There is a point when your poodle’s flatulence has reached critical levels, and you just can’t handle the smell any longer. Excessive flatulence can be extremely uncomfortable for your dog and even more unpleasant for your nose!
A low-quality diet is the most common cause of flatulence in poodles. Feeding your dog nutritious, high-quality foods can reduce excessive fermentation in the colon leading to a reduction in gas production. Prevention requires feeding your poodle a highly digestible diet low in fiber and fat.
Finding and treating the root problem of your poodle’s flatulence can be a little tricky. Let’s unveil this mystery and arm you with the information you need to aid your poodle… as well as your nose!
What are The Signs of Excessive Gas in Poodles?
Healthy poodles pass gas every day. This flatulence is a normal part of the digestive process. However, sometimes excessive gas builds in the digestive system, which can cause unnatural flatulence.
Some signs that flatulence has reached unhealthy levels are:
1. The noise – your poodle’s stomach is gurgling and sounds like something is living in there.
2. Increase in gas – you notice right away that your poodle is tooting more than normal. In some cases, the condition may be chronic, and now you are unsure of what is expected. Keep in mind that a poodle may pass gas anywhere from 10-50 times a day and be considered normal.
3. Bloated Stomach – your poodle’s stomach not only sounds like something is living inside but also looks like something is living inside.
4. The smell – you are finding it hard to breathe in your house. Too much air or gas trapped inside your poodle will overpower any toot of yours.
5. Burping – Sometimes, the flatulence starts as a burp. If your poodle is regurgitating its food, then this is a sign the gas has become excessive.
What Causes Excessive Flatulence in Poodles?
Let’s break this down and look at all the possibilities. We will then look at how you know when it has become excessive and what to do about it now that you are in this smelly situation.
Swallowing too Quickly
Your poodle racing through their dinner causes them to get air trapped in their stomach. Trapped air can also cause choking or vomiting.
Your poodle may be eating quickly because of competition for food they experienced as a puppy. Often puppies have to learn to get their food before their brothers and sisters ate it all!
Tip: If you have more than one dog, there may be competition for food. Separating your dogs while they eat can help them to calm down their eating habits.
Bad Quality Dog Food
Manufacturers of dog food sometimes add cheap fillers to bulk up the product. They offer no nutritional benefit to the poodle. Watch for ingredients with the word “hull” or “husk.”
Cheap grains can also cause flatulence in poodles. Watch out for dog food with high amounts of wheat, soy, bran, corn, or oats. Poodles have a hard time digesting these grains.
Sometimes poodles may eat something that is not food at all. So that plastic toy that went missing could be causing problems.
Eating Foods Not Meant for Dogs
While you love your poodle, you must stop feeding them from your plate. Greasy high-fat foods could be the cause of your poodle’s flatulence.
The food on your plate is also seasoned. Dogs need more straightforward food than you do. Spicy food can be a cause of flatulence.
Dairy products can also be hard for your poodle to digest. Some poodles can handle cheese and yogurt. Any other dairy product will be hard on their stomach.
Dairy products to avoid feeding poodles include:
- Ice cream
- Milk
- Butter
Poor Absorption of Food
Inflammatory bowel disease or viral infections can significantly impact your poodle’s ability to absorb food. Food malabsorption could also be a matter of the balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut.
A healthy balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut allows a poodle’s body to remove toxins, ferment fiber, and ensure nutrients are absorbed. When there is an imbalance and the harmful gut bacteria has taken over excessive flatulence, possible weight loss, and loose stools can occur.
A healthy diet feeds the good bacteria in your poodle’s stomach—more reasons to keep them away from your greasy fast food.
Serious Health Conditions
Poodles may have serious health conditions that cause flatulence such as:
- parasite infection
- liver disease
- pancreatitis
- Gastrointestinal Disease
- Bloat
- Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus (GDV)
Tip: A poodle’s bloated stomach could be a sign of Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus or GDV. This condition is an emergency, and poodles should be taken to their vet immediately.
If Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus is present, your poodle will be acting strange and panicked. They will be hunched over and trying to vomit.
How to Treat Poodle Flatulence
You may be nodding your head, realizing how you got into this odiferous situation about now, but what can you do about it now that you’re here?
Treating your poodle’s flatulence is going to take some trial and error and a lot of patience. Do not underestimate the power of small, consistent changes to fix this situation you’re both in.
1. Help your Poodle Eat Slower
Easier said than done, right? Eating quickly leads to overeating. Your poodle can’t read their hunger cues when they’re gobbling up their food. Eating quickly also prevents them from chewing their food properly. Both of these behaviors have a negative impact on your poodle’s digestion.
