First Published 05/01/01, Vol. 1, Issue 1

Help for Gas
by Deb Eldredge, DVM

Dudley, your handsome, active 3-year-old Boxer, enters the room delighting everyone with his friendly, outgoing personality. Within minutes, faces look pained and Dudley is banished to the back hall. The culprit? Gas or flatulence.

While we joke and laugh about dogs with gas problems, it truly can be a nuisance for families to deal with. A recent study from England, reported in the March 15, 2001 issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, looks at treating this very problem. The foul odor is primarily due to the amount of sulfur-containing gas. In people, hydrogen sulfide gas may even be associated with ulcerative colitis, so there could be some health implications as well.

The dogs involved in the study were a Golden retriever, 2 English mastiffs and 5 Labrador retrievers. The dogs were fed treats with yucca, zinc acetate, activated charcoal or a combination of the three ingredients. The goal was to reduce the hydrogen sulfide gas in the intestines and reduce the odors. While the actual amount of gas produced was not significantly changed, the dogs did have less foul odors. The combination treats were the most successful.

So how we can use this information to help with our own gassy dogs? First, look into some treats with yucca or activated charcoal. The zinc acetate would be harder to find, but if you have both the yucca and charcoal you are on the way to decreased odors. Check the ingredients of your dog's regular food. Any added sulfur, including a large amount of egg products, will add to the foul smells. Dairy products such as cheese and milk are also sometimes related to extra odors.

Dogs who gulp their food, swallowing a large amount of air along with their chow, will produce more gas. Just reducing the amount of gas will help some with the odors. You can help slow down food gulpers by feeding more than once a day, putting large rocks (large enough that they won't be swallowed in haste!) in the food bowl, or scattering the food around the floor. Dogs who pant more (many of the short-nosed breeds) will swallow extra air just breathing and are often the breeds we associate with extra gas.

Until we have more information we can't be sure that hydrogen sulfide gas production is related to health problems in dogs. It certainly is related to nuisance problems however, and in some dogs is a big enough problem that the dog ends up banished to the garage or a doghouse outside. If some special treats can make a difference in the gas odors of those dogs we can certainly improve their quality of life simply and easily.