking about their own digestive processes, much less the basics of the dog digestive system. The only times we really engage with the dog digestive system are when we feed our dogs and when we trot them out to eliminate their waste. But what happens to a dog’s kibble or canned food from the time it enters their gaping maws to when it passes out the other end? How long does it take for a dog to digest food? If you were to hazard a guess, you could probably name the major stops along the route in the dog digestive system. Show
Food enters through the mouth and slides down the esophagus on its way to the stomach. From there, it takes in the sights of the small and large intestines before departing the body. If that seems too simple, it is! The dog digestive system involves a staggering number of organs, fluids and enzymes, all playing their roles to convert food into usable energy. Whatever is left over, as surplus to requirements, is expelled through the anus in the form of feces.  Let’s take a closer look at the dog digestive system and answer the following questions along the way:
Basics of the dog digestive systemPart 1: From mouth to stomachThe front end of the dog digestive system encompasses the mouth, esophagus, stomach and small intestine. Dog digestion begins almost immediately with saliva in the mouth. You may have wondered why dog tongues are so slobbery. Since they spend less time chewing food than humans tend to, all of that saliva kickstarts the process of breaking down and coating food particles for smoother passage through the esophagus. The esophagus is heavily muscled, actively pushing food into the stomach. Part 2: A fantastic journey through the small intestineA dog’s stomach is a super-acidic environment, which is useful for opportunistic omnivores, helping them more easily digest things like bone and raw meat. Yes! Dogs can digest bones! At this stop in the dog digestive system, solid food is rendered into a substance called chyme, which is made up of food, water and acid. All food — from your Michelin 3-star-rated fine cuisine, to your dog’s canned chunks or dry kibble — ends up as this highly acidic gloop. As this chyme proceeds into the small intestine, the real work of digestion — the isolation of nutrients that can be used by the body— is done. There are three parts of food’s journey through the small intestine. In the first part, the duodenum, chyme is treated with enzymes and hormones from the liver and pancreas, which reduce the acid level of the chyme. The gloop is now prepared to have the rest of its nutrients extracted and absorbed. This happens in the second part of the small intestine, which is called the jejunum. This part of a dog’s small intestine is basically covered in little probes, which, like fly paper, pick up and absorb useful nutrients into the bloodstream. Part 3: The large intestine and waste removalThe final part of the small intestine is the ileum, which absorbs whatever nutrients remain. By this point, the once-acidic chyme gloop is now a sort of thicker pasty substance. You’d be surprised how little of the food you or your dog eats is actually used by your body. Did you ever wonder why the dog digestive system produces so much poop? It’s because the actual nutrients — proteins, vitamins, fats and so on — that your dog’s body can utilize are miniscule in proportion to the physical volume of most dog food. How long is this part of the dog digestive system? It varies by size. If you stretched out a dog’s small intestine, it would be nearly three times as long as the dog. The back end of a dog’s GI tract is fairly short by comparison, just over a foot long, give or take, depending on the dog. Its primary components are the large intestine and the anus. The large intestine is basically a water remover and garbage compactor. Having spent the first half of its journey being mashed up, dissolved and sifted, any parts of a dog’s meal that cannot be used is treated by bacteria, and reconstituted into a solid package we call dog poop. Assorted questions about the dog digestive system!How long does food stay in a dog’s stomach?Though dogs are omnivores, they are opportunistic ones. That means that while they can eat almost anything, the dog digestive system can’t break down and utilize everything. Animals like humans or cows, to name two, have GI tracts made to process plant matter. As a result, their intestines are much longer and more drawn out than those of dogs. Since cows depend on vegetable matter, they even get extra compartments in their stomach, and can regurgitate food to chew and digest it fully. A dog digestive system, depending more on meat proteins, is much more efficient. Depending on its digestibility, food can stay in a dog’s stomach much longer than either a human or a cow. If the meal is not strictly meat, comprising a variety of vegetable, grains and proteins, it will have vacated the stomach completely in 12 hours after eating. Compare that to four to five hours in a normal adult human. Where does digestion actually take place in the dog digestive system?As you may have gleaned from tracing food’s intricate journey from the food bowl in your kitchen to the poop bag in the dog park, the multiple processes of the dog digestive system means that it does not happen in one spot. From the moment comestibles come in contact with teeth and saliva in the mouth, digestion is happening. A dog digestive system is just that: a system, and digestion takes place at every point along the course. Food is disassembled in a variety of ways, physically and nutritionally, from the mouth to the stomach. The majority of its conversion into absorbable nutrients happens in the small intestine, and digestion is only complete when your dog assumes the familiar position for excreting waste. How long does it take for a dog to digest food?Finally, the question about the dog digestive system that got us started. Unfortunately, there’s no set answer! So many variables are involved, that even in a perfectly healthy dog, the time to digest a single meal can be dramatically different. Does your dog drink enough water? That has an effect on digestion time as well. Large dog breeds take significantly longer to digest food than small ones. Is your dog sedentary, spending most of the day on the couch? Does the dog get a couple of walks a day? Dog exercise has a definite impact on motility, or the way that the muscles of the dog digestive system propel food through the process. Total time from entry to exit depends on a wide range of factors, from the size of the dog to the quality of the food. Wet food takes less time to digest than dry kibble. Speaking very broadly, operating at optimum efficiency, a dog can process a can of wet food in as few as four hours, while the same amount of dry food can take eight hours to make the same journey! Thumbnail: Photography by gephoto / Shutterstock. This piece was originally published in 2016. Read Next: Dog Feeding Schedule: How Many Times a Day Should a Dog Eat?
