You’re cuddled up with your pet on the couch, watching your favourite TV show. All is well until an unpleasant odour wafts up to your nostrils…

Sound familiar? If your pet has a reputation for nastier-than-usual flatulence, read on for our top tips on how to tame those toxic toots.

Why do some pets have more unpleasant flatulence?

Flatulence is a normal mechanism for clearing excess gas from the intestinal tract. Some of this gas is simply air swallowed during eating, while the smellier gases are produced by bacteria within the large intestine during fibre digestion.

Flatter-faced dogs tend to pass more wind due to their increased mouth-breathing tendencies (we’re looking at you, French Bulldogs!). However, any pet can experience abnormal intestinal function or imbalanced gut bacteria (resulting in nastier toots) due to:

• A course of antibiotics
• A rapid dietary change
• The pet eating something they weren’t meant to
• A tummy bug
• A gastrointestinal disease or pancreas problem (such as inflammatory bowel disease or exocrine pancreatic insufficiency)

How can you help reduce flatulence in your pet?

In general, you can help wind down your pet’s windiness by:

• Encouraging slower eating (e.g. using a slow feeder bowl)
• Feeding smaller meals two to three times daily, rather than one large meal
• Trialling a good quality probiotic supplement for your pet – ask our team for recommendations
• Trialling your pet on a balanced high digestibility/low residue (fibre) diet – remember to transition to the new diet gradually over 7-10 days
• Avoiding diets or treats containing soy, peas or dairy

However, if your pet is suffering from any other unwellness symptoms (such as vomiting, diarrhoea or weight loss) in addition to their flatulence, we would recommend a prompt assessment with one of our vets. Your pet may have more going on and require more in-depth diagnostics and management to “get to the bottom” of their issue!