Does Your Dog Have A Problem With Gas?

If you are a dog owner you may - at times - have been surprised by the amount of gas your dog has, right? What causes your dogs to be so, er, gassy?

It all start's with your dog's diet. Because dogs have similar digestive systems to humans, the same things that can cause gas and bloating in people, can also affect dogs too!

A Note about cats and their digestive system: Cats have a slightly different digestive system than dogs. Dogs and humans have proportionally longer intestines allowing us to break down fruit and vegetables. Cats on the other hand have a very short digestive system only meant to digest meat.

Improving digestion for your dog starts from the beginning. When we smell foods that we love just about dinner time, our digestive system kicks in (with the help of our nose). We start producing pre-digestive juices that kick in. The more appealing our food is, the more digestive juices are used to help with proper digestion.

Low quality food often produces gasses. If you dog has a problem with flatulence, try to improve the overall quality and health of your pet’s diet.

Just like us, your dog and cat can have problems with bloating. Experts say that bloating is more prone in some breeds of dogs (German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers, Bulldogs, Great Danes). When a dog’s stomach bloats, it is usually because he has overeaten and has a combination of water and gases in his stomach. If it swells too much it could be very painful and problematic.

The symptoms of excessive bloating might be:

• Restlessness
• Excessive gas
• Pacing
• A swollen abdomen
• Looking at the stomach

Experts often indicate that instead of feeding your dog only once a day. Decrease the amount and feed your dog twice a day in smaller amounts.

Although dogs can digest some plant material, they often don’t metabolize the proteins in vegetables as well as we do. Your dog might also be allergic to cereal grains (wheat, corn, rice). A diet high in carbohydrates will often cause your dog to get bloated, try and reduce the amount of certain fibers. How do you know which ones? Certain dogs respond differently to different types of fiber – try to make a note of which ones your dog responds better too.

Chocolate: Just like humans, dogs love chocolate. They can become addicted to it. Never feed your dog chocolate as it could make them very sick.

Probiotics: The “friendly bacteria” that live in our colon, plays a very important role in our health and overall digestion. A great source of probiotic elements is yogurt. Unfortunately, the processing of dog food kills off the friendly bacteria too, so probiotics may need to be added to your dog’s meal.

Water:

Just like our body, if dogs don’t get enough water, bad things start to happen. Our bodies simply depend on water for all of its functions. Make sure that your dog or cat has plenty of water all the time. If you dog feels warm to you offer them more water. If you are outside, try to provide a bit of shade for them as well. Water helps the digestive system maintain its regularity.