Why is my beagle so bloated
Why do beagles fart so much and What to do about it?
Fart of your Beagle can be funny and cute, but if it starts happening more often, then the foul smell can become problematic to deal with. It can not only be embarrassing for you but for your guests too. Excessive farting can also be a symptom of some health concerns. But why do Beagles fart so much?
Beagles can fart for many reasons; one of the most common among them is dietary indiscretion. A sudden change in diet or eating new food can make them gassy. Farting or flatulence occurs when theres an expulsion of a mixture of byproducts gases in the digestive system. Occasional farting is perfectly normal.
Further, in this article, we will look into various reasons which are causing farts and how you can prevent it.
Reasons behind Beagle Farting
The smelly hydrogen gas formed by the byproducts of certain food items is released through the colon. Frequent farts are caused due to a bloated stomach or cramping. Lets have a look at various reasons why beagles fart.
Particular Food Items
Change in the dogs diet should be done gradually over the course of at least three weeks. A sudden or improper change in your Beagles diet can cause an upset and gassy stomach.
Apart from that, adding a certain item in your Beagles diet can cause indigestion, leading to gas. For instance, Broccoli is good for your Beagle as it is a rich source of vitamins, folic acid, calcium, potassium, and fiber. But this veggie can make your dog gassy and bloated. As it is a soluble fiber, it gets digested before it reached the large intestine, later making your Beagle gassy.
To avoid this, start with introducing new food in smaller quantities and mixing it with the old one.
Foods high in fiber should be avoided as beagles lack enzymes to break down these supplements and leads to fermentation and later gas.
Keep your Beagle away from trash cans and leftover food. Eating indigestible food can later cause gas.
Avoid Table Scraps
What may seem healthy for humans can be toxic for your Beagle. One mistake that dog parents do is feed the remaining table scraps to their pooch.
Human food is usually high in fats and contains sugar, which makes the food difficult to digest for your Beagle and leads to gas. Some of the dogs may even be lactose intolerant, and giving dairy products can cause an upset stomach, sometimes even worse.
Being a responsible parent, you should avoid feeding your pooch table scraps.
Eating Too Fast
Swallowing food at a faster pace can lead to the intake of air, which increases gases in the bowel systemswallowing of air while drinking or eating is called Aerophagia. If you notice that your pooch is eating too fast, then this can be the reason why he has been farting so much.
To avoid this, serve him smaller portions of food throughout the day. You can even get a raised bowl, to make it difficult for your pooch to eat in large quantities. Feeding him in a kong can help too.
If you have one or more dogs, then the situation can be a bit more competitive. So make sure you dont let your Beagle eat with your other pet. Each pet should have a designated eating place.
Bacteria in the Digestive System
Good bacteria and harmful bacteria play an essential role in humans digestive systems, and this applies to canines too. The bacterias break down the food, and the undigested carbohydrates create gas in the process. The build of harmful bacteria can lead to imbalance and later upset stomach.
This imbalance in the stomach can create gas. Also, it can cause diarrhea, constipation, and bloating.
Theyre Overweight
Beagles are active and have a high energy level. Without daily exercise and proper diet, a beagle can quickly become overweight. Overweight and inactive beagles are more prone to a gassy stomach.
To avoid this, provide physical exercise to your Beagle daily and keep a check on his food intake. It will help to maintain a healthy digestive tract and decrease excessive gas production. Here are 12 ways to exercise a beagle.
Major Gastrointestinal Disease
Farting often can give a warning about your Beagles unhealthy gut. This can be an unhealthy gastrointestinal disease like inflammatory bowel movements. Beagles are prone to these types of diseases. Excessive gasses can lead to small and loose bowel movements and further to volvulus infections, which can even be fatal.
In such situations, consult a vet as soon as possible for a better solution.
How to Prevent Stinky Farts in Beagles
Encouraging your Beagles to have a proper and healthy diet brings a difference to their lifestyle. You need to stop your Beagle to gobbling food and consuming unhealthy food items.
Other than just maintaining a proper diet, there are different ways you can help your Beagle reduce and prevent farts.
Maintain Active Lifestyle
Beagles love to play outdoors and are always ready for activities. Take your Beagle for a walk or some physical sessions to curb down bloating and gassy stomach.
A walk before or after dinner can also encourage better bowel movements. 30 to 45 minutes walk or any physical activity can work positively for your Beagle.
Beagles with an obese and sedentary lifestyle have a higher risk of heart problems and chronic flatulence.
