Gassy dog!

[figaro]

Thank you for all the sympathy! When I say we just changed dog foods, I mean last night, otherwise he has been on Iams either lamb and rice or adult for years now. I am hoping the new stuff (Nutro Mas Naturals) helps as it says it is easier to digest and it does not have any meat-by-products in it which the vet said could lead to gas. I read somewhere about walking helps to get it out and I will start that as soon it the 45 mile an hour gusts and cold weather is gone (my 2 year old would not like that so much!) I am also going to feed him smaller amounts throughout the day and see if that also helps. As far as how fast he eats, he eats slow, sometimes I watch him and he will take a few pieces of food out and put it on the ground then eat it one by one! He is weird, this is also the dog who comes into a room and will stand there and stare at me like I called him to give him a treat or something and he will keep doing it until I tell him to lay down.

[vaknitter]

Aren't dogs funny...our farter is 12 and he has farted his entire life despite food changes, an elevated food stand, Kong toys to make him eat slower, twice daily walks etc. It's just his "internal plumbing" as the commercials like to say. I do notice it is really horrible when guests come over. Watching people that aren't that familiar with us or the dog is really fun b/c you know they smell it, heck the EPA is tracking him, and yet they don't want to say anything in case it was a person, but yet they don't want us to think it was them....hehe we're mean.
As for the staring at you my parents dog does this too. When he does it it means Give me a bone I'm hungry. The box is right there where he can stick his nose in and get one but he won't do it. (He had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and needs to gain weight so he has free access to bones and food) He will stare at the box and stare at you until you give him 2. Yes, not one, he needs 2. One for now and one to hide for later.

[maniago]

Yogurt will help a gassy dog if it is not due to food. Boxers are just gassy by nature and with three you almost need gas masks. Here is a good gas reducing treat :
Mix equal parts natural yogurt and natural peanut butter, whip it till light and fluffy. place dollops on a cookie sheet and freeze. They make wonderful summer treats

[Mike]

Yes my present dog has some major gas outs. I often wonder what he is eating that contains sulfur (I had to switch to non-sulfured molasses to cure myself).
A friend suggested that when you think your hunting dog is hunting they're really going around eating things.

After having 2 dogs die from bloat I welcome the farts and burps, it means nothing is twisted or blocked.
It's just the natural order of things. Be thankful it's not a pet cow, lamb or other ruminant.

I'm about the same age as the 7 year old dog and 3-6 times a day is about right. My dog doesn't seem to mind usually. Sometimes he's even impressed.

[saracidaltendencies]

Oooh, I feel for ya! Our dog has that problem when we switch her food. We normally try to get her the same stuff all the time, but, when the store is out of it, we get something else. We have one of our dogs on the Nutro Max and while the change initially caused her to stink up the house, she's adjusted and it's no where near as bad as it was! An occasional one here and there...lol

[figaro]

Demonica you give me hope! That is the food we have and I am hoping it works!

Maniago-I am going to try that with yougurt/pb, sounds like he would like it and would work!

Thanks you all, its nice to know my dog is not the only one clearing out a room!

[saintkurt]

Hey - that is a stinky problem! There's nothing worse than a "fog dart". The one good thing is that at least you have a scape goat for your own ... uh... smells. Just make sure the dog is actually in the room when you blame him. (I made that mistake once and lost my scapegoat forever more.)

I'm surprised your vet told you not to use beano. Any particular reason? We recommend it regularly in the teaching hospitalas it is non-toxic to animals and works in them the same way it does in us. (I'm just entering my last year of vet school - I'm trying to learn knitting as a way to increase my surgical finger dexterity. ) The active ingredient in beano is a natural enzyme called alpha-galactosidase which breaks complex sugars (the ones that ferment and make gas) down into simple sugars (like glucose and galactose) - that we or the dog can utilize quickly. I used to have a farty cat that benefitted from a few drops on his food once and a while.

My information certainly shouldn't trump your vets (as she has graduated and I have not), but it's something to ask about if you're curious.

Another very good nutritional supplement is something called "Fortiflora" that you can get from your veterinarian. It is basically the veterinary version of "acidophilus" - active microorganism cultures, but they are enteric organisms naturally occurring in the canine gut. It's a nutritional supplement too. Good stuff. Purina makes it. A vet can prescribe it.

There is a feline version that I can vouch for. I give it to my cats for small upsets and they clear right up. It's great for diarrhea in particular.

For something you should be able to find in the local PetSmart type store - charcoal biscuits may help. Though remember, they are black so your dogs poop may darken too.

Another drug option that is safe for dogs is Simethicone - the active ingredient in GasX. You can get the people pills from your local drug store or there are dog specific formulations that are pastes and gels with flavor (and expense) added.

As with any information provided on the internet by a total stranger, please do not use it in place of veterinary supervision/advice. I mention these things only as ideas that I had not seen in previous threads. They may merit discussion with your dogs veterinarian.

Most important is whether or not your vet has determined a reason for this new change in your dogs digestive ... status. Depending on the size of your dog and the age he was when you adopted him, this may be a normal aging change or it could be signs of impending illness. Off the top of my head... flatulence could point to anything from nothing to worry about to some fairly serious digestive and pancreatic disorders; a possible cause is worth looking into if only to assure yourself that it really is nothing to worry about.

Oh, and Mike is certainly correct about the ruminants. They fart methane.

Good luck!
~SK

[mwhite]

OMG!! LOL! You can give them Beano and even GasX!!! I was just kidding but this is great! Thanks, SK!

[wellslipmystitches]

Debbie, Have trained and handled dogs for 35 yrs. Your problem isn't the food - it's the change of food, too fast. Please avoid switching back and forth. First I have to know what breed or combo of breeds you have and if he's overweight. First guess would be a Boxer or something over 40 lbs. Why did you alter the dog's diet in the first place? Because of flatulence or something else? Always change things gradually. You must also understand that the larger the breed, the shorter the life span. In other words if you have a large breed dog, 7 yrs. is OLD! Their digestive systems can be very touchy. Diminutive breeds have a much longer life span. If your dog is experiencing diarrhea and/ or vomiting along with the gas I'd put him on a diet of cooked ground beef, rice and cottage cheese for a few days. I used that with several of mine until they were more comfortable after intestinal upsets from illness. Then gradually add the new food a quarter cup at a time 'til he's on all new food. If he's a larger breed you want to be careful to avoid bloat which is very common and not funny at all. It can have VERY SERIOUS consequences especially in an older animal. Large breeds are very susceptible to bloat- smaller ones get it too. Ask your vet about it. Also, in lieu of buying special dishes etc. if he/she wolfs food down - just spread the daily ration out on newspaper or the floor if you're not picky. It takes time to pick up each bit so that eliminates gulping food too quickly. If he's not a gulper try that bland diet for 3 or 4 days and see if he's more comfortable before you switch to new food. If you have a Boxer, good luck. If we could harness their emanations we could probably greatly diminish our dependence on foreign oil. An addendum:Please be careful about snacks. and check on the amount of food you are feeding. Not according to what it says on the dog food bag. Most makers hope you'll buy more. I know it makes you feel good to reward the animal, but, it won't really make him feel any better. If you have a small breed dog then I'm wrong, but not about the food. Best of luck, Jean

[KnitClickChick]

Every once in a while one of our cats gets a bit of gas - we can't tell who, they usually lounge around each other - and it is awful. I'm not sure what it is from, we always feed them the same food. I just light some incense. Anyway, hope you are able to get things sorted out.