Imagine coming home after a long day to find your beloved pet, once full of energy and joy, now displaying signs of discomfort.
Perhaps he's lost interest in his favorite toy, or his once shiny coat has become dull and flaky.
You notice she's scratching more often, and her digestion seems off, leading to bouts of loose stools or straining to go.
As a devoted pet owner, witnessing any of these changes can be heart-wrenching, leaving you searching for answers to restore your companion's health and happiness.
Did you know that issues like these in dogs and cats can originate from an imbalance in their gut microbiome? Many pet parents don't.
You see, the gut plays a crucial role in overall health, influencing not just digestion, but also the immune system, skin condition, and even energy levels.
When the delicate balance of beneficial bacteria in your pet's gut becomes disrupted, it can lead to a cascade of health concerns, from digestive disturbances to skin issues and lethargy.
Addressing the underlying cause can lead to transformative changes in your pet's well-being. And by supporting a healthy gut environment, you can help alleviate occasional digestive issues, support a healthy immune response, enhance skin and coat condition, and restore your pet's playful energy.
You can see your furry friend return to her vibrant self, eager to play and explore, all because you've taken the right steps to nurture her gut health.
7 Ways a Healthy Gut Microbiome Makes a Difference in Your Pet's Overall Well-Being
Your pet's gut microbiome consists of a complex community of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa, that reside in her gastrointestinal tract.
A healthy microbiome is essential for your pet's overall health, as it plays a key role in various physiological processes. Here are just a few of the ways it supports health:
- Supports digestion and nutrient absorption – Your pet's gut microbiome helps break down dietary components, producing essential short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, which provide energy for intestinal cells and support gut motility.
- Promotes healthy immune function – Beneficial or “good” gut bacteria interact with immune cells, promoting immune system development, producing immunoglobulins, and helping your pet's body distinguish between potentially harmful and health-promoting substances.
- Helps guard against potential threats – A balanced microbiome helps prevent potentially harmful threats from taking over your pet's well-being by competing for nutrients and reinforcing the gut barrier.
- Supports skin and coat health – Gut health influences nutrient absorption, impacting skin condition and coat quality. A well-balanced microbiome contributes to a shiny coat and healthy skin.
- Affects mood and behavior – Your pet's gut-brain axis links gut health to mood, stress response, and behavior, so disruptions in gut bacteria may contribute to stress or other unwanted behavioral changes.
- Helps maintain gastrointestinal health – Dysbiosis, or an imbalance in gut bacteria, is associated with occasional bowel and elimination issues, making a healthy microbiome crucial for gastrointestinal stability.
- Promotes longevity and overall health – A strong gut microbiome contributes to overall well-being, supporting metabolism, and helping your pet maintain energy and vitality as he ages.
So, what can upset your pet's microbiome?
Ultra-processed pet foods, pesticides, herbicides, EMFs, stress, illness, and even prescription medications can alter your pet's gut microbial balance, leading to decreased microbial diversity.
Ensuring the maintenance of a healthy and balanced gut microbiome through an appropriate diet, the right supplements, and managing stress can significantly contribute to your pet's overall well-being and longevity.
Two Natural “Go-To's” for Your Pet's Healthy Gut
When it comes to maintaining gut health in dogs and cats, two natural substances stand out: L-Glutamine and Marshmallow Root.
A key intestinal nutrient for maintaining a healthy bowel environment, L-Glutamine is a gut-friendly amino acid that acts as a building block for proteins and providing support for various body functions.
One of its key roles is maintaining the health of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. L-Glutamine serves as a primary energy source for the cells lining the intestines, aiding in the regeneration and repair of these cells. This process helps maintain the integrity of your pet's intestinal lining, which is crucial for proper digestion and nutrient absorption.
In addition to supporting gut health, L-Glutamine contributes to optimal immune function. It assists in the production of glutathione; a powerful antioxidant that helps protect cells from damage. By supporting antioxidant defenses, L-Glutamine helps maintain overall cellular health in dogs and cats.
A second “go-to” for your pet's GI health is Marshmallow Root (Althaea officinalis). An herb known for its soothing properties – particularly for your pet's digestive and respiratory systems – it contains mucilage, a gel-like substance that coats and protects mucous membranes.
When ingested, marshmallow root can form a protective layer along the GI tract, helping to ease irritation and support digestive comfort.
