Dog owners will be all too familiar with that unmistakable smell of their beloved pooch passing wind! Dog farts tendency to be particularly stinky! Often flatulence in dogs is a temporary annoyance, but excessive dog farting can become an unpleasant household issue and can sometimes be a sign of an underlying health issue.

What is a Dog Fart?

Of course, dogs do fart, in the same way that people fart. A fart is the release of gas from your dog's digestive system. Gases are produced as a byproduct of normal digestion and once produced, they need to be released. If gas stayed trapped in your dog’s body, it would cause a lot of discomfort.

Why is My Dog Farting a Lot?

You wonder why your dog farts so much, well lots of things influence how often a dog farts. A common reason is eating too fast. Some dogs (we’re looking at you Labradors!), tend to gulp their food down in a split second. When they do this, they swallow a lot of air at the same time. When this happens, it adds extra gas to their digestive tract, and bingo – it’s fart time!

As food moves through the digestive system, any swallowed air and gas that isn’t “burped” up, travels through the digestive system and has to come out the other end, as a fart! Using a slow feed bowl can help to slow down dogs that tend to inhale their food at lightning speed!

Other factors like gastrointestinal disorders like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), intestinal parasites and infections can increase your dog's flatulence. Always speak to your vet if you think your dog may be unwell, particularly if they have other symptoms like diarrhoea or have lost some weight.

Stress can also affect a dog's tummy, leading to excessive gas. Stressful events like moving house, a new baby in the household or even loud noises can upset a dog’s stomach. If you feel stress could be an issue for your farting dog, your vet may be able to direct you to a veterinary behaviourist for help.

The type of food they eat can also have an effect on the amount of gas produced in the intestinal tract. More on this below…

How Diet Affects Dog Farts

A balanced diet is crucial for your dog’s health, but it will also help minimize smelly dog farts. Ask your vet for advice about dog foods that are much easier for your dog to digest that provide all the nutrients they need, while being gentle on their digestive system. If you notice your dog showing signs of food intolerance, like gas, bloating, or dog diarrhoea, your vet will be able to give you advice on specifically formulated diets for sensitive tummies.

Foods that are hard to digest tend to produce the most gas, especially food high in carbohydrates and human table scraps. Foods rich in fibre, like beans and certain vegetables, can also lead to increased gas production and smelly dog farting! So check what’s in the food you’re feeding your dog and try to avoid sharing table scraps.

How Do You Stop Dog Farts?

So, how to prevent dog farts…  Realistically, farts are farts, you can’t stop them. They’re a natural part of your dog’s metabolism. Your dog needs to fart from time to time to remove the build-up of gas that would otherwise become uncomfortable for them.

However, if your dog keeps farting a lot, there are some things you can do to try and minimise the amount of smelly dog farts they produce!

1. Look at diet quality: ask your vet to help you assess the quality of your dog’s food. Steer cleat of dairy products and move your dog over to a high-quality, highly digestible dog food if necessary.
2. Look at diet quantity: make sure you’re not overfeeding your dog. Large amounts of food mean more digestion, and this produces more gas. Ask your vet for help if you need it.
3. Slow them down: try using slow feed bowls, snuffle mats or puzzle feeders to encourage your dog to eat more slowly. This will help reduce the amount of air that they swallow when they eat.
4. Limit the scraps: dogs love human food, and it can be tempting to share your meals, but our food can cause tummy upsets and increase those stinky farts.
5. Exercise: keep your dog fit and healthy with regular walks and play. Physical movement assists digestion and can help prevent gas buildup... and can help with a little weight loss if they're carrying a little extra
6. Hydration: always make sure your dog has plenty of clean, fresh water.
7. Rule out food intolerances: ask your vet to help you work out if your dog has any food allergies or intolerances. They may recommend an elimination diet. This is where you feed a strictly controlled veterinary diet for a certain length of time, and then try adding back in suspected problem foods to see whether you notice a difference.
8. Speak to your vet: if in any doubt, always talk to your vet for advice.

Dog farts are a normal part of owning a healthy dog, but if your dog is farting more than usual, hopefully these tips can help. If you’re worried, don’t be shy to talk to your vet about this issue, as they’re the experts on dog health and will be able to help and advise you.

Everypaw Dog Insurance

Everypaw's Dog Insurance comes with 24/7 unlimited access to vets and vet nurses that can help with your pet's health, care, nutrition and behaviour. So you can rest assured your pup will be well looked after.

Get a quote

 

Content provided from Vetstream's Vetlexicon Canis – www.vetlexicon.com/canis

Vetlexicon is the world’s largest peer-reviewed online clinical reference source. All our content is written and peer-reviewed by over 1,000 of the world’s leading veterinarians, ensuring relevance, accuracy and quality.