Burping in Poodles: Causes, Treatment, and Prevention

First off, poodle burping is not uncommon, and dogs, in general, can let out a belch that can equal some of the more gnarly burps you’ve heard. More than likely, this isn’t a cause for concern, but excessive poodle burping can be a warning sign letting you know something more serious is happening with your pup.

Poodle burping is caused by excess buildup of trapped air in the stomach, resulting from rapid food consumption. A dog’s natural instinct is to eat quickly to avoid competition from other dogs. Prevention and treatment of poodle burping include slowing food consumption, daily exercise, and a healthy diet.

Knowing whether your dog has an actual issue, or is just eating too fast, can mean the difference between a high vet bill or a simple DIY solution. Read on to learn the nuances of your poodle’s burping habits and if it means something more serious.

What Causes You Poodle to Burp Excessively?

Just like when humans eat or drink too fast, poodles can have trapped air inside of their stomach that can cause mild pain if it isn’t released properly.

Aerophagia, as it is scientifically named, is the most common cause of your poodle needing to release a burp to feel more comfortable.

Dogs, in general, can have this problem because of their natural instinct to eat as fast as possible in case any other competing dog wants to grab a bite of their meal. Even if there are no other dogs around!

But this isn’t the only reason that dogs have to belch from time to time. Sometimes belching can be a warning sign for more dangerous problems bubbling inside of your poodle’s stomach. If that’s the case, you will want to talk with your vet as soon as possible to take care of the issue before it gets worse.

Here are some other issues that might cause your poodle to burp more frequently:

• Diet – Feeding your dog low-quality food can cause their stomachs to become upset and can be the reason behind excess burping and flatulence.
• Breed – unfortunately, some dogs have smaller than normal air cavities in their noses. This causes them to inhale excessive air through their mouth when eating and drinking, which will lead to more burping. 
• Allergy – Knowing what your poodle is allergic to can prevent any burping issue from surfacing by making those adjustments in their daily diet.
• Bloat – We’ll talk about this later in the article, but if your poodle is displaying any signs of bloat, it is in both of your best interest to consult your vet as soon as possible.

Is Burping a Sign of Bloat In Poodles?

While no owner should jump to conclusions before talking with their vet, bloat can be a cause of excessive burping in poodles. Bloating is the common phrase, but you can also hear this said more officially as Gastric Dilatation Volvulus (GVD).

Bloat can cause severe pain in your poodle’s stomach and can even cause the stomach itself to twist up inside. Because of the severity of bloat, or GVD, for dogs, it is incredibly important to take your poodle to the vet as soon as you feel there may be an issue.

Here are some possible warning signs you will want to watch for if you feel your poodle can be showing signs of GVD:

• Unproductive vomiting
• Excessive burping
• Faster than normal breathing rate
• Abdominal pain
• Different colored-gums
• lethargy

Poodle Burping Prevention and Treatment

Prevention and treatment for poodle burping are essentially the same. As long as you take some precautions around eating time, you can prevent a majority of your poodle burping problems. Implementing these same precautions will also help eliminate a majority of burping issues already present and make it easier for you to understand if your poodle has a more serious condition.

Below is a list of proactive solutions you can implement to prevent or stop your poodle from burping:

• Daily Exercise is a great way to help reduce burping in your poodle. An active lifestyle helps move food through the digestive tract faster reducing gas buildup in the digestive tract.
• Keep Feeding On a Schedule – It makes sense that if your pup is starving at the end of the day, they will want to consume their dinner as fast as possible. By staying consistent with a better eating schedule, your pup will eat a little more slowly and swallow less air. 
• Buy A Slow Feeder – Purchasing a slow feeder bowl will force your poodle to eat more slowly because it will take them more time to get the actual kibble out of the bowl. This helps regulate their air intake and should lower the amount of burping as eating too fast is one of the most common causes.
• Providing a high-Quality Diet – Your poodle should eat a high-quality, low-fat diet to ensure proper digestion and reduce excessive burping. Make sure your poodle isn’t getting into the trash or that you aren’t feeding your pup a ton of scraps. This can cause irritation in your poodle’s stomach and cause them to burp more. Also, make sure they aren’t allergic to any of the food they are eating, as this is also a somewhat common cause of excess burping.
• Avoid Competition – If you have multiple dogs in the home or even a cat, make sure you don’t feed them at the same time. Some of your family pets may be ok with the group eating times, but others may feel threatened and try to eat their food as fast as possible. Make sure to keep your animals in separate rooms if you need to feed them at the same time.
• Regulate Their Excitement – Try not to feed your poodle right after you took them on a huge walk or hike. Also, try to refrain from giving them too much food right after playing with them in the backyard or inside the house. When a dog is too worked up, it will direct that excitement towards its food and take it down as fast as possible, causing trapped air to get into its stomach. 
• Contact your vet – If your poodle is belching excessively, it is probably time to consult with your vet. Excessive belching can be a sign of a more serious underlying digestive issue and these concerns should be addressed with a professional.

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Digestive Issues That Cause Burping in Poodles

If you don’t think your poodle’s burping issues can be traced back to eating too fast or their diet, then it may be time to consider something more serious.

There are several digestive issues that could be causing the excessive burping of your poodle.

• Excessive bacteria fermentation – The cause of excessive bacteria fermentation is usually caused by a bad food source. If you are keeping up with your dog’s diet and making sure they are getting healthy food on a consistent basis, you should avoid this issue. 
• Acid reflux – Just like humans, this can be a painful process for poodles as the acid produced in the stomach is slowly coming back up the esophagus, causing excessive burping and pain. Diet is usually a great place to start for solutions to this digestive problem.
• Gastrointestinal disease – If your pup is suffering from a more serious gastrointestinal disease, it could suffer from excessive burping. This is usually caused by parasites, bacteria, or infection and should be checked out immediately.
• Gastric dilatation-volvulus (also known as GDV or bloat) – As we talked about earlier in the article, Gastric dilatation-volvulus can be fatal for a poodle, so if you have any inkling, this could be a potential problem, you should consult your vet immediately.
• Aerophagia – This term refers to the trapped air inside the dog’s stomach. This can cause mild pain.
• Allergies – If you aren’t aware of what allergies your pup might have, it may be time to have them tested. Allergies can cause burping in poodles, and if you are careful with their diet, you might be able to prevent the issue by changing their diet.

Summary

Although there could be a more serious issue that is causing your poodle to burp around you, most poodle burping issues can be sourced back to feeding time. Make sure your poodle isn’t eating too quickly and that you are giving it high-quality food. You should be able to keep down the belching as much as possible. Just don’t expect them to be sorry for it.