Dog has flatulence? (17 tips that really help)
- Veterinarian Mag.med.vet. Emin Jasarevic
- Updated: 2023-04-13
Your dog has occasional flatulence? We also know this foul-smelling problem and have written a comprehensive guide for this occasion. With 17 valuable tips so that you finally have a solution.
Below you'll find a few more foods that will really help you and your four-legged friend with his bloating. Promise!
Also, for this article we have chosen Advice from veterinarian Mag.med.vet. Emin Jasarevic obtained. So be curious.
What are flatulence? How do they occur?
Bloating (flatulence) is the increased development of gases in the stomach and intestinal tract, leading to farting or burping. If these intestinal gases become trapped, painful abdominal cramps may occur.
Just like people, dogs occasionally have flatulence. Even if it doesn't smell pleasant, it's normal. In the vernacular, flatulence is known more as a fart or fart.
These are mostly gases produced during the normal digestive process or accidentally swallowed. The reason for the foul odor is methane and sulfur compounds.
If your pet occasionally farts, you do not need to worry about it. If there are accompanying symptoms or if he farts too often, it is better to observe him closely for a while.
Current situation and concomitants
Most often, flatulence or farting also have accompanying symptoms:
- Loud bowel and stomach sounds
- Bloated belly
- Persistent and frequent farting
- The fart stinks disgustingly
- Your dog makes a cat hump -> he is in pain!
- Altered feces such as changed color or diarrhea
- The feces stinks unbearable
- Vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
If your furry friend has at least one of the accompanying symptoms listed above, then you should contact your veterinarian.
11 Possible causes
Below are the most common causes of your charge's bloat. Go through all the items in the checklist one by one:
- Change of feed
- Grains or gluten in the feed
- Feed allergy
- Intolerance to lactose (dairy products)
- Table scraps
- Swallowing air (especially in dogs with a short snout).
- Stress, excitement
- Eating feces or carrion
- Diseases in the gastrointestinal tract
- Giardia infection
- Intestinal parasites or worms, worm cure
1. feed change
A sudden change in diet can cause your dog to experience bloating because he is eating the new food. can not immediately digest properly.
In this case, you should give your darling two weeksuntil he gets used to the new food. It is best to gradually add the new food to the old food. Increase the ration of the new food.
Observe your faithful companion very closely. Determine whether the complaints decrease or increase. Meanwhile, you can compare the composition of the two foods.
If the farting does not decrease in two weeks, it is better to go back to the old brand. Or you can choose another brand, whose composition is similar to the old food.
Your dog may also get gas when switching from dry food to wet food or vice versa. Here you should make a slow food change as described above.
If you switch to wet food, mix half of it with dry food at the beginning. You can reduce the ratio over time.
When changing from wet food to dry food, you can add a little water to the dry food at the beginning. Let it soak for about 10 minutes until it becomes a mush. Gradually you can reduce the water until your dog gets used to the dry food.
Two meals a day are optimal for your pelt nose. In the morning after getting up and in the evening around 17:00 - 18:00. This gives your pet a reasonable amount of time to digest the food before going to bed.
You should avoid too many treats or snacks in between.
2. cereals or gluten in the feed
Unfortunately, many manufacturers mix too much grain into the feed for cost reasons.
Too much grain in the feed can promote the fermentation process in the intestine and thus be the reason for flatulence. You should switch to a food that has a higher meat content than grain content, or avoid grain altogether.
Some dogs also do not tolerate gluten. Gluten is mainly contained in cereals. Wheat, rye, barley, oats, green spelt, spelt are examples of cereals that contain gluten. When buying, you should make sure that the package is explicitly marked "Grain free" is marked.
3. feed allergy
Intolerance is not the same as allergy!
Allergies can have very severe consequences for your dog, as the immune system is directly affected. The most common triggers (allergens) are Poultry meat, but also Dairy products, pork, horse meat, beef, fish, egg, soy and wheat can cause allergic reactions.
In addition to the main components in ready-to-eat feeds, there can also be Additives such as stabilizers or antioxidants trigger allergies.
With allergies, flatulence is only symptoms. Skin problems like Itching and reddening of the skin, especially on the paws, armpit, abdomen and groin region. accompany them.
In case of allergy, you must definitely stop the food immediately and do an exclusion diet under the supervision of your veterinarian.
4. intolerance to lactose
In lactose intolerance, the milk sugar (lactose) contained in dairy products cannot be digested or is incompletely digested. The necessary enzymes are lacking for this. As a result, flatulence, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea occur. The symptoms increase with the amount of lactose.
To determine if your dog's bloating is due to an intolerance to lactose, you need to do an exclusion diet. You should not give your dog milk or dairy products for about two weeks.
Also check the composition of the Dog Food and the Dog treats.
5. table waste
Basically, you should avoid giving your pet anything from the table!
Because our meals contain spices that your four-legged friend does not tolerate. Most of the time, our food also contains flavorings, preservatives and colorings that are unhealthy for your dog.
6. swallowing air
Some furry noses swallow a lot of air when eating because they gulp the food too quickly or hastily. You should make sure that your pet can eat his food in peace and is not distracted.
If you have several dogs, make sure that they do not disturb each other while eating. It's best to prepare a separate area for all of them, where everyone knows their place.
It is more common for dogs with a particularly short snout (such as bulldogs, boxers) to swallow a lot of air when eating or drinking water. This can also lead to flatulence.
If while eating or drinking water, your dog should swallow air because he is too hasty, you can put the bowl a little higher. You can also buy from the pet store a Anti-snare buy
7. stress & excitement
Who doesn't know this? As soon as we are stressed or excited for whatever reason, it hits us in the stomach.
