What To Do If Your Dog Is Flatulent? 7 Ways You Can Help

You wouldn’t want your dog to be flatulent any less than yourself, right?

It’s a very common problem as you probably already know. Dog flatulence can simply be clarified as “dog farts.”

I’m pretty sure as a dog owner you saw lots of YouTube funny videos of farting dogs. Well, the occasional dog farts may be amusing. However, as funny as they may seem, when it starts to happen more frequently, it becomes a matter of concern.

Flatulence in dogs is as natural as in humans. It is caused by the formation of gas in the stomach, which might be resulting from a number of issues. If your dog is flatulent, you might want to look into it. In some cases, it can be a symptom of something serious.

That’s why I’ve compiled all the necessary information to deal with the issue. So, let’s get started!

Why Is It Happening?

A dog may be flatulent for numerous reasons. More so, the reason for a gassy stomach may vary from dog to dog. Did you know that your dog might be predisposed to flatulence genetically? If your dog is Brachycephalic as in it has a broader and shorter skull, then it might be taking more air while eating which might be the cause behind flatulence.

However, there are other simpler, easily curable causes. Some of them can be mentioned as:

• Indigestion Food: A dog may have difficulties digesting food like beans, peas, rotten food, table scraps, etc. Food with lactose, high fat, Sugar, or Spicy food.
• Food That He Might Be Allergic To: Your dog might be allergic to certain foods. Just as humans, allergies vary from one dog to another.
• Eating From The Garbage: Obviously, rotten foods filled with harmful bacteria won’t do any good. But sadly, many dogs seem to have a weak spot for them.
• Sudden Change in Diet: A sudden change in his diet plan may cause your dog to face difficulty coping, which would result in flatulence.
• Swallowing Food Too Quickly: If your dog has to be competitive while eating, he may eat too fast and swallow unnecessary air in the process. Have more than one dog? Well, that might just be the reason behind their flatulence!
• Gastrointestinal Diseases: If none of the above reasons apply, your dog may be suffering from a gastrointestinal disease that needs to be treated by the professionals.

Other Reasons

It is funny how the reasons behind flatulence in dogs are quite similar to humans, isn’t it?

However, gas forming may not be resulting from just one reason. It’s safe to mention that Lactose intolerance and dairy allergies are not the same things.

Determining whether or not your dog is allergic to a certain food item, is quite time-consuming. And even if you have detected food items that are causing the problem, changing the diet plan abruptly will cause the very problem you changed the diet for! But don’t get agitated!  Keep reading as I’ll be discussing some effective yet simple remedies.

How Much Gas, Is Too Much?

As I have already mentioned, just as humans, it is quite normal for a pet to form gas. Nonetheless, excessive odor or abnormal frequency of farts is when you should be worried and start taking steps to help your dog.

I wouldn’t suggest taking him to the vet right away. The first step would be to pay attention to! Yes, pay attention to what you might be doing to cause him to form gas.

How to Keep Track

Well, there is only one thing to do basically, Pay attention! Life can get pretty hectic, and keeping a chart for what your pet did and didn’t eat every day is quite the task! But you have to know the answers to questions like what he has been eating, how much time does he have in between meals or how frequently has he been farting?

You can take baby steps. Whenever your “nose” reminds you of your flatulent dog, try to remember what he had to eat that day and jolt that down!

There are some great rated apps for pet care in the Google play store. Find the one best suited for you. Download. And start right away!

Steps To Take To Help Your Dog

After you have marked the causes, you might take some simple steps to help the flatulence.

Keep Your Dog Away From The Trash Can

Even if you are feeding your dog enough, he might still be going for the garbage. Simply because he is BORED! You can keep him busy with chew toys and other distractions. Also, consider using a trash can with a tight lid.

Stop Giving Him Table Scraps

Yes, when you are having dinner at the table, your dog might try to act cute to get the food. However, giving him your food with spices really won’t do him any good. So, it’s best to stop doing that.

Don’t Feed Flatulent Foods. Never Ever!

Figure out what causes his farting issues and stop feeding him those foods. No matter how your dog loves them, you shouldn’t cave in and feed him those anymore.

Stop Feeding Him Food With Lactose

Like humans, food with lactose can cause the issue too. So, make sure to keep away them as well.

Chose The Right Dog Food

 Stop purchasing cheap dog food. They contain fiber based fillers which form gas. Do a little digging and find the brand for him. Take into consideration his age, breed, and taste!

Change In Diet Plan

If you feel like changing the entire diet plan, it’s going to be time-consuming. You will need at least seven days.

At first, I would suggest coming up with a diet plan. The new food for flatulence reduction that you want to include has to come in stages. At first, keep the amount of new food to a minimum. Then, gradually increase.

As experts suggest, the first two days should not contain more than 25% of new food. It can be increased to a percentage of 50% in the next two to three days. And you can keep gradually increasing the percentage until the old food is fully replaced.

It’s crucial that you keep a close eye on your dog’s behavior. Are the bowel movements okay? Are they showing any signs of physical discomfort? Are there an increased amount of burping, gurgling, or farting than usual? If not, then you are good to go!

Take Him To The Vet!

If you have tried everything and nothing worked, take him to the vet! Farts might give you a good laugh at times, but it can also be a symptom of some serious gastrointestinal diseases. If it’s associated with loose bowels and vomiting, your dog needs some serious veterinary attention!

Conclusion

As life goes by, I think we all go by that day when your pet is the best thing in it. That’s why you should always pay attention if you see something out of the ordinary with your dog. If you want to know more about dog foods or which foods are beneficial you can check out yourdogcares.com.

They have everything related to dog cares starting from foods to diet charts! Anyhow, hopefully, if you follow all the steps properly, your dog should be back to being healthy in no time!