11 common reasons Make your dog's belly gurgle
In your dog's digestive tract gurgles it again and again? Your darling burps or farts regularly? Maybe he even has Diarrhea or Nausea? Then you should get to the bottom of the matter.
Although most of the reasons that lead to this are harmless, the consequences can be quite unpleasant for the dog and for you. There are also some diseases or life-threatening emergencies, which manifest themselves through gurgling noises.
So that you know what the problem could be, you can find it in this article the 11 most common causes to make your stomach gurgle. Furthermore, I have 5 solutions put together, which are often very helpful.
1. Flatulence (bloating)
The gurgling in the dog's stomach always has a higher cause: very often it is actually gases that arise in the abdomen. These form small bubbles, which can also be heard clearly outside the gastrointestinal tract.
Causes of flatulence in dogs – veterinarian Dr. Gregor Berg explains. Source: Dr. Berg Pet Food / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Sk85Ur57zw .
This means a small one for you too Advance warning: The gases have to leave the body again at some point, otherwise the four-legged friend would quickly suffer from abdominal cramps or get pressure on the lungs. As soon as it clucks, you should be prepared for the dog to soon Flatulence gets or has to burp.
Problems with the digestion
The second main reason for a gurgling sound in the stomach is a very stimulated one Digestive activity: Everything that goes into the stomach needs to be processed; it usually takes between two and eight hours before the food is ready to be passed on to the small intestine.
After some meals – sometimes it depends on the day's condition of the digestive tract – this happens quite quickly and easily. Occasionally the stomach and intestines also have to struggle – this work can also be heard from outside.
3. Inferior food
A common specific reason for gurgling in the stomach is inferior food. These are sometimes discount goods, but there are also expensive suppliers who actually offer low quality.
Typical of such varieties are Animal protein sources that are difficult to use: Instead of using usable meat, manufacturers sometimes use connective and tendon tissue, hooves or feathers, for example. This is legal, but the four-legged friend hardly gets any productive energy and often has problems digesting the food.
The same applies to them too herbal ingredients: Lots of grains or legumes often cause bloating. Other cheap fillers (sometimes called “vegetable by-products”) can also put your digestion to the test and make your stomach gurgle.
Sometimes that's because of the Form of dog food. Airy croquettes, for example, can bring air bubbles into the digestive tract.
4. Feed intolerance or -allergy
But even well-composed food can cause gastrointestinal noises. Then it's only partially due to the recipe; instead, the dog tolerates the variety because of one allergic reaction not.
The body then tricks the animal into believing that a certain ingredient, which is actually harmless, is harmful. This naturally puts the digestive tract on alert, which often results in a gurgling sound. This problem is comparatively common: In a study published in 2002, for example, intolerances were found in almost 8 percent of all dogs.
Next to congenital allergies there is also acquired feed intolerances. The animals often react with belching, vomiting, loose stools and even diarrhea.
5. hunger
Also hunger can cause the dog's stomach to gurgle. Unlike us humans, who occasionally have a growling stomach, this is mainly due to stomach acid production: In dogs, this is only activated when needed.
So if the four-legged friend gets hungry or expects a meal, his “acid engine” starts running. If you listen, you can hear it too.
6. Dog eats too much or too fast
Another very common reason for a gurgling stomach in dogs is: Eating habits of the four-legged friend: Some animals can hardly wait to eat and literally wolf down their meals.
This is partly genetic – Labradors are notorious for this – but it also depends on the character of the dog and the circumstances in the house. Furthermore, dogs do not have a strong feeling of satiety, so it is completely normal for them to eat as much as they can per unit of food.
This is how much food your dog needs
Many dogs are served significantly more food per meal than necessary. You can find out how to do it correctly in our article “Calculating the amount of food”. Or just try our “food check”.
Regardless of whether the dog eats too much or too quickly, both often cause noise. When swallowing, the animals breathe in air through their esophagus, which then goes into the stomach as bubbles. Wolverines, on the other hand, eat so much that their digestive tract reaches its limits.
7. Parasitic infestation
Parasites like Worms and protozoa are a completely normal thing for dogs – practically every animal has to deal with them at least once in their life. If the parasite population is under control, they are hardly noticeable, but if they grow, it quickly affects digestion.