Pineapples
Pineapples can reduce flatulence and also helps in maintaining blood sugar levels. Pineapples contain bromelain; it is a protein-digestive based enzyme which helps in the decomposition of proteins in a Beagles stomach.
Most beagles love the tangy and sweet taste of pineapples. They are a wise option for a tasty and healthy mid-day snack.
Skip on canned pineapples. They have added sugars, making it harmful for your Beagles digestive tract.
Multiple Meals A Day
Feeding your Beagle two meals a day is much easier, but it can be a bit heavy on the stomach and the intestinal tract. Instead of 2 meals a day, divide the same amount of food in 3 to 4 meals a day.
Small meals wont let the food sitting in the stomach. Less fermentation will lead to a reduction in the gas build-up.
Multiple meals a day wont reduce the amount of food your pet consumes, but the calorie consumption will be distributed and manageable.
Prebiotic and Probiotic Supplements
Including probiotic supplements in your Beagles diet can reduce stinky farts. Adding good bacteria to your Beagles diet can increase the health of the gastrointestinal tract. Good bacteria can increase the overall health of the gut.
There are capsules and liquid supplements of probiotic available in the market. However, plain yogurt can work too. Plain yogurt has good bacteria and is a probiotic food item. Just make sure the yogurt is fat-free or is a low-calorie variant. Beagles love and enjoy the taste of yogurt. Opt for a fat-free plain yogurt product. Consult your vet before adding any supplements to your Beagles diet.
A common method to avoid excessive and stinky farts is to make dietary and lifestyle changes. Once you are aware of what food items work best for your Beagle, then the medical issues can be prevented easily. Curb on treats as they can easily upset your pets stomach and spike sugar levels.
Also, it is recommended to consult with a vet before adding any extra supplements to your pets diet. In some cases, you may need to have prescribed medications to solve your Beagles excessive farts.
Final Thoughts
Proper outdoor activities and a healthy diet can solve this issue. Opt for less processed food items, low-calorie variants, and quality products.
Exercising before and after meals can reduce a gassy stomach and also improve the gastrointestinal tract. Also, the intake of probiotic and probiotic supplements improves Beagles gut.
Beagle Gas Problems
2. Certain Foods
In some cases of a Beagle's main food being changed, there can be gas problems for the first few weeks as the body becomes accustomed to the new diet.
If a Beagle remains gassy or if there have not been any recent changes, the problem is most likely one particular food ingredient.
Here are the top culprits that can cause a Beagle to suffer from gas:
Corn - Corn can cause gas problems and the main reason for this is that it is not digestible.
Meat - Each Beagle is very unique when it comes to gas problems. A meat that causes a problem for one dog may not be an issue for another. For this reason, making a switch from a lamb based meal to a fish based meal can do the trick or vice-versa. The main element to remember is that changing the main meat course can offer a Beagle relief from a gassy stomach.
Liver treats -From a poll of
Beagle owners, the one treat that appears to cause the most gas is liver based. If your Beagle is eating this, cutting this out and using an alternative can be the answer (more ahead).
Broccoli - This is a good food choice for dogs when added to meals; it offers vitamins A and C, folic acid, fiber, calcium, magnesium and potassium. But, it is known for being a gas producing food. This vegetable is a soluble fiber which means that it does not break down until it reaches the dog's large intestine. Once there, it produces gas. Removing this food can help quite a bit. Good alternatives are carrots, peas or potatoes.
Forbidden foods - It is not out of the realm of possibilities that a Beagle is sneaking into the trash can to find leftovers and throwaways of food that his humans have put in there. Dogs that get into the trash can sneak out pieces of food that are too high in fat or too high in carbs thus causing gas. In addition, of course, some foods in there will be toxic to canines. For this reason, do be sure to have "beagle proof" trash cans both inside and out.
3. Rawhides
Rawhides do have a couple positives: they can help clean teeth and keep a dog busy, BUT the dangerous far outweigh any pro's. Even "real beef" hides are wound together and sealed with a glue that is a toxic chemical. The hides are barely digestible. Not only can large swallowed chunks cause intestinal blockage, but they also - due to being very hard to digest- cause dogs to be very gassy. They can also cause a dog to have loose stools.
There are much better alternatives to rawhides:
1- Knuckle bones - One of the safest bones that you can give to a Beagle, but watch out! Once you start, he'll never want another snack other than his knuckle bone! These are relatively inexpensive and you can obtain them from your local butcher.
Can Beagles Get Bloat?
