Have you ever been in a situation where your house is full of guests and suddenly the fresh home air diversified by a putrid smell? Well, it doesn‘t necessarily mean that someone from your guests accidentally farted, dogs also fart. If you recently noticed that your Australian Shepherd started farting all the time, you should figure out the reasons why it is happening, what would be the normal amount of farting and how this should be addressed.
Why does my Australian Shepherd fart so much? Excessive farting from an Australian Shepherd is most often caused by a gas buildup, which usually manifests as a combination of causal factors. It can be caused by food allergies, food intolerances, intestinal overload or even simple reasons like accumulated air in the stomach.
As you‘ve probably noticed, Australian Shepherds are extremely fast when it comes to eating food. However, this is not so good that they in such a hurry to make their bowl empty, as they are accumulating a lot of air, which aggrevates the stomach. So this probably will be the biggest factor, but in this article we will discuss about more possible causes.
Reasons Your Australian Shepherd Farts So Much
1. The Dog Eats Very Fast and Swallows a Lot of Air
Fast eating is one of the main causes of abdominal pain, colic, bloating, vomiting, stomach upset. When eating greedily, dogs swallow air at the same time, which can lead to gas buildup. Ingestion of air is called aerophagia and it can be the reason for unpleasant bloating symptoms, because each dog‘s digestive tract reacts differently to the gas that enters.
Part of the ingested air is removed by fermenting, while the other part goes down and must pass through the digestive tract. This kind of air travel in the gut can lead to its scarring, increase in abdominal volume, involuntary expulsion of gas and so on.
What You Can Do
Perhaps one simpler way to solve this problem is to start using slow-eating bowl. They often come with large protrusions, but with a shape that does not allow them to eat quickly. The dog has to maneuver his mouth and tongue between the obstacles, so each meal will take much longer than served in a regular bowl. Such bowls can be found in larger pet stores or purchased online. Special feeding toys are also a good way to slow down our hungry Australian Shepherd‘s.
2. Stomach Sensitivity
Stomach sensitivity is fairly individual matter, but it can also be one of the reasons why your Australian Shepherd farting all the time. As your Aussie grows, it should be monitored how the dog reacts to one or another food and consult with veterinarian what would be the best option. Many dog owners like to give food leftovers from the table, such as bones or similar. However, if your dog suffers from bloating, such treats may not be suitable for him. Also, these delicacies can provoke food allergy or intolerance.
What You Can Do
It is best to keep track of what the dog is eating, what is in the food and avoid foods that can cause flatulence. We shared a list of these foods later in this article.
3. Lactose intolerance
Lactose intolerance (hypolactasia) occurs when the intestines for various reasons are unable to break down this carbohydrate and as a result deelop various symptoms: bloating, pain, diarrhea, nausea.
What You Can Do
As most of the dogs, Australian Shepherds do not tolerate too much lactose. Simply because dogs do not have enough lactose protein to be able to digest dairy products well.
Pay attention to the composition of the food given, and possibly change it if needed. Lower amounts of dairy products could reduce gas accumulation.
4. Illness or Disease
Common causes may include: irritants and foreign bodies in the gastrointestinal tract, viral infections, inflammation of the stomach or pancreas, liver or kidney disease, endocrine gland diseases, gastrointestinal tumors and other serious issues.
What You Can Do
If you are worried about your dog‘s behavior, contact your veterinarian immediately for a diagnosis and treatment.
5. Low Quality Food
Poor quality food also becomes a cause of ingredients, that the dog cannot easily digest. This causes gas accumulation in the gut. Poor quality food contains a lot of preservatives and a lot of chemical additives.
What You Can Do
It is better to feed your dog with nutritious, well-digested food. This depends on the age, breed, weight of the animal. Study what food is the best for your Australian Shepherd and consult with your veterinarian for any recommendations.
Here are some signs of quality dog food:
- Meat must make up the main and large part of the list of ingredients
- Quality food contains as little corn, wheat and other cereals as possible that cause allergies
- Minimum list of preservatives
- Food includes omega acids, which are useful for animal‘s body.
