An ill wind

[Slowpoke Slim]

We have 4 labs. Our oldest is a 12 y.o. chocolate lab that if he passes gas will make you gag. He has always had bad smelling gas (silent but deadly). We give him acidopholis (sp?), which almost completely eliminates his farting. On the other hand, our much younger black lab farts almost continuously (we call him "squeeker" half the time), but his gas has virtually no odor to it at all. No idea why. All 4 of our dogs have certain food allergies, and there are only a couple of food choices they can all mutually eat without any one having ill effects.

Food allergies in dogs are much more common than most people realize. I'd have the dog tested for allergies (can be done with a blood test), and find a food that fits him. Add acidopholis to that "safe" food, and that's about the best you can do. Also, make sure the dog isn't getting a hold of anything "extra". No table scraps, not getting into the garbage, isn't "counter surfing", and isn't eating "goodies" he finds in the yard. Our chocolate lab CANNOT have any rawhide chews at all. Instant diarrhea if he does. Make sure the dog isn't getting something else that's triggering this problem.

 

[Looking4new]

We have 4 labs. Our oldest is a 12 y.o. chocolate lab that if he passes gas will make you gag. He has always had bad smelling gas (silent but deadly). We give him acidopholis (sp?), which almost completely eliminates his farting. On the other hand, our much younger black lab farts almost continuously (we call him "squeeker" half the time), but his gas has virtually no odor to it at all. No idea why. All 4 of our dogs have certain food allergies, and there are only a couple of food choices they can all mutually eat without any one having ill effects.

Food allergies in dogs are much more common than most people realize. I'd have the dog tested for allergies (can be done with a blood test), and find a food that fits him. Add acidopholis to that "safe" food, and that's about the best you can do. Also, make sure the dog isn't getting a hold of anything "extra". No table scraps, not getting into the garbage, isn't "counter surfing", and isn't eating "goodies" he finds in the yard. Our chocolate lab CANNOT have any rawhide chews at all. Instant diarrhea if he does. Make sure the dog isn't getting something else that's triggering this problem.

And absolutely no kittie treats! Dogs will eat cat scat!

 

[Budweiser John]

Heck, my wife tells me my "gas" has gotten a lost worse once I hit 50. My dad's can kill you and he's 85. I just say it comes with age.

Look on the bright side, you can always blame the dog

Ever been to nice little secluded 'deer camp' with a bunch of ole guys?
Nothing like a little beer, beans, and schnapps to crest an olfactory experience.

B. John

 

[dmccarty]

does the dog inhale his food? try to slow down his rate of consumption.

It's a dog, how do you propose that? Stand over it every meal and tell it to slow down, if it listens may work for a little while, but surely will get old. No pun intended.

We have a food dish that looks like this one, Pet Supplies : Brake-Fast Dog Food Slow Feed Bowl - Medium Blue : Pet Bowls : Amazon.com and it does slow down the dogs eating.

Searching for the bowl showed quite a few different designs that look like they would really slow the dogs eating.

Later,
Dab

 

[Coyote machine]

Partitioned dog bowl, or gas masks, or both. Old dogs are like old people, some smell like something was not only eaten but died up inside them, especially when they blow it out the tailpipe.
What about a removable cork, for when he gets let out to do his business?
I tell my wife I've switched to clean air farts, trying to be more green, 'ya know.

 

[aczlan]

There are actually feed bowls designed specifically to do this. One way is to put a rock or other object in the bowl and spread the food around it. Makes the dog have to move the rock to get to the food.

That also works for horses, llamas and goats. Horses get baseball size rocks, lamas and goats get golf ball to tennis ball sized ones.

Aaron Z

 

[JRobyn]

Thanks for the tips. We may try a big smooth rock in the food bowl as he does tend to eat "quickly". We have noticed lately that he also drinks a LOT and fast. Often, we scold him to stop drinking so quick. If we don't, and he slurps up a quart or so, he sometimes gags himself. We think that this is the "laryngeal paralysis", but the vet doesn't think he has this. It does make sense that one way or another, he is ingesting "extra air".

We tried probiotics - didn't really change anything.

If it helps anyone with theorizing, his farts smell (to me) like broccoli that has been rotten for several weeks and then rotted again.

 

[smstonypoint]

he farted.. so you changed his food.. that upset his gi tract.. so he farted, so you changed his food again, that upset his gi tract, so he farted, so you changed his food again.. that upset his gi tract, so he farts.

