Expert: Jana Connell RVT, CVT - 2/12/2012

Question
QUESTION: Hi,

My question is about my 5-year old Chi that suddenly (blush) farts all the time.  She mainly does it when she's resting.  But it smells like her stomach may be upset--not the normal gas smell.  I have not changed her diet in over a year.  She has no other symptoms that I know of.  But this is my first dog, so I wouldn't really know what necessarily to look for.

Thanks much.

ANSWER: Hi Robin,

Well you might not have changed her food but that doesn't mean that the brand is consistent. Most store brand foods are made in such a way that the ingredients that go into them can change from batch to batch and that is like buying new food for your dog. It can actually cause some very serious gastric issues.

Since you didn't include what she eats there isn't much I can tell you past that. Certain foods will cause more gas in dogs than others plus her treats can cause this as well.

So let me know what you feed her, treats and all, and I can be of more help.




---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks, and sorry for the incomplete info.  

I feed my dog about 3/4 cup of EVO Red Meat Formula Small Bites Dry Dog Food mixed with 2 teaspoons of Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Original Ultra Ultra Premium Canned Dog Food.  I'm pretty much going to just feeding her once a day because often she doesn't touch it in the morning.

1ce or 2ce a day I give one of her treats:

1/2 of a Dogswell Vitality Dog Chew, Chicken Breast
or
1 Canyon Creek Ranch Duck Tender


and sometimes I give her a Blue Buffalo Health Bar,
Baked With Apples and Yogurt.

That's about it, and I've been doing this for over a year.

Any help you can offer is greatly appreciated.

ANSWER: Well from what you sent me there are plenty of reasons she is passing gas. One is the quality of the Evo food, which at best, is not very good. These types of dog food companies are set up to share whatever is cheapest on the docks that day and so that is what goes into the next batch of food.

By that I mean that their ingredient lists change by what they buy in large quantities for the day/month etc. So if the chick from China is what they went in on with Iams, Nutro and Dick Van Patten, then that is what the next batch of your dogs food is going to be made with.

What this does to your dog is cause gastric upsets, makes the food less digestible because she isn't used to it and can actually cause some majorly serious problems such as gastritis and pancreatitis.

Your dogs digestive system is geared to eat the same thing day after day, year after year. When you feed a food that is made inconsistently then your dog will have issues.

Most dogs have problems digesting soy, beef, pork and some have a problem with chicken and grains. Yogurt or any diary will also cause gassy problems because dogs are lactose intolerant.

She doesn't need all the treats you are giving her either. What is her weight? If she is over 8 lbs then she is probably obese. Most female chihuahuas shouldn't weight over that and a small female chihuahua shouldn't weigh over 5-6 lbs.

I would slowly transition her to a diet that is made for sensitive stomachs such as Science Diet Sensitive stomach formula or even the Science Diet light for Small dogs. This is the only food left on the market that is fixed-formulated, which means the ingredients are consistent from batch to batch because Hills does not buy from China and uses only high-grade food from American farmers in their pet foods.

Batch after batch the food will remain the same and eliminate these flatulence issues.

They have a wide variety of treats as well but again, be careful with all treats!

Once a day feeding is fine, but make it in the morning when she is more active to burn more calories. Give her one treat at night only!

That should help with her gas. Transition her slowly over a 7 day period so as not to upset her stomach.

Let me know how she does after a week or so...  

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks much--I will check out the Science Diet Sensitive stomach and the lite, but last we checked, she did not like the taste of it, or of several other brands--I couldn't get her to eat them, to the point of her just not eating for days!

She is not obese, yet she is 10 lbs.  Star stands 13" at her shoulder.   Here's a video of her (dark brown) and a guest we had for a few days (light brown).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o88jDr2wmgE

I'll let you know in a week or so as you suggest--and thank you again.

Answer
You are very welcome Robin.
Remember that dogs become picky eaters from changing food often. She is in good shape, but there is something that she is now eating that is causing this flatulence issue.

Try her on the Sensitive stomach formula for a three weeks and see how she does. A little warm water on the food can help them smell it out and makes it more palatable to the dog.

Be sure to switch her over slowly however!!
Please let me know how she does in a few weeks.