anatess
Well-known member
- Jul 26, 2011
- 1,758
- 398
- Country
- US
- Bulldog(s) Names
- Bullie (RIP) & Angus (RIP)
NVI has clay but California Natural doesn't. But, just to share info on clay...
Smectite clay like Montmorillonite or Bentonite clays have been used in organic nutrition for ages for the natural healing minerals it contains. This was even made popular by the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra.
Organic dog kibbles use this clay mainly to prevent the food from caking. The "healing properties of the minerals" is just a secondary purpose... it is advantageous for organic purposes because it does lessen/eliminate the need for synthetic versions of these minerals. Smectite clays are very good for its antimicrobial properties that can heal indigestion, acid reflux, bacterial infections, and just general germ-fighting and detoxification. There was controversy in the use of smectite clays due to questions about the presence of natural dioxins (contaminates natural clay formations, like when there's a forest fire) but the high-quality dog kibbles use clay from reliable sources who test for dioxins before mining the clay.
But yes, smectite does act as a stool hardener which - in a lot of dogs - can be a good thing (loose stools is always a by-product of dog food switch). The clay is very absorbent so that a lot of the moisture is absorbed by the clay that could cause hard stools. This can be good because this absorption property also absorbs negative radiation and toxins. But, this does mean that if your dog gets hard stools, then he would need extra moisture.
In any case, if your dog is getting hard stools, it is always a good idea to increase his moisture intake - either from mixing canned version of the same formula, encouraging the dog to drink more water, giving ice-cubes for treats, etc.
But, hard, grey stools need a visit to the vet as this is a more serious symptom than just regular constipation. It could be that this is not due to his kibble... it could be that he acquired some disease, swallowed a toy, or some such...
Smectite clay like Montmorillonite or Bentonite clays have been used in organic nutrition for ages for the natural healing minerals it contains. This was even made popular by the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra.
Organic dog kibbles use this clay mainly to prevent the food from caking. The "healing properties of the minerals" is just a secondary purpose... it is advantageous for organic purposes because it does lessen/eliminate the need for synthetic versions of these minerals. Smectite clays are very good for its antimicrobial properties that can heal indigestion, acid reflux, bacterial infections, and just general germ-fighting and detoxification. There was controversy in the use of smectite clays due to questions about the presence of natural dioxins (contaminates natural clay formations, like when there's a forest fire) but the high-quality dog kibbles use clay from reliable sources who test for dioxins before mining the clay.
But yes, smectite does act as a stool hardener which - in a lot of dogs - can be a good thing (loose stools is always a by-product of dog food switch). The clay is very absorbent so that a lot of the moisture is absorbed by the clay that could cause hard stools. This can be good because this absorption property also absorbs negative radiation and toxins. But, this does mean that if your dog gets hard stools, then he would need extra moisture.
In any case, if your dog is getting hard stools, it is always a good idea to increase his moisture intake - either from mixing canned version of the same formula, encouraging the dog to drink more water, giving ice-cubes for treats, etc.
But, hard, grey stools need a visit to the vet as this is a more serious symptom than just regular constipation. It could be that this is not due to his kibble... it could be that he acquired some disease, swallowed a toy, or some such...
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