How to deal with a windy or gassy dog
Do you have a windy or gassy dog? Many of us may have accepted this as ‘just one of those things’ but, there might be something you can do to help prevent or lessen these unpleasant and sometimes embarrassing events.
It’s all about identifying the cause. As with many problems that affect our dogs, flatulence is often as a result of one or more causative factors.
Here are five of the most common causes and possible solutions
1. Eating too quickly and ingesting a lot of air whilst doing so. Try introducing a special feeding bowl which makes access to kibble a bit of a challenge but can slow the rate of ingestion.
2. Overloading the gut. Try smaller more frequent feeds. This gives the gut less work to do at any one time and helps to optimise the efficiency of digestion. Ensure you are sticking to feeding quantities recommended for your pet and use kitchen scales for greater accuracy.
3. Using rawhide chew or pigs’ ears? These are enjoyed by many dogs without a problem but if your dog is flatulent, a trial without them is a good idea. They’re made largely from indigestible protein and are identified as the culprit in a lot of our windy dog enquiries.
4. Feeding raw fruit and veg - these are not very well digested by dogs (unless cooked or pulped) and can also cause wind.
5. Review the treats and tid-bits that contain beef or unspecified meat or cereal derivatives. Beef and wheat are two of the most common dietary allergens.
If all of the above have been ruled out, the next step is to consider if a food allergy or intolerance to one or more ingredient in the main diet is the problem. Many dogs and cats are easy to feed and have no issues with food or treats. But some are susceptible to digestive issues caused by adverse food reactions.(Click here for a an in-depth look at adverse food reactions and how to spot them).
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