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Flatulence . . . The Stink That Happens
The Way Home - February 2009
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The February issue of The Way Home is ready and available.
Until next month ... enjoy
http://www.paphaven.org/archives/200902.pdf
Health considerations
Be a Well-Educated Owner
Flatulence . . . The Stink That Happens
Imagine everyone is gathered together for a relaxing
evening of snacks and television when gradually there
is no way to avoid or ignore the odors being emitted by
the otherwise happy family dog. Jokes abound but really
what one wants is a solution to this problem, especially
if it is ongoing.
The science of Flatulence
Flatulence comes from an excess of gases in the intestinal
tract. These gases may represent air that has been swallowed,
gas produced in the biochemical process of digestion, gas
diffusion from the bloodstream, or gases produced by the
bacteria that populate the intestinal tract. Over 99% of the
gases that pass from the intestinal tract are odorless; the
gases with objectionable odors are typically those containing
hydrogen sulfide.
Flatulence is a normal biological function. A surprising amount
of air is swallowed with the simple act of eating and if this is not
burped out, it must exit through the other end. The amount
of air swallowed tends to be increased when dogs feel they
must eat quickly or in the brachycephalic breeds who tend to
breathe more by mouth rather than by nose. Swallowed air
tends not to have objectionable odor.
The really stinky gases are produced by colon (large intestine)
bacteria. Dietary fiber in pet food is not readily digestible by the
pet’s own enzyme systems but is readily digested by the gas-
producing bacteria of the colon. As these fibers are broken
down, gases are produced. A diet heavy in fibers tends to
favor these gas-producing organisms. The more supportive
the intestinal environment, the more bacteria there will be
and ultimately more gas will be produced.
What to do about it?
The following are easy changes that can be made in the
management of the pet:
• Discourage rapid eating by placing an over-turned small
bowl inside the pet’s regular food bowl. This prevents the
pet from taking as large a mouthful.
• Feed smaller meals several times daily instead of one
larger daily meal.
• Feed a mixture of dry and canned foods.
• Avoid soy and peas in the diet.
• Avoid any treats containing cheese, milk, or other forms
of lactose.
• Avoid fresh or dried fruit treats.
• If possible, take the dog for a walk within 30 minutes of
eating so as to encourage passing gases outside.
• Avoid canned foods containing the texturing ingredient
“carrageenan.”
• Change to a high digestibility/low residue diet. There
are therapeutic diets sold at most veterinary offices that would
be perfect. Ideally, rice would be the diet’s carbohydrate source.
Changing to a low residue diet means that most of the
nutrients of the food are digested and absorbed by the pet
before they reach the colon where the gas-forming bacteria
are. This means there will be less food for the gas-forming
organisms which will ultimately mean fewer gas-forming
organisms and less gas formed. Sometimes just going
through a case and/or bag of such a low residue diet solves
the problem and the pet can return to a regular food
afterwards. If necessary, the therapeutic diet can become
the pet’s regular food.
Sometimes meds are needed
A “carminative” is a medication that reduces flatulence.
There are an assortment of available products but
unfortunately most are not helpful or not even labeled for
animal use. Changing the diet and ruling out actual
intestinal disease are of primary importance in addressing
flatulence. If further therapy is needed, the following
products have some basis to suspect they might work:
Yucca schidera supplementation –
Presently this extract is labeled as a flavoring agent for
pet food but it is also available as an oral supplement.
Several studies have shown that it helps decrease the
odor in flatulence.
Zinc Acetate supplementation –
Zinc binds to sulphydral compounds in flatulence ultimately
serving to deodorize the gas. Non-absorbable Antibiotics –
Such antibiotics serve to kill the gas-forming bacteria
of the colon and may be helpful as long as their use is
not ongoing.
Questionable products
Probiotics – There are many ineffective probiotics being
marketed so it is important to use one that has been
shown to actually contain live cultures and that its cultures
actually withstand stomach digestion so as to populate
the small intestine with beneficial bacteria. It is unknown
if this type of product would really help in flatulence as
it is asking a great deal for such bacteria to travel all the
way to the colon and attempt to displace the gas-forming
resident bacteria. Still, these are unlikely to be harmful
and may be beneficial in other ways.
Activated charcoal tablets – Not likely to be effective as
the charcoal binding sites are filled on the journey from
mouth to colon and by the time the tablet sees the gas-
forming large bowel bacteria, it has essentially been
used up.
Simethicone – May control the volume of gas produced
but not the odor. It is an antifoaming agent that reduces
gas bubbles.
Pancreatic Enzyme supplemenation – In the absence of
exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, it is unlikely that a
patient would be helped by extra digestive enzymes.
Further, this treatment is relatively expensive for
something that only may be helpful.
Posted on SHARE Yahoo group - Feb. 3, 2009