Our loved ones are no different. A car ride, a trip to the vet, or unfamiliar surroundings can cause bloat in our dogs. You need to pay close attention to what is triggering the stress.
A lot of love and training is needed here. You can gently stroke your protégé in such circumstances and give him a good talking to. This will calm him down.
If you have a long car ride ahead of you, you can get him used to it with short distances in familiar surroundings. You may want to take along a companion that your pet likes.
8. eating feces or carrion
It is not at all uncommon for puppies to sniff or even eat feces or carrion while walking. Some even eat their own feces.
Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that you train your puppy to break this habit as early as possible. Because this can lead to a behavioral disorder later on.
Some puppies even eat their feces just out of boredom. To avoid this, you should spend enough time with your puppy and play with him often.
Reason for the Feces eating could also be malnutrition. In particular, this may involve a Vitamin K deficiencyl. Vitamin K is mainly found in fish and meat. Check whether your dog's food may have too low a meat content.
If he is getting enough nutrients through his food, it may be due to disease. He could have a parasite infestation or the pancreas could not be functioning properly.
You should definitely see your veterinarian to determine if this is a behavioral issue or a disease.
You can give your dog Give Harz cheeseto keep him from eating excrement or to break him of the habit. The strong smell of the Harz cheese serves as an "alternative", so to speak.
9. diseases of the stomach & intestine
Flatulence is not always harmless and can be cured with home remedies. Behind it can also be diseases that can have terrible consequences.
If, in addition to bloating, your furry friend has any of the accompanying symptoms listed below, go to the vet immediately!
- Hunchback
- Prayer position
- Signs of gastric distention (distended abdomen, restlessness, loss of appetite, profuse salivation, etc.)
- Severe diarrhea
10. giardia infection
Giardia are parasites in the digestive system. They steal important nutrients in the dog's small intestine and, in addition, they cause inflammation and prolonged diarrhea.
The feces are usually slimy, greasy, also mushy to watery. At times, the feces can also be quite normal.
Vomiting, weight loss and loss of appetite are other symptoms of this disease.
Most often the giardia infestation is harmless. Unless it occurs in puppies, weakened or old dogs.
At the first suspicion, you should definitely contact your veterinarian.
11. intestinal parasites or worms
Most worming treatments are chemical based. Your pet may not tolerate the chemicals.
You can ask your vet if they can recommend an herbal remedy.
Natural home remedies from the kitchen
Please note that natural remedies from the kitchen are not a complete substitute for treatment by your veterinarian. It is always advisable to ask your veterinarian for advice at an early stage.
1. healing clay
Healing earth is a powder extracted from glacial loess deposits. You can buy it conveniently online or at the pharmacy.
2. fennel
Fennel contains many different active ingredients, including fenchone and anethole. It relieves flatulence and cramps, aids digestion, stimulates appetite and inhibits inflammation. It is used in the same way as caraway.
3. orange juice
Orange juice has the ability to regulate intestinal functions. You can add a teaspoon of freshly squeezed orange juice to the food.
4. caraway
Caraway is one of the most popular home remedies for flatulence. It has a positive effect on the entire gastrointestinal tract due to its essential oils with the main ingredient carvone.
- You can mix ground caraway seeds into the feed.
- Administer cumin tea: Boil cumin seeds in water for 10 minutes, strain and cool thoroughly. Add in small quantities to drinking water or feed.
5. gentle diet of rice & chicken
In case of acute discomfort, you can prepare your dog a sparing diet of chicken and unsalted rice as food.
Recommended here is high quality chicken meat. You can boil the chicken meat with bones. However, you need to remove the bones from the meat after cooking.
- After cooking, cut the chicken into bite-sized cubes. Let the chicken broth cool. Then skim the fat from the surface of the broth.
- Take about 600 ml of the chicken broth and bring it to a boil.
- Meanwhile, you can thoroughly rinse a cup (about 230 gr.) of rice (white short-grain or long-grain).
- When the broth begins to boil, add the cup of rice.
- Let it boil again. Then reduce the heat. Cover the pot with a lid and let the rice simmer gently for about 20 minutes.
- Let the rice cool completely afterwards.
- Add the cooked chicken to the rice and mix well.
How can I prevent flatulence?
- An active life supports your dog's intestinal functions.
- You can give your dog smaller meals more often.
- Make sure your dog can eat his food in a quiet, isolated place.
- Determine if his food is easily digestible and contains all the necessary nutrients. Rule of thumb: Study the label of the feed well!
- Sometimes you can change the sources of protein and carbohydrates of the food.
Frequently Asked Questions
As long as your dog's flatulence is brief, it is normal and has no particular cause. If the flatulence is chronic and very foul smelling, then it may be due to an infection, upset stomach, eating feces, or some other more serious cause.
The flatulence is mostly caused by normal digestive processes or swallowing air while eating. During digestion, methane and sulfur compounds are released. They are responsible for the foul odor.
The first thing you should do is identify the cause of the bloating. It could be an intolerance, allergy, infection or stress. If you eliminate the cause, you will also prevent flatulence.
Veterinarian’s Recommendation
As long as our little stinkers should occasionally fart, that's quite normal. There we have to occasionally turn a blind eye and laugh heartily. Sometimes a nose clip wouldn't be so bad.
However, we should always be attentive to our loved ones and remember that each dog is unique in its own way.
If your dog's flatulence is noticeably frequent or smells quite different than usual, I recommend the checklist above.
I am a veterinarian and writer on animal health topics. Animals are my passion, and it is my personal goal to create medically accurate articles and videos to educate pet owners as much as possible.
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