You see, your dog's or cat's gut lining normally forms a barrier that stops toxins and other potential threats from getting into his blood stream. Known as “tight junctions,” this barrier allows nutrients to enter but helps to keep unwanted substances out.
Various factors can damage this protective layer of epithelial cells, causing the space between the cells to expand. These gaps allow undigested food particles and other toxins to enter and travel through your pet's blood stream.
This can evolve into a whole slew of health issues, including bowel concerns and allergies.
Marshmallow root is an important herb that can help soothe and support your pet's gut integrity.
Why Your Pet Needs SCFAs
As we've seen, one of the primary functions of the gut microbiome is to assist in the digestion and fermentation of dietary components.
Intestinal bacteria ferment dietary carbohydrates into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as acetate, propionate, and butyrate.
These valuable SCFAs provide energy for epithelial cells, regulate intestinal motility, and promote an already healthy inflammatory response.
Plus, SCFAs play many other important roles, too, in your pet's health, including:
- Feeding beneficial bacteria and promoting their growth
- Promoting metabolic health and healthy, normal glucose levels
- Supporting the formation of the protective mucus layer in the gastrointestinal tract
- Promoting healthy cells in the gut lining
- Supporting the growth of T cells in the immune system
Recent studies have highlighted the importance of short-chain fatty acids, particularly butyrate, in maintaining gut health. Butyrate serves as a primary energy source for cells in your pet's colon and plays a crucial role in maintaining intestinal barrier integrity.
Ensuring your pet's gut produces adequate butyrate can be pivotal in promoting optimal health.
Working against his or her well-being, factors like diet, stress, and age can diminish butyrate production, leaving your pet vulnerable to health challenges.
ButyraGen® is an innovative prebiotic supplement designed to promote gut health in pets by generating butyrate directly in the colon. By supporting the gut lining, butyrate contributes to overall digestive health in animals.
In addition to its role in gut health, butyrate has been shown to modulate immune and inflammatory responses. By influencing immune cell activity, butyrate helps maintain a balanced immune system, which is essential for your pet's overall health.
What makes ButyraGen® unique is that it contains tributyrin, a triglyceride form of butyrate, which is broken down in your pet's gut to release butyrate.
This form has been studied in animals, where dietary supplementation with tributyrin improved intestinal energy status and enhanced antioxidative capacity.
By incorporating ButyraGen® into your pet's diet, you can support her digestive health and overall well-being.
Bacteriophages Act as “Hunters” to Help Keep Your Pet's Gut Healthy
Your pet's gut needs a healthy balance of bacteria to digest food properly, absorb nutrients, and maintain a strong immune system.
If that balance becomes upset and there's an overgrowth of “bad” bacteria, it can lead to bloating, irregularity, or other unwanted effects.
Naturally found in food, soil, and water are what's known as bacteriophages – or simply phages – which are tiny organisms that target bacteria.
Think of bacteriophages as highly specialized “bacteria hunters.” Each type of phage is designed to seek out and destroy specific bacteria in the gut.
If your pet's gut has too much of a certain “bad” bacteria (like some that contribute to digestive issues), these phages can help balance the microbiome by helping to control the overgrowth of those bacteria.
Here are some specific bacteriophages that have been shown to help support a healthy, balanced microbiome in dogs and cats:
- LH01-Myoviridae and LL12-Myoviridae – These are from the Myoviridae family, known for their ability to break down certain bacteria with strong enzymatic action.
- LL5-Siphoviridae – A member of the Siphoviridae family, which works differently but still helps regulate bacterial populations.
- T4D-Myoviridae – This one is particularly well-known because it belongs to the T4 group of phages, which have been studied extensively for their ability to target potentially harmful bacteria.
By using phages as natural regulators, you can help promote a healthier gut environment in your pet – naturally.
And best of all, these phages only attack unwanted potential threats, leaving your pet's own cells completely unharmed.
Last, but Not Least... The Power of Probiotics
Just like with humans, probiotics play an essential role in promoting digestive health and comfort in dogs and cats.
Probiotics offer many potential benefits for your pet, including:
- Supporting a healthy, balanced gut microbiome
- Minimizes stool volume
- Maintaining regularity and improving stool consistency
- Promoting healthy immune function
- Soothing gut irritation for increased comfort
- Promoting the production of natural digestive enzymes
Maintaining your pet's gut health is essential for his overall well-being. And certain probiotic strains have been found to be beneficial for supporting dog's and cat's digestive systems, including Bacillus coagulans, Saccharomyces boulardii, and Bacillus subtilis NRRL B-67989.
