bad gas!

[daisybee]

Does anybody have a dog with gas problems? I do and he's really bad. I have tried many different foods, introduced slowly but nothing seems to work. He's been to the vet and checks out fine. does anybody have any other ideas?

[Karen]

Have you settled on one food for a long period of time? Switching around a lot can cause that. I'd switch to a simple lamb-and-rice kibble and keep him on that for at least a month, and see if his tummy settles down at all.

[Hellow]

Idk, is he nutered? Thats all that i can think of.

[daisybee]

I've kept him on the same food for at least a month and he is also neutered.

[Karen]

I've kept him on the same food for at least a month and he is also neutered.

What are the ingredients in the food he is currently eating?

[Seravieve]

I would choose one food and leave him on it for a while.. couple months. Sometimes it takes longer than just a month for the dog to adjust. And switching them around a lot will cause gas. Some treats can also do it. Or too many treats in a day can. I know that I bought this 8lb bag of milkbone-like treats from Sams and all three of my dogs get AWFUL gas from them. So now I have like 7.75 pounds of them and I dont want to give them to the pups!! :rolleyes:

Also, some dogs just more gassy than others.. lol. Our Eli is way more pungent than the other two... But Ive heard this is common for Boxers.

[Jessika]

I've kept him on the same food for at least a month and he is also neutered.
In my experiences with food and seeing (or smelling ;)) results is that you generally won't see results of a new food you're feeding for six or so weeks. That is so the new food is fully in their system and you get to see the results of the nutrients doing their work. That could be a factor -- choose a food and try sticking to it for longer than a month to see if that works.

Just try to regulate his diet as much as possible, do not introduce anything other than his food and maybe a treat or two a day (as in, no table scraps, special meals, etc) until his body is completely and fully adjusted to the new food. And as mentioned, it could take as little as a few weeks to as many as a few months!

If nothing else... I know places like PetCo sells a product like Beano for dogs to help with gas... check the remedies aisle :)

[SemaviLady]

I suggest that you help him build up his digestive flora. The way to do that is to use probiotics. I would use kefir grains raised with milk and then pour a little kefir on food for each of his meals.

There are places and forums online for use of kefir where you can get kefir grains for free, just for the asking. They are very easy to keep going and will make probiotic rich food forever with regular care. (the stuff you get in stores does not contain kefir grain).

We love to use kefir in fruit smoothies. Just pour a cupful into a blender, add a frozen (destoned) peach or strawberries and half a frozen overripe banana and you get a smoothie that which is free of refined sugars, is good for the humans. Helps symptoms of IBS and IBD in humans and animals alike.

A little information on probiotic benefits (for humans) is here at this link (http://healingcrow.com/ferfun/ferfun.html). (read the "Power of Microbes" which applies pretty much to all living beings. Due to the types of prepared food we eat and the chemicals we take in, often our 'natural balance' of natural digestive flora is off kilter. So you might give this a shot. The types of bacteria on kibbled food are different than what should be in normal flora.

Commercial yogurt or probiotic pills btw are not even close to the same thing.

Will it cure the gas? It could help. The gas forms because the wrong bacteria are involved with breaking down the nutrient in his gut. When his gut normalizes, the 'good' bacteria will help him become more efficient. Just read the link above about probiotics and it will help with understanding what is going on.