Why Does My Dog Pass So Much Gas? - Vetstreet

You could argue that passing gas is more of a medical issue than a canine curiosity — but it’s actually both. Some dogs can be powerful gas passers, and others are just capable of intermittently clearing a room. So what makes some dogs such effective wind farms while others seem to go through life with nary a poof?

Many dogs who have chronic flatulence suffer from an intolerance to one or more components in their diets. They don’t have the ability to properly digest or absorb certain ingredients, which is referred to as “dietary intolerance.” As a result, the bacteria that digests food in the intestines responds by producing excess gas.

For most dogs, however, gassiness happens only occasionally, when their intestinal bacteria is unprepared to handle a sudden onslaught of new ingredients. This is why feeding your dog leftover barbecue is considered a bad thing if he gets such rich tidbits only once in a while — and you should consider yourself lucky if all that comes of it is some nasty gas.

Other problems can also cause gas. In fact, any gastrointestinal problem that affects digestion and the absorption of nutrients — such as inflammatory bowel disease, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and bacterial or viral enteritis — can produce some mighty putrid pet gas.

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