Bacillus coagulans is a soil-based, spore-forming probiotic that produces lactic acid. Its spore-forming ability allows it to survive in the acidic environment of your pet's stomach, ensuring it reaches his intestines where it can support digestive health.
In pets, Bacillus coagulans have been used to promote a balanced gut microbiome, which is crucial for proper digestion and nutrient absorption.
Bacillus subtilis NRRL B-67989 is another soil-based, spore-forming probiotic that contributes to gut health. Its spores ensure stability and survival through the digestive process, allowing it to reach your pet's intestines unharmed and intact.
This valuable strain has been used to support a healthy gut microbiome, which is essential for digestion and overall health.
Saccharomyces boulardii is a probiotic yeast known for its resilience in the digestive tract. It has been utilized to maintain a healthy balance of gut flora, which is important for digestive health. A non-pathogenic or harmless yeast, it promotes healthy bacterial colonization and can help control the overgrowth of unwanted strains.
With dogs and cats, Saccharomyces boulardii may be beneficial in supporting gastrointestinal function.
Incorporating these probiotics into your pet's diet can help maintain her digestive health.
Introducing Bark & Whiskers® Gut Restore Bites for Your Dog's or Cat's Healthy Microbiome
Bark & Whiskers® Gut Restore Bites has been veterinarian formulated to help get your pet's gut health back in working order while supporting healthy digestion, immune health, and behavior.
![Bark & Whiskers® Gut Restore Bites]()
Each savory soft chew supplies...
- 100 mg of L-Glutamine
- 100 mg of Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) Root Extract
- 15 mg of ButyraGen™ (Tributyrin Complex, providing 7.5 mg Tributyrin)
- 3 mg LH01-Myoviridae, LL5-Siphoviridae, T4D-Myoviridae, LL12-Myoviridae
- 1.9 Billion CFU of Bacillus coagulans
- 1.5 Billion CFU of Saccharomyces boulardii
- 200 Million CFU of Bacillus subtilis NRRL B-67989
Canine- and feline-friendly, our soft chew bites are crafted with a clean whole-food base of organic white cheddar cheese, organic coconut flour, pumpkin, and flaxseed.
And no GMOs, fillers, synthetic colorings or other unwanted ingredients...
So, how many Gut Restore Bites should you give your pet each day?
For optimal benefits, we suggest the following number of chews each day, preferably on an empty stomach:
Cats (2+ lbs.) – 1 chew
Toy Breed Dogs (up to 14 lbs.) – 1 chew
Small Breed Dogs (15-29 lbs.) – 2 chews
Medium Breed Dogs (30-49 lbs.) – 3 chews
Large Breed Dogs (50-79 lbs.) – 4 chews
Giant Breed Dogs (80+ lbs.) – 5 chews
When you supplement your pet's diet with Gut Restore Bites, you're providing your furry companion with important and essential ingredients for a healthy gut microbiome – and all the potential benefits that accompany it for your pet's overall physical and mental health.
Support Your Pet's Gut Health and Comfort Naturally with Gut Restore Bites
As we've seen, your pet's digestive health plays a crucial role in her overall physical and mental well-being.
Factors like diet, stress, and environmental toxins can disrupt his gut microbiome, leading to digestive discomfort, weakened immunity, and lack of energy.
Our Gut Restore Bites are formulated with scientifically studied ingredients, including the amino acid L-Glutamine and go-to botanical Marshmallow Root, and probiotics Bacillus coagulans, Saccharomyces boulardii, and Bacillus subtilis NRRL B-67989, patented ButyraGen® (Tributyrin Complex), as well as targeted bacteriophages to help support your pet's balanced gut microbiome.
These powerful ingredients work together to promote healthy digestion and a strong immune system while helping to maintain the integrity of your pet's gut lining.
Whether your dog or cat struggles with occasional digestive upset or you simply want to support his long-term physical and mental health, Gut Restore Bites provides a convenient and effective way to help him thrive.
Give your pet the digestive support she needs to feel her best. Order Gut Restore Bites today and help your pet enjoy a healthy and happy life.