Digestion plays a crucial role in your pet’s everyday health and happiness. As a pet owner, choosing food that is both appealing and nutritionally complete matters — but selecting recipes with high digestibility makes a meaningful difference. Highly digestible diets support healthy skin and a shiny coat, steady energy, efficient nutrient uptake and better overall wellbeing. In short, a pet’s health truly begins from the inside out.
Let’s Define Digestibility
Digestibility describes how effectively a pet’s digestive system breaks down food into its simplest components so nutrients can be absorbed and used by the body. In pet food terms, digestibility is typically expressed as the percentage of a given recipe or nutrient that is fully broken down and absorbed by a dog or cat. A higher percentage means more of the food’s nutrients become available for growth, repair, immune function and daily energy.
The digestive process starts in the mouth, where chewing and saliva begin physical and chemical breakdown. Food then moves through the stomach and intestines, where enzymes and gut bacteria continue to process nutrients before undigested material is eliminated in the stool. The efficiency of this entire system affects stool volume and quality, the likelihood of gas and digestive upset, and — most importantly — how well your pet benefits from the food you provide.
Classifying Digestibility: High vs. Poor
Veterinarians and animal nutritionists measure digestibility as a percentage that reflects how much of the food a pet can actually absorb. Several factors influence those results, including ingredient quality, the proportion and type of fiber, processing methods and the overall balance of the formula. Even among complete, balanced diets, digestibility can vary, and understanding this metric helps you compare product quality beyond the guaranteed analysis on the label.
As a practical guideline, dry foods with lower digestibility (for example, at or below roughly 75%) are often considered poor in quality because a significant portion of nutrients passes undigested. Foods in the mid-range may be adequate, while values above about 82% indicate high digestibility. Extremely high values, such as the high-80s and above, are noteworthy because they indicate that most nutrients are being absorbed and used — translating into smaller, firmer stools, less digestive waste and better nutrient delivery.
Introducing Wellness CORE Digestive Health
Wellness CORE Digestive Health focuses on delivering highly digestible nutrition so pets can absorb more of what’s in their bowl. Highly digestible recipes mean that the majority of nutrients in each serving are available for use by the body — providing reassurance that you are feeding a diet of high nutritional value. When nutrient absorption is optimized, pets can maintain healthier skin and coat, sustained energy and improved overall vitality.
Wellness CORE Digestive Health dry dog recipes have undergone nutritional analysis to assess their total dry matter digestibility. Across the portfolio, these recipes have produced very strong results, demonstrating that the formulas were designed to support efficient digestion and nutrient uptake. The table below summarizes those measured digestibility values for select Core Digestive Health recipes:
| Recipe | Digestibility* |
|---|---|
| Wellness CORE Digestive Health Whitefish & Brown Rice | 88% |
| Wellness CORE Digestive Health Chicken & Brown Rice | 89% |
| Wellness CORE Digestive Health Small Breed Chicken & Brown Rice | 88% |
*WellPet Data on File 2020. Total Dry Matter Digestibility.
Choosing a diet with proven high digestibility supports a healthier digestive tract and helps pets get the most from every meal. Better absorption reduces the volume of waste, can decrease unpleasant gas and allows more of the food’s vitamins, minerals and amino acids to support daily function. For pet owners, that means greater confidence that the food you’re feeding provides meaningful nutritional value throughout your pet’s life.
Digestive health is foundational to long-term wellbeing. By prioritizing highly digestible recipes like those in the Wellness CORE Digestive Health line, you help promote efficient nutrient absorption and a healthier digestive system — giving your dog a better chance at a vibrant, active life. When nutrition is optimized from the inside, overall wellbeing follows.