Doing what comes naturally
The guests arrive for dinner. They remove their jackets and settle down around the dining table, chit-chatting about the double-dip recession while twirling glasses of my best Merlot. The aroma of roasting lamb in the oven filters through the smell of fresh-cut flowers on the table, and the first course is served. Carpaccio salad with fresh Parma ham on a bed of fresh figs and basil.
Just as we raise our glasses, a sulphurous aroma rises like warm steam from a swamp. I prod my dog so that he’ll shift under someone else’s chair so I can avoid taking the blame.
Why blame the poor dog? Flatulence is completely natural. However, where and how you belch or pass wind is what determines the level of your social graces.
Although very embarrassing in social situations, flatulence can be aggravated by certain conditions and circumstances in domestic animals (and in humans!).
Eating too fast
Dogs who eat too quickly tend to swallow too much air – a condition called aerophagia. The swallowed air passes to the intestines very quickly, cannot be absorbed fast enough, and must escape somewhere. Some think that certain breeds, because of the wide shape of their mouths and throats, tend to swallow more air while eating.
If your dog gulps down his food, it’s probably because they’re very hungry. Try feeding them more frequently during the day in smaller quantities. It might work to separate animals who eat together to avoid competition at meal times.
Another way to slow down a fast-eating dog is to use a special “slow feed” food bowl.
Poor quality diet
Probably the most important reason for flatulence is a poor quality diet with the wrong ingredients – like too much grain – which dogs simply cannot digest. These diets supply the majority of their protein from non-meat sources, such as wheat and corn. Dogs don’t have the enzymes to digest these non-meat proteins. When food isn’t fully digested, it provides a rich source of nourishment for bacteria in the large intestine. The undigested portion of food will ferment, producing gas.
Giving your dog the vegetables that your children refuse to eat will also cause flatulence.
If you suspect your dog has excess gas because of his food, try switching his diet to a high-quality natural diet that contains a higher percentage of meat-based protein. (Look for foods in which proteins from meat sources are at least two of the first three ingredients.) Very often, the “gassy” problem can be solved by a diet change.
Some dogs love hunting for titbits in the garbage can. They can even develop what’s known as garbage disease for constantly eating poor-quality and sometimes rotten food.
Age- and Health-related problems
As a dog’s metabolism slows down, so does the ability to digest, so be sure to choose the correct diet for your pet’s life stage.
Certain disease processes affect digestion. When the following symptoms appear, it’s time to visit the vet:
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Weight loss
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A distended stomach (your dog may be suffering from bloat, which is serious and requires immediate veterinary treatment)
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Diarrhoea
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Chronic constipation
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Blood or mucus in the stool.
Breed
Size does matter. Apparently, the larger breeds – and also the brachycephalics like Staffordshire terriers, Bull terriers, Bulldogs, and Boxers – tend to be more flatulent.
To Summarise
It’s completely natural to pass wind from any end. Pets don’t care for your social standards and are absolutely innocent – and are, in fact, quite offended at your lack of understanding. Feed your pet the best-quality meat-based food you can afford. Keep Diesel or Mildred out from under the dining table at least until the guests have had a drink or two, and don’t take such natural behaviour so seriously. Keep a lid on the garbage can and feed more frequently and separately to avoid competition. After your meal, take the dogs for a walk – it will do you good as well to let go a bit.