Dog gas also called dog fart or flatulence occurs either because of a digestive problem (i.e. undigested food in the digestive track) which could be due to insufficient digestive enzymes or it may happen to some dogs due to aging.
Pimpinella anisum (anise) and Foeniculum vulgare (fennel) are natural ingredients known to relieve gas and promote healthy digestion. While there are no specifically known home remedies that you could put together in the kitchen, I could suggest some commercial preparations in the US which are likely to be useful:
Herbal formulations -
- PetAlive Flatulence Preventer having herbal and homeopathic ingredients
- Only Natural Pet Gasbgone Herbal Formula
- Formulations containing digestive enzymes
- CurTail - available at pet stores as drops which you add to food.
- Dinovite - claims to help your dog get rid of problems like eating stool or bad gas. This contains live beneficial bacterial cultures as well.
Points to remember - Points that help:
- Exercise: Go for a walk with your dog. Exercise will mobilize the gas when you are outside and also stimulate bowel movements. This reduces scope for gas release and offensive odour inside the house.
- Dog food and table scraps: Notice if you have changed or introduced any new food and do not give table scraps between meals like dog biscuits now and then. This can induce gas as well.
- No Soya products: Soyabeans are heavy to digest and produce a lot of gas. Check food labels on dog foods to see if you spot 'soya'. Avoid soya products completely when his digestive system is compromised.
- Certain foods which can stimulate gas formation esp. when your dog's digestive tract is compromised are meat which is not fresh, leftovers from yesterday, milk, lactose products, and raw vegetables. These foods are best to avoid.
- Sometimes just eating fast causes your dog to swallow a lot of air. A good tip to avoid this is, use a wide feeding bowl and crush its food into the bowl before eating so that she eats smaller quantities at a time.
- Activated charcoal when added to your dog's meal helps in detoxification and removing gases which are still inside the intestine. This however should not be given for more than 2-3 days as it can also deplete vitamins and minerals from your dogs body causing nutrient deficiencies. Speak to a veterinary doctor before you give your dog charcoal products.
answered by P P