My dog farts a lot - what can I do?
Dogs with gas is one of the least desirable doggy traits.
When you are sitting down, relaxed in front of the telly and suddenly an offensive and silent odour reaches your nostrils it is usually too late to escape a serious gag reflex.
It can be extremely embarrassing when you invite friends over for dinner and Fido let’s rip as you serve up the tacos.
Have no fear, if your dog farts a lot, we can give you the low down on what foods are responsible and what alternatives you can feed your dog to avoid these stinky affronts and keep your pooch healthy.
Why your Dog Farts
Dogs, like people have a level of gassiness that is normal for them, as you get to know your dog you will find the balance of this. Some dogs just do fart more than others.
However, in order to understand how to stop the flatulence you should know a few things about why your dog farts.
- Medical condition
- Eating too fast
- Over feeding
- Lack of balanced diet
- Eating the wrong food
- Low quality food
- Allergies
If your dog is eating too fast - check out our slow feeding bowls here
What Foods are Responsible
There are key foods that have been highlighted as responsible for excessive flatulence in dogs. Of course, if it is a food your dog is allergic to, you might need to go for tests to determine exactly which food is causing it and remove it from your doggies’ diet plan (you can check out our pet nutritional recipes and meal plans here). Here are some of the well-known gas creating foods you should avoid if your dog has high ‘fartability’.
1) Low quality shop bought food
Low quality pet food often contains fillers to bulk it out that are not always fully digestible by your pets. When an animal is not able to properly digest something, it often creates gas. (you can see our high quality raw & freeze dried dog food here)
2) Soybeans
Soybeans are used as a filler in dog food often. They are high in fibre and too much of them can cause gas, bloating and diarrhoea.
3) Peas, beans and legumes
Dogs find peas, beans and legumes difficult to digest. This means that they often get to the gut in more of a solid state and then sit and ferment there rather than breaking down effectively which creates gas.
4) Milk Products
Milk and dairy products are not highly digestible for dogs, in fact many dogs are lactose intolerant.
5) Red Meat
Red meat contains sulphur which is a big problem for owners who do not want a gassy dog. Even though red meat can be great as part of a balanced diet for dogs, too much of it leads to a lot of sulphur being released as a gas. Which can be a truly terrible smell.
6) Too Much Veg
When a dog has too much of a certain kind of vegetable their body produces more gas, and yes - you’ve guessed it, it is sprouts, cabbages and broccoli that you have to watch out for if you want a less gassy dog.
How to Stop Gas:
Firstly, when it comes to a gassy dog make sure that if the gas levels have increased in a short space of time, you contact your vet. Gas can be a sign that something isn’t right and can quickly result in dangerous situations health-wise for your dog.
Also make sure you are feeding your dog food that is fit for consumption. Food that is past its use by date or not safe for dogs to eat is likely to cause gas.
Remember not to switch your dog’s diet quickly as this can also create health issues for your furry family member.
A balanced diet is key if you want a healthy dog. If you find that something causes them to have gas, don’t just take it out of their diet. Make sure the vitamins and nutrients that that item was giving your dog are replaced.
Here are some ways you can try to stop them releasing as much gas:
1) Feed them more expensive complete dog food
If your dog has a lot of gas, the perfect answer can be to change their everyday meal to a more expensive complete dog food.
Watch when they use the toilet, are they struggling? This can be another sign that a dietary change would benefit them all round. Remember to change their diet slowly as so not to cause even more of a stomach upset.
You can check out our raw and freeze dried complete dog food here
2) Find the gas-causing culprit
It may be that your dog has a certain reaction to a specific food that creates the gas. It might be an allergy or intolerance. Some dogs have wheat allergies which can be combatted by feeding them grain-free diets which can lead to a lot less farting.
3) Reduce the foods responsible
Consider how often you treat your dog and what foods you are giving them as treats. Do you give them table scraps often, for example? Or perhaps you feed them as you are cooking? We have all been known to do this at one time or another but doing this can lead to health issues.
Maybe you feed them red meat as a dinner treat, or a bowl of sprouts every Sunday. Try and think about the treats you are giving your dog and reduce the ones that might be responsible.
We hope that we have helped you in your very serious quest to try and cut down the smells that emanate from your dog.
Remember that a nutritionally balanced diet is always a great base line to use to keep your dog happy, healthy and free from farts.
Need help finding the right nutrition plan for your dog?
At Healthy Active Pet we have a number of 4 week nutrition programs and all are available in our Healthy Active Pet membership.
We have a weight loss nutrition plan, a health and weight maintenance plan and a sensitive dog program.
With all our programs we give you recipes to make for your dog - all created by our pet nutritionist.
We also have a complete dog food which uses high quality fresh, raw ingredients that are air dried to seal in the nutrition. Additionally they don't contain chicken or beef so a great option for dogs that are sensitive to these proteins.
