Why Does My Dog Fart?

Why does my dog fart is a common question. The occasional dog fart is nothing to worry about, but if your chi is farting all the time is annoying for your and it will mean your chihuahua has bellyache. Before you rush to the vet there are some simple steps you can try at home to alleviate the problem.

Eating too fast.

If your dog is an enthusiastic eater and highly motivated by food, of feels under pressure to eat quickly then he might gulp his food down and with that take in a lot of air. Try:

A ‘slow down’ bowl so he can’t gulp his food in one go. We have one for Minnie.
Feed them is separate rooms so he doesn’t feel the need to ‘grab’ food while he can.
Have a regular feeding schedule so he knows he isn’t going to go hungry.
Kong Feed, This is going very well for our two.

Diet

One of the most likely reasons for dog farting is going to be food related. Especially if you feed dry kibble.

Intolerance to wheat and grain

Kibble (dry dog food) often contains a lot of grain and starch that are used as fillers and make the product cheaper. Dogs don’t need this in their diet and it can be hard for them to digest and will make your dog fart. A good dog food should have more protein than starch and be at least 40-50% protein. Look on the back of the packet to check. Don’t assume that the higher price dry dog foods will be better. Check the back. A good dog food with have the protein listed first as that will be the bigger ingredient.

Intolerance to beef or chicken

Beef and chicken are among the most common food intolerance for dogs, along with dairy and eggs as it is possible for dogs to be lactose intolerant. Try switching his diet to a different meat and cutting out dairy.

Too much plant fibre

Veggies can be good for your dog, but fibrous raw vegetables can be hard to digest. Dogs are not equipped to chew like humans do so they don’t break down the fibres like we do. Stick to easy to digest veggies like carrots, green beans and grate or cook them first.

Broccoli is very fibrous and hard to digest which is why it often comes up on the naughty list for dogs

It is important that any changes you make to their diet is gradual and done in an orderly way. You want to be able to pinpoint what it is that makes your dog fart and very sudden changes to their feeding can cause upset tummies as well.

Swallowed air

Like Pugs, bulldogs and shihtzus, chihuahuas are considered within the group of brachycephalic breeds, that is breeds of dogs that have short noses. This can lead to a restricted upper airway. Symptoms of this might be snoring, panting and in extreme cases difficulties exerting themselves. (There is a simple surgery that can help alleviate these issues.)

They tend to be mouth breathers which means they can end up swallowing lots of air. This is going to have to come out as a dog fart.

Pugs & chihuahuas are considered brachycephalic breeds.

Parasites and worms

Intestinal parasites can cause your dog a lot of discomfort. Make sure your dog is wormed regularly by applying good chemical wormer and by including superfoods that will support your dog against intestinal parasites. Go to your vet if you are worried.

Serious diseases

There is some serious illness that can be attributed to your dog farting:

Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Inflammatory bowel disease
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth
Tumours
Enteritis
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency

If you have taken all the normal steps to alleviate the problems then a visit to the vet is a good idea.

Good books that I recommend if you want to change your dog’s diet and are not sure what to do is: The Dog Diet by Kate Bendix and: The Dog Diet Answer Book by Greg Martinez, DVM. Both worth the investment.