Foods and Ingredients that Cause Gas in Australian Shepherds
Here is the list of products or ingredients in dog foods, that are known to produce excess gas.
- Beans
It has been known since ancient times that beans are on of the main foods that blow bowels. Beans are rich in raffinose, a trisaccharide that consists of residues of glucose, fructose and galactose, all of which are difficult to digest. If you do not want to remove the beans from the diet, it is believed that soaking the beans overnight can help reduce the accumulation of gas in the gut.
- Milk and milk products
Milk contains lactose and many dogs do not tolerate this substance. Lactose intolerance is often manifested by increased accumulation of gas in the intestine. If you have noticed that your dog is suffering from abdominal pain, bloating, you should give up dairy products, lactose and replace them with other products.
- Grain products
Wheat or oats contain raffinose and starch, these substances help bacteria to accumulate in the large intestine, leading to bloating.
- Some vegetables
Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage or asparagus can really affect the accumulation of gas in your Australian Shepherd‘s gut. Like beans, these vegetables contain raffinose. However, despite this unpleasant bloating that can occur after eating these vegetables, you should still not give them up, just keep in mind that your dog doesn‘t need to eat too much at once. These vegetables are extremely healthy and beneficial for your Aussie‘s body.
- High-fiber foods
The main foods with which fiber is obtained – vegetables, fruits, breads with all parts of grain, beans, oats.
To Reduce the accumulation of gas which results in flatulence, you should first start monitoring what goes into the food you feed your dog with, and try to change the food, avoiding the products described above.
How to Reduce Gas
1. Change Diet
Food changes should be gradual. Mix the old and the new food with increasing amounts. Change the amount every week (sometimes the recommended transition takes 4 days, this can be done if you simply change one formula from the same manufacturer to another). Gradually changing the food is less likely to make your dog feel bad or irritate his stomach.
2. Do Not Give Your Australian Shepherd Leftovers from the Table
Probably every Australian Shepherd owner has a heartbeat when they see such cute and so hungry eyes under the table, asking for some bite. Then you want to feed your pet with one or another bite from the dinner table. However, veterinarians and dog nutritionists emphasize that is it not good to feed the animal with a food intended for humans.
First, if they get used to it, they will be sitting and waiting for that bite everytime you eating something. Second, the delicacies from our table are often too salty or greasy, with too much sugar in them, which can increase gas issues in Australian Shepherds.
3. Eat Slower
As discussed above, if you want your pet to eat more slowly, simply choose the right bowl and this will help prevent various indigestion or even vomiting. Sometimes it is beneficial to feed the dog by hand – then your Aussie will eat only as much as you give and you will be able to make sure that the pet eats slowly enough.
You can try to make feeding your Australian Shepherd a little more interesting – for example, you can combine the feeding with a mind exercise. Various toys-riddles are perfect for this, from which the dog will be able to take food only when he performs the necessary action.
Food can be placed in a variety of toys that have cavities for delicacies. For example, Kong toys that can be left for dogs even when you are not at home because of their durability.
4. More Exercises
Yes, low physical activity can also have an impact. Australian Shepherds are active dogs, they need a lot of exercise and if they are not getting that – poor digestion can be also a consequence of this.
Try to take longer walks during the day and if possible, diversify this time with some tasks. And remember to avoid too much activities at least one hour before eating and two hours after eating.
5. If nothing helps – visit veterinarian
If you notice that your Australian Shepherd is bothered by bloating, despite your efforts to change diet, feed, and the illness also persists for a long time – consult a veterinarian.
Early examination can save money on the treatment of the animal as well as protect its health. Intestinal irritations, tumors, allergies can cause serious health problems and illnesses, so counseling can help prevent more serious pet health problems.
Final Thoughts
If your Australian Shepherd is farting occasionally – then its quite normal, we all do it sometimes, right? However, if it becomes constant, you should follow the points listed above and try to make changes. And if you have any doubts, call or visit a veterinarian is always a good choice.