It was probably funny the first few times you heard your dog burp. But now you’ve had your fun, let’s work on solutions.
Continue reading to find out why your dog is burping in the first place and how you can remedy the situation.
7 Causes of Excessive Gas in dogs
1. Aerophagia
One of the most typical causes of excessive gas in dogs is aerophagia. Sounds serious, right? There’s no need to get scared though. This is simply a case of your dog swallowing too much air.
Dogs get pretty excited at the sight of food and mostly want to gulp the whole meal down at once. It could be that your dog has taken in excess air while eating or chewing. Too much air in the stomach can cause your dog to burp a lot.
2. Toxic content in food
While it’s adorable to share everything with your furry companion, you have to take care not to feed them foods that are harmful to their health. Excessive burping may signify that your dog has eaten something it shouldn’t have.
If you’re constantly asking yourself, “Why does my dog burp so much?”, check to see that your dog’s food doesn’t contain something they’re allergic to or ingredients they shouldn’t be consuming.
3. Consumption of too much food
Another possible cause of excess gas in dogs is consuming too much food. Your dog may frequently burp if they eat more food than it ordinarily should.
Overeating food may cause indigestion and, as a result, make your dog burp excessively.
If you figure out that your dog burps after or in between meals, this may be the reason, and you may have to work on cutting down their food portions.
4. Gastrointestinal diseases
These are diseases that affect the dog’s gastrointestinal tract. It may be caused by indigestion or malabsorption of food eaten by your dog.
When dogs swallow things that are too big or toxic for their insides, it becomes difficult to digest food properly. This may disrupt the digestive process making bacteria form and ferment in the gastrointestinal tract.
Excessive bacterial fermentation may lead to a gastrointestinal disease which could then lead to your dog burping too much.
6. Acid reflux
Also known as gastroesophageal reflux, this occurs when stomach fluids flow up to the dog’s esophagus. The sphincter muscles usually prevent this from happening, but when the muscles are weak, it becomes difficult for them to function properly.
The movement of stomach fluids to the esophagus can irritate or damage the esophageal tract of dogs and, as a reaction, cause them to produce excess gas.
7. Medication
Sometimes burping in dogs may be a result of medication they’re on. Certain drugs have ingredients that have burping as side effects.
If your dog is on any form of medication, check to ensure that it doesn’t have any ingredients to which your dog is allergic.
What to do?
Once you’ve identified the cause of excessive gas in your dog, you may do any or all of the following:
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Change your dog’s diet
One way to fix a burping problem is to make a few changes to your dog’s diet. If you find that the cause of your dog’s excessive burping is something they’re eating, remove it entirely from their menu.
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Adopt a new feeding technique
Is consumption of too much food the cause of excessive gas in your dog? Then a new feeding approach is your solution.
What you want to achieve by doing this is to limit the quantity of food your dog eats at once. You can portion the dog’s meals or use a deep bowl to serve their food.
Using a deep bowl makes accessing the food difficult and allows your dog to eat only a little at a time.
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Visit a Vet
Suppose you suspect that the excessive gas in your dog is a result of acid reflux, gastrointestinal disease, or an even more complex issue. In that case, you should schedule an appointment with a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Conclusion
Ultimately, we want our canine companion to maintain good shape and health.
While the occasional burp is normal, keep an eye out for excessive gas in your dog and address it immediately to prevent it from worsening.