Dog Fart & Bloating: Causes & How to Reduce It With Fresh Meals

Although an occasional dog fart here and there is perfectly fine, frequent farting and bloating in our canine companions can sometimes spell trouble. It’s a sign that something is going on with your pup’s digestive system that needs fixing.

But before you can work on a solution for this stinky problem, you should understand what’s causing it in the first place. Luckily, this guide is here to help you with precisely that.

Stick around as we dive into the most common reasons for excessive dog farting and offer solutions like Pawy that’ll make your furry friend less gassy and keep your home smelling nice.

Why Does My Dog Fart So Much?

Before we dive into ways you can deal with flatulence in dogs, we should first discuss why it might be happening. That said, below are the most common culprits:

1. Eating Too Fast

Believe it or not, the speed at which your canine buddy consumes food plays a crucial role here. That’s because high-speed eaters also swallow a lot of air when they gobble up their bowl of food. And since a fart is essentially a buildup of gas in the gut, this ingested air can lead to both dog bloating and farting.

It’s also worth noting that certain breeds, especially those with flatter faces like pugs and bulldogs, tend to swallow more air due to their facial structures. As a result, they also fart more often than other dog breeds.

2. Ingesting Particular Foods

Your dog’s diet is another possible reason behind flatulence, with certain foods impacting your furry friend’s digestive tract a lot more than others. In fact, here are a few examples of food that makes dogs fart:

• Dairy products: While a small bowl of milk or a slice of cheese once in a while should be fine, dairy products can be the culprit behind dog bloating, farting, and even vomiting. That’s especially true for adult dogs, as they don’t deal with lactose as well as puppies.

• Legumes: Plants from the legume family, including beans, soybeans, peas, chickpeas, lentils, and peanuts, are rich in fibre, which is a must-have component of any dog diet. However, they also contribute to dog fart problems because bacteria ferment the fibre in the gut.

• Cruciferous vegetables: Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, and Brussels sprouts can also be problematic. As much as they’re considered superfoods, these items are also full of sulfur amino acids, which can cause particularly stinky farts.

• High-fat foods: Although many dog owners like to toss their pets greasy food leftovers they wouldn’t eat themselves, this isn’t a particularly good idea. These fatty table scraps can be hard for a dog to digest and may also lead to excessive farting.

• Too much meat: Contrary to popular belief, there is such a thing as too much meat for your canine buddy. In fact, high-protein diets, especially those centred around red meat, also contain a ton of sulfur, which can make your dog’s farts especially stinky.

• Spoiled foods: Items that are past their expiration date, as well as rotten or spoiled food, can also upset your dog’s gut and cause them to gas up.

3. Dealing With Sudden Dietary Changes

As much as certain foods can cause flatulence, quickly transitioning your dog to a healthier diet isn’t ideal either. Sure, some dogs will be able to handle this without issue, but in most cases, you’ll be dealing with upset tummies, bloating, and stinky farts. That said, some situations do call for a sudden switch-up, such as medical emergencies.

4. Suffering From Certain Gastrointestinal Issues

Certain gastrointestinal (GI) disorders can also cause excessive farting. However, it’s worth noting that problems with the digestive tract rarely lead to just flatulence. They’re often followed by symptoms like diarrhoea and vomiting, so they’re also easier to spot.

These issues can be as mild as acute gastroenteritis caused by your dog eating something they shouldn’t have or as serious as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and pancreatitis.

IBD can also increase the risk of gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV). This is a serious condition in which the dog’s stomach begins to twist and turn, thereby trapping gas inside. As such, it must be addressed as soon as the first signs show up.

Here are a few typical bloat for dogs symptoms you should stay on high alert for:

• Swollen abdomen that feels as hard as a drum or is painful when touched

• Dry-heaving, also known as retching or vomiting with nothing coming up

• Excessive panting and difficulty breathing as the stomach expands

• Pacing, inability to sit down comfortably, and general restlessness

• Increase in drooling or the appearance of foamy saliva

• Whining and other signs of pain

How Do I Stop My Dog From Farting Excessively?

While an occasional dog fart is an entirely normal result of gas buildup in the gut, excessive farting and particularly foul-smelling farts can be a problem. If that’s the case, you should try the solutions below:

1. Take More Frequent Walks

As simple as it sounds, going for an additional walk with your dog can sometimes be all it takes. When you get your furry buddy moving, their bowels are also more likely to move, which can reduce bloating, farting, and constipation.

2. Slow Down Your Dog’s Eating

If you’re dealing with a puppy that’s just inhaling food, breaking up a large meal into several smaller ones is a great way to control the speed at which they eat. This also reduces the amount of air they swallow with their food.

Placing an obstacle, such as a tennis ball, in your dog’s bowl may also work. But if it doesn’t, it might be time to invest in a specialised slow-feeding bowl, a snuffle mat, or a puzzle feeder, which naturally limit a dog’s eating speed.

3. Avoid Giving Them Table Scraps and Milk

As we’ve already established, high-fat foods and dairy products can cause both gassiness and bloating. So, the best way to make sure your dog isn’t ripping one fart after another is to avoid giving them your leftovers or filling their bowl with milk.

4. Control the Amount of Meat They Eat

Your furry friend thrives on meat-rich portions, so you shouldn’t entirely remove this crucial element from your dog’s diet. However, you can absolutely reduce the amount of meat they eat. In fact, a meal with about 25% protein is more than enough for an adult dog.

5. Gradually Transition Your Dog to Fresh Meals

The best food for gassy dogs supports a balanced intake of protein and fibre, and Pawy offers precisely that. Its preservative- and additive-free fresh meals ensure your furry pal gets all the nutrition they need with every portion. That said, you should keep in mind that changing a dog’s diet works best when done slowly.

Conclusion

Excessive dog farting and bloating might not be an issue when they’re driven by your pup’s eating speed or the ingredients they’re gobbling up. However, it can be a cause for concern when it’s related to underlying GI conditions, some of which require immediate attention.

In any case, getting your dog moving, reducing scraps and dairy, controlling their eating speed, and limiting the amount of meat are all great ways to deal with flatulence in dogs. But what works best and most often is switching your dog to fresh meals like the ones Pawy offers.