If it were not for their dinner bowl, dogs would still be wolves. In many ways our devoted, domesticated dogs are still wolves, especially when it comes to their digestion. In the past ten years, holistically oriented guardians and healthcare practitioners have become proponents of fresh food diets plus supplements for dogs. There are many authoritative books, journals, and magazines that are doing their best to raise the consciousness of the general public about the health issues associated with manufactured dog foods.

How often has anyone seen a canine in the wild strike a match, set a fire, and roast his food? There is a good and simple reason why we have never seen a dog cook his food, because he doesn’t need cooked food. His digestive tract does all the “cooking” necessary to make the nutrients from the food bio-available. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the stomach, spleen, and liver are responsible for the initial “ripening and rotting” of food and its transformation into nutrient-rich blood and Chi (also seen as Qi, pronounced “Chee”), life promoting energy, and transporting them throughout the body.

When a dog is digesting his food and absorbing nutrients properly it seems obvious. His eyes are bright, his energy is good, his coat appears healthy, and he has a general vitality and attitude that we interpret as being a healthy dog. Looks can be deceiving. Unfortunately, nutrient deficiencies and unnecessary food additives in processed food can cause severe health problems that are not readily seen in the short term. As the dog’s system becomes compromised due to poor quality food, age, insufficient or over exercise, and exposure to environmental toxins his body will lose its resilience. An over-burdened system will become imbalanced and give way to disease.

The first line of defense against ill health for your dog is the quality of fresh food he eats along with all the other aspects of a healthy lifestyle including a balance of rest and exercise, play and focused training or work, plus human and canine companionship. Even with attention to food and all the lifestyle ingredients of a healthy dog life, there are times when a dog has an upset stomach or is not able to process and absorb his food.

When you see that your dog is having a digestive problem, you can give him an Acupressure Treatment that will gently help restore the balance of Chi within his body. If you see any signs of bloat caused by a blockage or stomach torsion, it is life threatening and you must seek veterinary care immediately. Holistic veterinary care is also indicated if the dog is exhibiting loss of appetite, excessive appetite, gas, diarrhea, constipation, loose or hard stools, stools that have no odor or an extremely putrid odor, stools with undigested pieces of food, and lethargy that lasts for more than a few days.

It can be insidious, but any change in your dog’s appearance or behavior may have a connection to the health and balance of his digestion system. Coat hair is a good indicator of the health of blood and the circulation of blood and Chi. Check your dog’s coat for excessive dryness or stickiness, loss of hair, or color change. These can be indicators for the need to support the Spleen’s ability to function optimally. If your dog’s behavior shifts and he becomes aggressive, overly timid, erratic, or unable to focus during training this could mean he is experiencing an imbalance of Stomach and Liver Chi.

The acupressure treatment accompanying this article is designed to help restore and maintain balance within the dog’s body with special attention to improving his capacity to digest and circulate food nutrients and nutrient Chi. Most dogs are food hounds, they eat anything and everything we feed them, let’s give them the opportunity to make the best of every morsel.