Try these tips to slow down your poodle’s food consumption :
- Use a slow feeding bowl – This is a bowl that slowly distributes the food as your poodle eats.
- Use a portion pacer – This is placed in the poodle’s bowl that they already have.
- Try Food puzzle dog toys – This is where you place food inside of the toy. Your dog must play with it to release the food.
- Make dinner a game – You can hide food around different areas of your house. Now your dog is having fun “hunting” for their food.
2. Feed Your Poodle More Often Throughout the Day
If you feed a dog one or two large meals a day, they are likely overeating. Overeating causes problems with the digestive tract and, you guessed it, more flatulence. Too much food sitting in your poodle’s stomach is more likely to ferment and result in gas.
However, you do not necessarily need to change the amount of food that your poodle eats. Try dividing each meal in half and spreading meals out throughout the day. More meals mean your poodle will be eating less in one sitting. This gives poodles a respite from breaking down so much food at once.
This is especially important for your senior poodle. As poodles age, their digestive systems begin to break down and often are not be as robust as it once was. Senior poodles often struggled to repopulate healthy bacteria and digestive enzymes in their guts leading to increased flatulence.
3. Switch to a High-Quality Dog Food
Good high-quality dog food is vitally important for your poodle’s overall health. Owners should stay away from the hard to digest grains that we previously mentioned. Watch for the sneaky fillers! Artificial coloring and flavorings can also be triggers for stomach upset.
If you decide to change your poodle’s dog food, this should be a slow process. Start with ninety percent of your dog’s old food and add 10 percent of the new dog food. Slowly increase the new dog food over a couple of weeks. This way, you’ll know if the new food is better for their stomach.
The highest quality dog food brands I’ve found are :
- Ollie Pet
- Pet Plate
- Nom Nom Fresh
- Blue Buffalo
- American Journey
- The Farmers Dog
- Nature’s Logic
- Taste of the Wild
- Canidae
- True Acre
These brands make dog food with human-grade dog food. A lot of high-quality dog food is not going to be cheap so at least look for food that has meat as the first or second ingredient if you are working with a budget.
I feed my dog high-quality food with Pet Plate. Pet Plate is a premium dog food subscription service that provides freshly cooked and pre-portioned meals completely customized for your dog. I really love the fact that Pet Plate delivers the highest quality meals to my door without me ever having to think about it! Check out Pet Plate here to find more information and see if Pet Plate is right for you and your pet.
Tip: Keep in mind the size of the kibbles. Smaller kibbles are ideal for a smaller dog like a miniature poodle.
4. Exercise Your Poodle Daily
Daily exercise helps keep food moving through your poodle’s body. Walking twice a day for 20 minutes at a brisk pace is what you are looking for. As your poodle gets older, you will notice they start to slow down and gain weight. Your poodle is counting on you to encourage them to get moving.
An overweight dog is much more likely to experience chronic flatulence. Keeping your poodle moving will help them remain a healthy weight.
5. Add Water to Your Poodle’s Food
Adding water to your dog’s food encourages your poodle to lap up food with their tongue rather than grab it with their whole mouth. Having to do this forces your poodle to slow down and swallow less air.
Foods That Help Stop Poodle Flatulence
Sometimes you need a little extra effort when you are trying to figure out the root cause. You don’t like seeing your poodle not feeling well, but fixing a chronic condition may take some time. Like a good dog parent, pull out some of these gas reducing foods from your pantry.
Parsley
Parsley will not fix the root cause of flatulence but it may help with the foul smell! A pinch of parsley can reduce odor in the digestive system. Try adding a couple of tablespoons of dried parsley to your poodle’s meal.
Ginger
Ginger may help jump-start digestion in your poodle. A smooth-running digestive system can help the food pass through your poodle and reduce the gas.
Fennel
Fennel is calming to the digestive tract and can help get food moving. Add some fennel to your poodle’s food!
Yogurt
Now I know I said dairy might be bad for your poodle’s digestion, but if your poodle is not sensitive to dairy, you may try yogurt. Yogurt is a fermented food that can introduce good gut bacteria. Introducing good bacteria helps with the balance of total gut bacteria. Your poodle needs more of the good guys and less of the bad guys.
Additional Tips That Can Help Reduce Gas in Your Poodle
While sometimes adding the above foods are enough, sometimes poodle owners need to get a little more creative when trying to relieve their pet’s flatulence issues. Here are some additional tips that can help get the job done:
Add Digestive Enzymes to Your Poodle’s Food
You can get enzyme supplements from your poodle’s vet. You can also add foods to your poodle’s diet that contains these digestive enzymes that help your poodle to break down proteins.
