Yes, enzymes are proteins which are isolated from different sources (bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals). Enzymes work to “speed up” a chemical reaction. You have them all throughout your body doing different functions, including helping digestion to take place. Each enzyme has a particular substrate, which is the specific material that it acts upon. That is why we use multiple different enzymes in a digestive blend, because each enzyme only acts on one component of food. Proteases act on proteins, Amylases act on starch (carbohydrates), Cellulases act on cellulose, etc. Also- when I say they “act on” these materials, in the case of digestive enzymes, they are acting to break them down into smaller components. Proteases take a polypeptide (protein) and break it down into its components. This is important because larger molecules are not as easily absorbed by the body (generally the small intestine). Also, in the case of some components of food, like plant material, dogs do not have the enzymes needed to break down cellulose. Adding cellulose provides the enzyme which is needed to get some nutritional value out of these plant materials.
So, shorter answer- yes, they help the absorption of nutrients by breaking things down into components which are more easily absorbed by your dog.
I hope this makes sense, please let me know if there is anything I could clarify. Also, thanks for the idea, I should probably write a blog topic on this and elaborate a little more! I’ll add it on there soon! (I think there is a small amount of info about digestive enzymes for dogs on there already).