I tell my wife I've switched to clean air farts, trying to be more green, 'ya know.

If it helps anyone with theorizing, his farts smell (to me) like broccoli that has been rotten for several weeks and then rotted again.

We give him acidopholis (sp?), which almost completely eliminates his farting. On the other hand, our much younger black lab farts almost continuously (we call him "squeeker" half the time),

Gentlemen,

Such vulgarity!

The appropriate term in polite society is "backdoor breeze."

Sincerely,
Emily Post (deceased)

 

[riptides]

...We have noticed lately that he also drinks a LOT and fast. Often, we scold him to stop drinking so quick. If we don't, and he slurps up a quart or so...

Not to sound uncaring, but your dog is sounding a lot like mine. She is near the end of her days. Drinks a lot at night, putting on weight, sleeps way too much, farts, loses bladder control on occasion, very hyper and anxious at times, grunts a lot when getting up and down. She's 12, her brother, we put down a few months ago, hips went out. She's in the house now, full time, but she's old and I just feel her time is near. So we just try and make her comfortable and run the air fresheners a lot.

 

[Gem99ultra]

Okay Robyn, here's a true story...

A. ****** had farts so rancid that all around him would be mummified. So ******'s Doc decided that ****** had some "bad" bacteria in his bowels. He had a group of soldiers line up an poop, and had a group of inspectors smell each pile of poop, picking out the one that smelled best (or less bad). The Doc had that soldier's poop put into a pill and had ****** take the pills for a week, hoping to offset ******'s bad bacteria.

It is unknown whether ******'s poop smell improved or not, but his attendees quit complaining. Of course, ****** was well known also for assassinating anyone that disagreed with him. I'm not at all suggesting though that if you can't find a group of co-operative poop donors, or if daughter isn't keen on putting down the 14 y/o lab, that this method of correcting the problem is the only solution. But it is one to consider

 

[JRobyn]

Tried some "Vet's Best Gas Busters" herbal stuff. Looks like mostly dried parsley with some slippery elm extract, ginger, and enzymes.
Seems to have actually helped. But now he's acting "anxious". Don't really know how to describe it. Gets up, moves a few feet, flops down, repeat, repeat, repeat. He's also coughing/gagging more. It sure seems like the "laryngeal paralysis" that the vet says he doesn't have. He's going back to the vet. They think that some steroids will help.

 

[Soundguy]

Always check a coughing dog for heart worms too.. However, if he is having cough problems, its a good sign he's gulping and swallowing air. Air in the front of a dog always comes out as dog farts...

 

[AlmostThere]

Tried some "Vet's Best Gas Busters" herbal stuff. Looks like mostly dried parsley with some slippery elm extract, ginger, and enzymes.
Seems to have actually helped. But now he's acting "anxious". Don't really know how to describe it. Gets up, moves a few feet, flops down, repeat, repeat, repeat. He's also coughing/gagging more. It sure seems like the "laryngeal paralysis" that the vet says he doesn't have. He's going back to the vet. They think that some steroids will help.

Definitely you need to take him back in. It sounds like he is anxious or uncomfortable. He may be having problems with his breathing. I'd also suggest having some chest x-rays done in case there is a heart problem or other pulmonary problem going on. In the interim try to keep him cool (not cold) and in a dry environment mainly so he doesn't have to pant to cool himself.

Any increased difficulty of breathing can cause swallowing of air (aerophagia) which can then be passed as gas. Labs are the poster child for laryngeal paralysis but there could be something else causing the problem.

Best wishes to both of you.

 

[JRobyn]

Fart frequency and stench are both down a lot. Evidently the herbal stuff actually works. And after about 24 hrs he is no longer acting anxious. He still gulps great gobs of water, but if we ask him to stop after a few seconds he will, and then drink again a little later. This seems to have reduced much of the excess air ingestion. Still coughing/gagging, but the steroids should improve this. Looking up!

 

[AlmostThere]

Fart frequency and stench are both down a lot. Evidently the herbal stuff actually works. And after about 24 hrs he is no longer acting anxious. He still gulps great gobs of water, but if we ask him to stop after a few seconds he will, and then drink again a little later. This seems to have reduced much of the excess air ingestion. Still coughing/gagging, but the steroids should improve this. Looking up!

That is encouraging. Fingers crossed

 

[Zerk]

Have you considered they are lying? No,no he never did this before.