Like humans, it is natural for your dogs to fart. It sounds little uncomfortable talking about it or experience it, but farting is natural in animals.
According to research and veterinary consultants, dog farting depends of the diet, health, breed and size of your dog. Also, activity level also plays major role in dog farts.
As in general, occasional farting is common in dogs, but frequent farting or very foul smelling gas might be related to health problems such as improper digestion.
You must consult your veterinarian for help if excessive farting or foul smelling as condition stays for longer period of time.
Reasons Why Dogs Fart
Farting is natural and all dogs’ releases gas time to time. Following list of reasons will help you understand why dogs fart. There are several factors that might be contributing to flatulence in dogs.
1. Breed
Farting is caused by swallowing air while eating. It is same in humans too! Certain dog breeds with wide mouth and short nose tends to swallow more air while eating such as bulldog and pugs. These dog breeds with short nose tends to produce more gas resulting farting.
2. Age
Young puppies and older dogs tends to fart more compared to young adult dogs. In younger puppies, their body is learning to digest and learn whereas older dogs experience slower digestion process that leads to gas problem.
3. Size
Not always but most of the time larger dogs have excessive gas problem.
4. Weight
Overweight or obese dogs suffer from slower digestive process that leads to excessive farting problem.
If you think your dog is overweight and have frequent gas releases, consult your vet to check if your dog needs to lose weight.
5. Activity Level
Like humans, digestion is directly related to daily physical activity in dogs. Physical activities boost digestive process in dogs leading less farting in dogs. On other hand, do not include physical activity in routine right after you feed your dog. Physical activities right after food may cause gas problems.
6. Eating Habit
If your dog is eating too quickly or eating a lot then it may lead to excessive farting problem. Also, according to survey whenever pet owner has switched to a new dog food, it has caused gas problems. Whenever you switch your dog to a new food their digestive system is used to eating same food for longtime, and now new food requires their digestive process to adjust that takes some time.
7. Diet
Make sure to take note of food you give to your dog. Certain foods may cause gassy condition due to food intolerance or allergy.
Most common food that can cause excessive farting or foul smelling gas are Soy foods, dairy products, fresh fruits or spoiled food.
How To Stop Dog Farts
Dog farts are natural process but still you can stop excessive farting or foul smelling gas problems in your dog.
Slow Feeder Bowl - Get a slow feeder bowl for your dog. A slow feeder bowl will help slow down mealtime for fast eaters and ultimately reduce the air intake during eating.
Probiotics - Consider to include probiotics in your dog’s diet. It will improve gut health and digestion leading to less gas.
Make sure to ask your vet before introducing probiotics in your dog's diet. Your vet will help your choose the right supplement that suites your dog the best.
Meal Portions - Do not feed large meals to your dog. Smaller more frequent meals will help reduce gas problems.
Avoid Human Food - It is very common among dog owners to feed their dog human food or table scraps. But, human food tends to upset dog's stomach leading to gas problems in dogs.
Exercise - Physical activities will help improve digestive process in your dog. Make sure to include indoor play session or outdoor walk in your dog's daily routine activities. Good run plays major role in food digestion, but make sure to wait at least an hour after your feed your dog.
Similar to humans, mental stress not only causes biting problems in dogs but also gastrointestinal discomfort in dogs. Proper physical activities will help reduce stress for your dog. You can also include calming treats or supplements in diet by consulting your dog's vet.
Dog farting is natural but if your dog is passing gas more frequently or has foul smelling condition with any of GI Symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy or change in eating habit then you must consult your vet.
Overall, if you notice flatulence in your dog accompanied by other unusual health symptoms then I recommend you to consult your dog sooner to find out the root cause of the real health issue in your dog.
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