Greyt Farting: Why Do Hounds Fart So Much?

Of  all the great qualities that greyhounds are famous for, their ability  to clear a room with their wind is one that no one will tell you about  until after you’ve adopted one…wouldn’t want people to be put off the  idea now, would we?

Whether  letting one slip out while having a great big butt in the air stretch,  or burping in your face while having neck rubs, greyhounds can be very  gassy but why?  Unfortunately, it’s quite normal.  Gas is naturally  produced within the digestive system…but the frequency in which they  fart, and the strength of the small, is largely related to diet.

Different  foods produce different gases.  Either you get those that produce  methane and sulphur (which stink to high heaven) or odourless gasses  like CO2 and the like.  Obviously, we would all like to aim for our  hounds to be producing the latter, and stop choking us out with their  frequent flatulence, but for a lot of owners they get the smelly ones!

While  their eye-watering antics can be lived with, it’s not the nicest thing  to have going on…particularly when you have visitors!

So,  should you want to reduce the fumigation of whichever room your hound  happens to be in, changing the diet is one of the simplest and quickest  things you can do.  

There are numerous foods that are likely to increase smelly gas production, and these include:

- Dairy
- Cereals/Grains (particularly wheat and wheat products)
- Corn or Maize
- Soy, Soyabean or related products
- Beans and Legumes
- Fermentable fibres such as psyllium, oats, barley, beet pulp, and fruit

Excluding  dairy, all of these make up large percentages, if not the entirety, of  greyhound specific or other low-quality diets…and while your hound may  like a bit of milk or cheese now and again, it’s best to keep it to a  minimum for the sake of your nose hairs!

By  swapping onto a higher quality diet, with a high meat content and other  appropriate and digestible ingredients, you should see big difference  in the frequently and strength of your hound’s wind.  

Additionally,  for this to be effective you have to stop giving them little human  titbits.  It doesn’t matter if they like a slice of toast, some grated  cheese, a slurp of your coffee or their breakfast weetabix…all of these  add to their smelly presence!  If you want to rid yourself of the smell,  you have to be steadfast in your decision to restrict their diet away  from gas triggers.

While they  will always have wind, as there is no way around it, such a simple  change can make cuddling up to your hound on the sofa at night far more  bearable when the popping begins!

There  are also some lifestyle changes you can make to help reduce gas.   Mainly in how you feed such as avoiding feeding one large meal per day.   Instead, feed twice or three times a day, to make the meal sizes  smaller, improving digestibility and movement through the digestive  system.  

If your hound is prone  to eating quickly, they could be gulping down a lot of air with each  mouthful that can add to the build up of gas in their system.  Providing  their meals in slow feeders, puzzle feeders or other interactive food  toys can not only mentally enrich them but prevent an excess of  swallowed air.  Raised feeders are also meant to help.

Lastly,  ensuring your hound is active (within their limits mentally and  physically) can make a big difference as movement helps regulate the  digestive system.  This not only ensures a regular poop schedule, but it  also encourages a lot of the gasses to be released while  walking…reducing the excess that is released indoors!

Many  people swear by the introduction of supplemental probiotics or foods  such as natural yoghurt added to their dogs diet for improving farting,  but it doesn’t work for everyone…no harm in giving it a go though!

Least to say, fixing the farting problem is very easy…but each dog is individual in how they respond to different foods.

If  your dog is particularly prone to flatulence, has other digestive  issues (even mild ones) or other seemingly unrelated issues such as dry,  dandruff skin, weepy eyes and often appears itchy, they could very well  have food intolerances or allergies!  We’ll discuss this in a future  post!