Examples of foods that contain digestive enzymes are:
- coconut
- water
- papaya
- melon
- raw honey
Peppermint Oil
Peppermint oil is powerful in reducing flatulence in humans. It may help your poodle too! It is nontoxic, and you can add a few drops of peppermint essential oil to their food or water dish.
Eliminate Problem Foods That cause Gas
Your poodle may have unique food allergies. By switching the foods, you are giving them; you can test out different combinations and try to identify which foods are causing more stomach troubles.
Home Cook Your Poodle’s Meals
Many human foods are not safe for your poodle. However, A simple dinner of chicken and rice may help settle your poodle’s stomach troubles. Remember to leave off any spices. Keep it simple.
Other safe Foods you can cook for your poodle include:
- Carrots
- Pumpkin
- Sweet potatoes
- Potatoes
- Green peas
- Pineapple
- Baby food
- Cooked eggs
- Canned tuna or salmon
How to Prevent Flatulence in Your Poodle
It is easier to stop something from happening in the first place than stop it once it already is. These tips will help you prevent Flatulence before it ever becomes a problem.
- Maintain a Healthy Weight for Your Dog – Much like humans, your poodle’s body works best when it is healthy. Obese dogs are at high risk for chronic flatulence. They are more likely to develop these issues even with a healthy, clean diet.
- Keep Your Dog Active Daily – If you notice your dog is getting older and less likely to chase the squirrels, make sure you get them moving! Walk, walk, walk your dog.
- Feed your poodle more slowly – If your dog is gobbling his food, try and use some of the previous tips to slow them down.
- Avoid Feeding Your Poodle Table Scraps – Keep all human food on the table. Do not let your guests feed the dog their food either.
- Avoid Low-quality dog food – Check the ingredients of your poodle’s food. Make sure you are buying food without cheap grains, fillers, or artificial colors and flavors.
Digestive Problems That Cause Flatulence in Poodles
Sometimes the flatulence can be a sign of a more serious condition. Here are some digestive problems that can cause flatulence in poodles:
Diarrhea
Diarrhea can be caused by all of the previously mentioned culprits as well as stress. If there have been sudden changes in your poodle’s life and diarrhea has begun, try to find ways to normalize their new lifestyle for them and lower their stress.
For example, if there is a new dog in the house, try and give the new dog some alone time. If you have recently moved homes, set up a particular spot for him with a bed and toys to provide a great place to relax.
Fasting your poodle for 12 hours can help clear up diarrhea. Make sure you are still giving them plenty of water. With diarrhea, poodles can become dehydrated quickly.
After this fast, start your poodle with some binders to help improve stool consistency. Try giving your dog rice water. Rice water is the water left over after cooking rice.
Other good choices to improve your poodle’s stool consistently include:
- Rice
- Boiled skinless potato
- Canned pumpkin
- Fennel.
Vomiting
Vomiting could be caused by any of the previously mentioned culprits, as well as motion sickness. Motion sickness would only be a culprit of a one time vomit after traveling in the car.
Treatment for a vomiting poodle is similar to that of diarrhea. Withhold food for twelve hours, and then if the vomiting stops, you can try feeding your dog bland foods until your dog is better.
Make sure you are feeding your poodle only small amounts at a time. This ensures they not only will eat slower, but it will give them more time to digest smaller amounts instead of taking in a full meal.
Colitis
Colitis is a common condition in poodles. Colitis is an inflammation of the lining of the colon.This condition can be caused by:
- Stress
- infections
- Parasites
- Allergies
- Inflammatory bowel disease
Whipworms are a very common culprit of colitis. Whipworms are parasites that sit in your poodle’s intestines. Your poodle can pick up these parasites when plying in contaminated soil and then are later licking themselves.
Your poodle’s vet can prescribe him an anti-worm medication if it is discovered that whipworms are the cause.
For all these conditions, when chronic, your poodle should see a vet. However, It is nice to have a few ideas and to feel more in control of the situation and fix minor issues. Nobody wants to feel helpless when their poodle is not feeling well.
You also do not want something more serious to go unnoticed. Getting help from a vet could improve the situation faster without it becoming as serious as if a vet was not able to point out the cause.
Conclusion
As a pet owner, you always want what is best for them, so when it comes to their health, you’ll want to give them the best care possible. Chronic health issues, like excessive flatulence, can take time and patience to work out.
Keep pushing on every day, remembering these tips to keep your poodle’s digestive system in tip-top shape:
- Slow eating when it comes to their health·
- Eating more small meals throughout the day
Prevent Flatulence by:
- Not giving table scraps
- Providing Quality food
- Giving plenty of Exercise
…and then throw a little parsley on that dinner.
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