What makes a dog fart?

Dogs love anything that has an obnoxious smell. Dogs have the disgusting habit of drinking from the toilet bowl, eating their own and other dog’s poop as well as rolling on rotting animals. Should we be surprised at the dog’s habit of detonating small bombs from the anus? The fart of humans and dogs can clear a room instantly the only difference is that if the smell is discovered coming from the rear end of humans, the “donor” will be embarrassed while dogs will look unconcerned. The unpleasant smell emitted from the anus is not harmful, it will not make anyone sick but no one would want the environment filled with the obnoxious smell.

Emission of deadly gas from the rear end is called farting or flatulence. Gasses that are released during flatulence is a combination of nitrogen, methane, hydrogen sulfide, oxygen and carbon dioxide. Gas is produced in the intestines when bacteria reacts to the process of digesting the ingested food. Another source of flatulence is the gas in the intestines from the blood as well as from the air swallowed by the dog when eating or drinking. Excessive production of flatus is influenced by the type of food ingested, by the amount of air swallowed and the reaction of bacteria to the natural process of digesting food.

Dog owners would know how fast dogs eat. Foods, especially large chunks are gulped down by dogs. The habit of wolves to gulp down the food was passed on to present day dogs. Gobbling the food was attributed to the scarcity of food in the wild that necessitates animals to eat fast so as to prevent other animals and even other dogs in the pack to steal the hunted prey. When dogs eat fast significant amount of air is swallowed as well.

Gas is a byproduct produced through the natural process of food digestion. An older dog’s intestinal muscular tone is weakened hence farting is rather excessive because more gas is produced. Some foods are noted to cause flatulence. Beans, cauliflower, dairy products are some of the foods that can make your dog fart more. Poor quality of dog food that contains more cereal fillers is another cause of bad flatulence.

Excessive farting can be reduced if the dog is given several meals of smaller ration instead of one big meal. Another remedy to lessen the dogs tendency to fart is to provide the dog with expensive but good quality dog food.

Sarah’s Dogs has more information about why dogs fart and why dogs.pant