Does this sound familiar... You are sitting around your kitchen talking with friends when an awful smell takes over the room. What is that smell, your guests ask! You embarrassingly explain, "That it is my dog. He is a wonderful dog, but he is very windy to say the least." OR have you ever walked into your house after being gone and searched the house for a pile of poop, only to realize that it was just your gassy dog?
Flatulence, it can be a problem in some dogs. What causes it? Flatulence is caused when bacteria in the digestive tract break down food items producing gas. This may be very disruptive and disturbing to you, but it is rarely a serious health problem for the dog. It is true that some breeds are more prone to flatulence, but all dogs can suffer from it, or should I say all owners can suffer from smelling their dogs? :)
Eliminating soy products from your dog's diet may make quite a difference. Soy beans are loaded with proteins that can be hard to digest, producing a lot of gas in the dog's digestive tract. Find a dog food that does not contain soy.
Giving your dog table scraps or changing dog foods can give your dog gas. If you give your dog too many doggie biscuits it can stir up some gas in the digestive track.
Exercise your dog. A lot of exercise will help move the gas while your dog is still outside, leaving less for inside the house. It may also stimulate a bowel movement that will lessen the gas episodes inside the house.
Adding charcoal to your dog’s diet can help detoxify some of the noxious gases while they are still inside the intestine. Activated charcoal is sold over-the-counter at most pet stores. If you choose to give your dog charcoal, do not give it to your dog for more than two or three days at a time because it not only helps to detoxify noxious gases, but it can absorb nutrients as well, robbing your dog of vitamins and minerals. Ask your vet before you give your dog charcoal products.
There are safe products that you can buy to give your dog. Taken before eating or during your dog’s meal, digestive enzymes will help the digestive track to digest the food, eliminating the gas build-up in the intestines. Follow the directions on the bottle and you will soon be on your way to a nicer smelling house.
