Do Blue Heelers Fart A Lot?

Farting a bit every day is normal for a dog, however, if your dog farts a lot more than usual it means there may be an underlying reason for the excessive farting. 

Reasons Why A Blue Heeler Farts So Much

When your dog starts having flatulence more frequently than usual, check to see their lifestyle change which contributes to this sudden excessive farting. The common signs of flatulence include:

• Bloating 
• Stomach discomfort 
• An excessive rumbling of the stomach
• Release of the gas with or without a smell. 
• If there is an underlying indigestion problem the signs can also include diarrhea weight loss and vomiting.

A Blue Heeler can fart excessively because of:

A Sudden Diet Change

Dogs have sensitive stomachs and the sudden change of the diet leads to excessive gas formation. If you have changed your dog’s diet, expect to have frequent releases of gas from them as the digestive system adjusts to the new food.

Food Intolerance

Just like us humans, dogs can have a food intolerance to some food ingredients where the food is poorly digested. Poorly digestible food ingredients cause excess fermentation in the colon and the production of gas.

This indigestion can cause loose stool and gas. Intolerance to ingredients such as gluten, soybean, beans, spicy food, or high-fat diets is commonly associated with flatulence in dogs.

Most dogs are also lactose intolerant meaning they cannot digest dairy products such as cheese, cream, or anything containing milk, and eating these upsets their stomachs and results in uncomfortable farts.

See Also: Blue Heeler sensitive stomach

Poor Quality Food

Your Blue Heeler may pass gas frequently because of intolerance to low-quality filler ingredients that may be present in their food. These ingredients cause digestive problems in dogs which leads to flatulence.

The filler ingredients include corn, soy, or carrageenan. The ingredient list on your dog’s food matters and with direction from your vet, you can go through an elimination process of the type of ingredients in your dog’s food to identify which ones are the cause of the excessive flatulence.

Eating Too Fast And Swallowing Of Air

Eating too fast leads to increased swallowing of air which ends up in the gastrointestinal tract of your dog. The only way to release this air is through farting and this is a reason your Blue Heeler may be having excessive flatulence.

If your Blue Heeler is a fast eater, this is likely to happen as they ingest a lot of air which ends up in the stomach and intestines.

Eating of Human Food

Table scraps which are human food that you may feed your dog cause farting. Human foods such as peas, soybean, beans, high-fat food, dairy products, and spicy food can make your Blue Heeler excessively gassy.

Feeding your dog small amounts of these foods may not lead to having flatulence, however, feeding them in large quantities will not be good for their stomachs and will lead to flatulence. 

Obesity  

An overweight Blue Heeler that does not exercise regularly is more at risk of having chronic gas than an active dog.

Regular exercise helps to stimulate the intestinal tract and when digested food moves through the system, excessive gas is reduced.

If a Blue Heeler is obese with a more sedentary lifestyle due to lack of activity, they will have flatulence more frequently.

Disease

Excessive passing of gas can also be a sign of an underlying disease or health problem that triggers the production of a lot of gas.

Diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, tumors, cancer, canine colitis, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, intestinal parasites, irritable bowel syndrome, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, or enteritis can make a Blue Heeler’ stomach gassy.

To know whether your Blue Heeler has these underlying diseases, they need to be checked by your vet to verify or rule them out and the solution implemented.

Related: Why does my Blue Heeler stink? Here’s why and how to get rid of the smell

How Do I Get Rid Of My Dog’s Bad Gas? What To Do

Flatulence is a natural part of life your Blue Heeler may experience from time to time. If your Blue Heeler is in excellent health, there’s nothing to worry about however there are some steps you can take to reduce the flatulence in your dog:

Gradually Change Their Diet

When you need to change your dog’s diet, change it slowly over time to allow for the digestive system to adjust to the new food.

You can start mixing the new food to the current food your dog is on and keep increasing the quantity over time until they can fully eat it. This reduces the sudden change of diet which also reduces episodes of farting.

Feed Them Easily Digestible Food 

Your dog’s everyday diet might have ingredients that cause flatulence and you need to change the diet if this is so. Low-quality food can have that effect on your dog’s stomach.

Change to premium dog food that usually contains high amounts of digestible ingredients. To determine if a particular ingredient is the cause of excessive flatulence, consult with your vet who will go through the process of determining the ingredients in your dog’s diet which are the cause of the flatulence.

From this, you will have a list of food ingredients to avoid in their diet and a selection of the best foods specifically for your Blue Heeler.

If your dog is on a high-quality food diet and still farts, still talk to your vet to find out the presence of any intolerance or allergy that your dog could have.

Always check the ingredients of a particular food when choosing dog food and select the ones that will not cause flatulence in your dog. Yucca schidigera and zinc acetate are ingredients in dog food that have been shown to reduce flatulence in dogs.

Exercise Your Blue Heeler

Exercise is one way that helps to improve digestion and minimize farting. Keeping your Blue Heeler active with regular exercise is healthy and also prevents them from being overweight which also causes flatulence.

Dogs that have regular exercise often have less flatulence than dogs that don’t.

Include Probiotics In The Diet

Probiotics and prebiotics have good bacteria that help the digestion of food. Some dog foods contain them in their food formulas for better digestion which reduces gas production.

If not formulated in the food, you can get probiotics sold separately that you can provide to your dog.

Medication for Flatulence

Your vet may also prescribe medication and recommend dietary supplements that will help reduce your Blue Heeler’ flatulence.

The treatment plan is specifically designed for your dog so that it may help to reduce flatulence.

Change the feeding routine and slow down speed eating 

You can also change your dog’s feeding routine by spreading their meal times and providing smaller portions throughout the day which helps them eat smaller amounts of food at a time.

This provides fewer chances for intestinal bacteria to react with indigestible substances in their food.

For fast eaters, you can also use slow-feeding bowls that allow your dog to eat smaller portions of food and prevents gulping of food and air which causes flatulence.

Add Water to Their Food

Adding water to your dog’s food will help slow down eating which means they will not eat too fast.

This will prevent swallowing of a lot of air which could accumulate in the stomach and which leads to farting.

Keep Your Blue Heeler Out Of The Trash

Try keeping your Blue Heeler from scavenging in the trash can where they might eat food or substances that may upset their stomachs.

When walking with them, have them on a leash to prevent them from venturing into eating things they find on the street.

Teach them to know commands that direct them to leave or stop an activity so that they don’t continue to act on it once they come in contact with trash or what they are not supposed to eat.

What To Avoid

Don’t give your dog table scraps

Table scraps or leftover human food should not be given to your dog. They cannot easily digest these foods which result in stomach upsets which lead to flatulence.

Processed foods especially with sugar or high in fats affect your dog’s stomach and create gas. Therefore avoid feeding your dog processed food made for human consumption.

Avoid fart-inducing foods

Not all human foods are bad for dogs. However, from the ones that are safe to be fed to dogs, avoid the ones that produce gas in dogs.

Food like broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussel sprouts are good, however, too much of them leads to smelly farts. Also, avoid feeding your Blue Heeler dairy products such as milk.

Conclusion: Why Does My Blue Heeler Fart So Much?

While flatulence is a normal part of a dog’s life, excessive gas production could be a cause of concern which requires determination of the cause to control and reduce it.

Flatulence certainly cannot be eliminated entirely but can be minimized. When your Blue Heeler experiences excessive farting more than usual, observe what lifestyle change has occurred and also talk to your vet to determine the underlying reason.