906For every dog lover, there is no better companion and friend than their pet. Whether on good or bad days, one is always grateful to have a dog to talk with, walk with, rant to, and cuddle up.
Beagles are more than friends; they are family, an essential part of our lives and we never want to go without them
Imagine how you would feel knowing that your happy Beagle that has been your very own ray of sunshine is not only unable to bring laughter to your lips, but is also going through hardships caused by health conditions.
I indeed cannot bear to imagine it and I doubt that anyone crazy about dogs would be able to.
What this means is that we areresponsible for ensuring that our best friends are healthy, and we ought tomake their health a top priority at all times.
When dealing with dogs, there are different measures we should take when it comes to protecting them from health risks and ensuring they are in perfect shape at all times.
Some of these health conditions to watch out for include respiratory problems, eye problems, skin issues, ear infections, urinary tract infections, stomach conditions like diarrhea, and bloating.
Bloat in Beagles
So, can Beagles get bloat? Yes, Bloating is a possible health challenge for a large breed of dogs including Beagles. Eating habits and other factors can make Beagles susceptible to bloating.
Beagles are a breed of small hound thatis pretty famous among other kinds. They are a happy, curious, loyal breed andthe best companion a man can have.
For dog lovers, the major attractive features of beagles are their adorable faces, unique colors, and homely and playful character.
One thing about Beagles is that they are a quite admired and coveted breed for many reasons. Beagles are intelligent; they possess a very high sense of smell and tracking instincts which makes them popular as hunting dogs.
A beagle is also a great pet choice because it not only has a good temper; it is also free of inherited health problems, unlike some other breeds. There are many reasons to love beagles and more reasons to take good care of their health.
Although they stand out as one of the healthiest breeds of dogs with an average healthy lifespan of 10 to13 years, beagles are still prone to several ailments, including deafness, cataract, hemophilia, bladder cancer, glaucoma as well as bloating.
If you are wondering how to keep your dog awayfrom bloats, then you should pay attention to the rest of this article to getall you need to know about Beagles and the alarming stomach disorder that theyare at risk of suffering.
What Is Bloating?
Bloating is a term used to describe a form of stomach disorder common among canines; another name for Bloating is Gastric dilatation. The stomach of the animal gets filled with too much air or gas, and it then causes the stomach to twist on itself.
Gastric dilatation, according to research, is the second leading cause of death in dogs and although it is a common cause of death, with an understanding of the reasons, prevention, and treatment, you can keep your god out of harms way.
Bloating is common among many breeds ofdogs, and beagles are not exempted from this significant health conveniencewith possibly deadly effects.
Different Stages of Bloating
Bloating comes in two stages; GastricDilatation and Volvulus.
Gastric Dilatation
During the Gastric dilatation stage, there is a buildup of gas in the dogs stomach, and the excessive gas prevents blood circulation around the stomach as well as the heart and diaphragm.
The continued pressure by the excessive gas stops blood from getting to the heart of your beagle, which eventually needs to heart attack and shock.
Volvulus
This is the life-threatening stage of bloating and it is at this stage that the dogs life is actually in grave danger.
When bloating gets to this stage, thestomach twists and turns at a 360 angle and blocks both the entrance and exitpoints of the stomach with all the content inside it. In the cause of the flip,blood flow is cut off as oxygen does not get to the pancreas.
When the pancreas is short of oxygen,they release substances that are harmful enough to stop the heart and causedeath in a brief time.
If you are not careful, your dog maydie in a few hours after bloating advances to the volvulus stage. But death canbe averted by an urgent surgery to correct the unusual twist.
Causes of Bloating in Beagles
The primary reason for bloating among dogs is yet to be aptly defined by doctors and researchers in this field but there are quite many other probable factors for bloating, and all of these factors relate to the meals and eating habits of your pet.
Here are a few likely causes of bloating:
- Over-eating, i.e., when your beagle has had a huge meal, he is prone to bloating.
- Excessive play after eating a heavy meal.
- Drinking too much water after the meal.
- Eating too fast and not chewing.
- Making use of elevated bowls.
Signs and Symptoms of Bloat in Your Beagles
Sometimes it is difficult to find out if your beagle is bloating until it gets late, and your pet is already going through a significant health condition. It is essential to pay attention to some of the possible signs of bloating so that you can take action immediately after they appear.
- Themost apparent evidence of bloating in your beagles is the protruding of thestomach. When the belly of your dog looks more prominent than usual, then itcould be a sign of bloating.