The reason: The overwhelming majority of pests live as Endoparasites. So they prefer to stay in the intestines and eat away, among other things, useful bacteria. This leads to, among other things Flatulence and can cause your stomach to gurgle.
Many parasites remain undetected for a long time; symptoms or even live worms in feces and vomit suggest a very advanced infestation. Such an infection is particularly dangerous for dogs with weak immune systems, such as puppies and seniors.
8. “Inflammatory Bowel Disease”
In addition to bacterial infections and food allergies, the so-called Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) one of the most common causes of intestinal problems in dogs. This is a chronic inflammation of the intestine, Unfortunately, science still knows surprisingly little about it.
What is known, however, is that this condition significantly impairs the function of the digestive tract. The intestinal mucosa is damaged by advanced disease, which means that the food can only be processed poorly.
In addition to sometimes gurgling gastrointestinal noises, the four-legged friend suffers from recurring nausea and diarrhea.
9. Pancreatitis
Those too pancreas plays an important role in the digestive process. The pancreatic juice, for example, serves to neutralize stomach acid. If the composition or supply is disturbed, not only strange noises arise, but also serious health problems.
A common cause of this in dogs is one pancreatitis, so one Pancreatitis. It can be caused by various factors – e.g. obesity, fatty foods, poisoning, accidents or genetic predispositions.
Pancreatitis is an emergency, which, if left untreated, can be life-threatening or lead to serious subsequent damage. After the inflammation has been overcome, the dog needs to be treated regularly; food adjustments and medication are often necessary.
10. Stomach problems
The gurgling in the stomach often comes from the stomach or is caused by it. This is mainly due to two things:
- On the one hand, it often is stomach hyperacidity, which is caused, for example, by the wrong food, too much or too frequent food, stress or side effects of medication.
- On the other hand, it can also be one inflammation of the gastric mucosa, i.e. gastritis.
Stomach hyperacidity is often manifested by frequent belching; in gastritis, diarrhea and vomiting can occur in addition to pain.
11. Intestinal obstruction
A dangerous cause of gurgling in the stomach is a Intestinal obstruction. Something – usually a foreign body – then blocks the flow of food. The accumulated food cannot be further digested, so gases are formed that then bubble.
Other symptoms of intestinal obstruction
- Dog has problems defecating or doesn't do any business at all
- Any food eaten is regurgitated undigested or barely digested
- Feces in vomit
- Fever
- Bloated stomach
- Apathy & lethargy
Source: SantéVet animal health insurance.
An intestinal obstruction is always a medical emergency: If left untreated, it often ends with blood poisoning and fatal circulatory collapse, so you have to react immediately.
Gurgling dog belly: 5 proven solutions
There are very different reasons why a dog's belly gurgles. The reasons are often harmless, but occasionally there are stubborn health problems or even life-threatening emergencies.
That's why you should definitely investigate the matter – especially if your stomach keeps making noises. It is also important to pay attention to whether perhaps other symptoms exist – so it is often possible to narrow down the likely causes.
The good thing: In most cases, it's pretty easy to take action against it. Especially the following ones 5 solutions have proven very effective.
1. Change of food
Often just one helps changing the type of food, to noticeably calm the digestive tract. Most of the time it doesn't even have to be a particularly high-quality premium brand: To see what potential a food has, you should primarily look at the images and price tags Ingredients and nutritional information regard.
In the case of a food allergy, it is a little more complicated: it is often advised to search for a variety by elimination – then the food is changed often until no more complications arise. You can shorten this by choosing a comparatively safe recipe, such as grain-free food or hypoallergenic dog food.
Also check snacks
Sometimes it's not the food that's heavy in the dog's stomach, but his stomach Treats. So you should also check whether they are perhaps too airy, for example.
2. Other Feeding rhythm
Another person is often very productive rhythm when feeding: Smaller portions help the dog to digest his food better – so you can try it e.g. three times a day instead of two to feed.
Then it is also advisable not to give the dog a daily ration of dry food in his bowl. If you're out and about during the day, you can also use an automatic feeder that sets meals on a timer…