You may have heard that it takes humans approximately 6 hours to fully digest a meal, but how long does it take a dog? To answer this question effectively, we need to identify all of the following: What is the size, age, and breed of your dog? What does your dog’s diet consist of? What does their exercise routine look like? In addition to answering all of these critical questions, we also need to have a rough understanding of the dog digestive cycle as a whole. The canine digestive system is complicated, to say the least. Many small intricacies help keep your dog’s gastrointestinal tract running smoothly. In the case that your dog is experiencing gut issues like diarrhea, vomiting, or cramping, it may be because of problems within his digestive system. In minor cases, a dog digestive supplement may be all that’s needed to get his intestinal system back on track. If he is experiencing more severe symptoms or his symptoms continue to persist, call your veterinarian for a more thorough examination. What Makes Up a Canine’s Digestive Tract?
Not to give too much away regarding the answer to our big question, but undigested pet food can stay in a dog’s stomach up to eight hours! That’s a long time compared to only 30 minutes that food spends in the stomach of the average human! Dog Digestion: How Long Does It Take?Size, Age and BreedSize is one of the most significant factors for how long it will take a dog to digest their food. A full-grown adult dog can range anywhere between 5 and 120 pounds depending on the breed. For example, an adult Labrador retriever is 12 times the size of a full-grown chihuahua, which would be the same size difference between a twelve-month-old baby and the average NBA player. Obviously, those two humans and those two dog breeds will digest food at a different rate. Because breed type plays a significant role in determining how big a dog will get, size can be considered interchangeable with the breed when analyzing digestion habits. Age is the x-factor when it comes to digestion. There is a reason that puppies seem to need to go out to use the bathroom far more frequently than adult dogs. As dogs age, their metabolism slows down. Over time, the digestive process becomes an internal marathon rather than the expedient sprint it once was. Here’s your next clue for figuring out how long it takes a dog to digest food...the larger and older the dog, the longer the digestive process. How Exercise Plays a RoleDid you know that exercise also influences a dog’s digestion time? The genetic makeup of dogs is such that their gi tract is constructed to handle a predominantly carnivorous diet, wherein they can store large quantities of food in the stomach for long periods, slowly turning that food into energy depending on their energy output. This is why exercise is another essential piece in the puzzle of canine digestion. The more energy a dog uses, the more rapidly their body will take the food stored in the stomach and send it to the intestinal tract where it can be turned into caloric energy to supplement the output of physical strength. What Are They Eating?It may seem obvious, but different foods will be digested at different speeds. Typically any dog food that contains a large amount of grain will be digested slower than food that is more rich in protein. A dog’s digestive system craves a protein-rich diet as the high caloric content fuels their active lifestyles. So how long does it take a dog to digest food? According to PetMD, the dog digestion system timeline is anywhere from 8 to 10 hours to digest a meal fully, but it can take as long as 12 or as quick as four. It is important to note that all of the factors above play an integral part in determining your dog’s specific internal rhythm. Always be attentive to your dog’s needs and make sure you are feeding and walking them as needed. Every dog is different, and veterinary professionals are an excellent resource for any specific questions you may have about keeping your dog healthy and happy. https://www.petmd.com/dog/nutrition/7-interesting-facts-about-your-dogs-digestive-system https://www.cuteness.com/article/how-long-dog-digest-food Camille is a co-founder of PetHonesty and VP of Pup Parent Education. After watching her own family dog suffer from joint issues for years she became passionate about improving dogs' quality of life. With the help of a team of veterinarians and dog nutritionists she now helps educate other dog owners about the small but powerful things they can do to positively impact their dogs' health and wellness! She lives in Austin, TX and loves cuddling puppies, being outside and reading. |
How long does it take for a Labrador to digest food
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