- Stomachpain or a show of aggression when your beagles stomach is touched could alsobe a sign of bloating
- Feelingsof fatigue, laziness, depression, as well as prolonged sleeping patterns, arealso some things to expect.
- Droolingand excessive release of saliva
- Continuous,uncomfortable retching without actually vomiting
- Generaldistress and restlessness.
These are a few symptoms of bloating that you definitely shouldnt overlook because bloating in extreme circumstances can kill a dog in a matter of hours if it is left untreated and unattended.
If you notice your Beagle showing any of these signs, you should visit a vet as soon as possible.
How Can I Prevent My Beagle From Getting Bloats?
In every circumstance, prevention isbetter than cure, and it is even more accurate in the case of bloating as itaffects your dogs health.
Although there is no 100 percentpossibility of getting your pet totally out of harms way when it comes tobloating, there are a few measures you can take to ensure your Beagle is as farfrom bloating as possible.
- Prevent your dog from overeating: When you feed your Beagle, ensure that you measure its meals in small portions to prevent overeating. Unlike humans who can tell when they are full and stop eating, dogs cannot know so they would eat as much as possible which would endanger their health.
- Resting after meals is compulsory: Dogs like to play, and your Beagle is not an exception. Before you allow its curiosity to lead it out into the field or playground, ensure your pet has enough rest so that digestion can take place
- Too much water is bad: dont allow your Beagle to drink too much water after eating. Water should be measured just as much as food so dont let your dog go on a spree with water because it could cause quite a bit of harm.
- Feed your dog a few times a day rather than once: some persons opt for feeding their pet one big meal a day for some reason, but this is a major cause of bloating because your Beagle is bound to overeat. Rather than feeding your dog once a day, it is better and healthier to break the meals into two or three smaller meals.
- Slow down your dogs eating: Most dogs love to eat fast, especially when you have more than one dog eating from a bowl. The solution to this is to feed your dogs using separate containers so that they can slow down as they eat. Another way to slow down your dogs eating is to get a slow feeding bowl for your pet.
- Provide a balanced diet: Ensure that every meal you feed your pet is healthy and can digest properly without any complications. Your pets health is as good as what it eats.
- Surgery: one great thing about Beagles is that they dont inherit family health conditions, but in cases where your pet is at risk of inheriting health conditions and a close family member has suffered from bloating, it is crucial to prevent the same from happening to your pet. A preventive surgery called Gastropexy involves stitching a side of the dogs stomach to the wall to prevent the stomach from twisting and turning.
Are There Treatments for Bloating?
The primary reason for increasingawareness about this health issue is to either prevent the condition or treatthe pet on time to avoid escalations and extreme circumstances.
If prevention fails and the signs arealready visible, the next thing is to get treatment. When detected on time, youhave little to worry about because you can get your Beagle treated and back togood health in no time.
Here are a few treatments for your Beagle:
Extraction of gas
In the first stage, when bloating has not worsened to volvulus, it is possible to decompress the stomach and get all the gas out.
The gas is removed by inserting afeeding tube into the stomach and extracting the gas through the dogs mouth.
However, removal and extraction are only an option when the stomach has not yet twisted; if it has twisted, surgery or puncturing of the stomach would be the next probable option.
Surgery
The second stage of bloating calls for operation, which would untwist the stomach and return it to its original place.
Even if the vet punctures the abdomento let out the gas, surgery will still be needed to correct the abnormal shapeand set the stomach in working order.
Other forms of treatment includemanaging shock if your Beagle has already slid into shock or stabilizing theheart in case of heart attacks.
Regardless of the stage of bloating your pet is experiencing, it is not something to dally over; the first thing to do is rush your pet to the doctor for tests and examinations, and then do whatever is necessary to nurse your beagle back to health.
Final Thoughts
It is important to note that the risk of bloating is not specific to any dog breed, although some breeds are more susceptible to this condition. So whether your pet is a Beagle, Irish Setter, Sheepdog, or even Chihuahua, bloating is something you should expect.
Once again, prevention is key tokeeping your beloved pet away from this health condition, and this should gowith close observation; if you notice anything wrong that you cannot make senseof, get your dog to the vet immediately.
A false alarm is better than a late discovery, which could lead to other medical emergencies. Get your dog medical attention as fast as possible, especially in cases of bloating.
No matter the knowledge you might have gathered informally, dont try to treat your pet at home, visit the vet and give your companion the best possible care.
Because we adore our best friends, itis always a priority to ensure that they live healthy and happy lives so thatwe can be satisfied as well. It is never enough until you do your best.