Windy old dogs

Re: Windy old dogs

Catherine Williams — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 23:34:57 GMT

Wish I could find something that works, I've got a perfectly healthy 3yr old lurcher who has been known to cause a riot in a practice meeting when he stretched & farted. Diet changes, probiotics, charcoal biscuits - all to no avail. Some dogs just seem to have toxic flatulence, my nurse's old lurcher boy was exactly the same.

Scarily I seem to be becoming immune to it!

Re: Windy old dogs

Lindsey Edwards — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 23:32:53 GMT

+1 hydrolysed diet. Always add a blended soluble/insoluble fibre mix also, profibre (protexin) seeming to have most consistent results

Re: Windy old dogs

bob lehner — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 11:00:23 GMT

[quote user="Clare Tapsfield-Wright"]My old lab bitch has horrendous windy farts [/quote]

Don't know the answer to your problem - but as moderately venerable long-term and committed pulse-eating vegetarian I have some sympathy for you and your 'old girl'.

(If I had a £ for every time my wife has asked 'Is there a duck hiding in this room?' I'd be somewhat richer than I am.....).

Re: Windy old dogs

Jo Dyer — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 10:53:11 GMT

[quote user="Clare Tapsfield-Wright"]horrendous windy farts and poor anal control generally[/quote]

I hear the same thing happens in people in old age......

[quote user="Clare Tapsfield-Wright"]I still love the smelly old girl.[/quote]

I just hope my kids say the same when the time comes

Re: Windy old dogs

Clare Tapsfield-Wright — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 10:29:50 GMT

[quote user="Niall Taylor"]

[quote user="Andrew Kent"]There was some work done by Purina on Fortiflora... [/quote]

Not a very auspicious name for a diet intended to reduce flatulence!

Clare - if your dog is getting actual faecal incontinence at times of excitement it would be worth checking for spinal disease reducing sphincter competence. An anti-inflammatory might help. While diet may help reduce flatulence it's unllikely to be able to do anythng to combat the 'bouncing bombs' if faecal consistency is normal.

Cheers,

Niall

[/quote] Hi Niall yes she does have a chronic spinal problem , was on metacam and is now on PLT . No deterioration and happy old girl. I'm loathe to put her through any more investigations as she approaches 14 . I do appreciate the input though and will try a change of diet . I had wondered about probiotics but I'm not sure I believe in them though it's worth a pot of Yakult a day to see if it will help. It's interesting that a trivial problem such as extremely smelly farts can assume such importance but when they can actually wake you up and make you evacuate the room then we are talking seriously whiffy . The other day she had sneaked under the dining room table and we all ran for the door. I don't think I recognised this when clients used to complain to me about their old dogs.

Re: Windy old dogs

Christopher Saul — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 10:17:41 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"] What on earth is PAA?[/quote]

PAA is pancreatic acinar atrophy - the 'classic' cause of EPI seen in German shepherds and rough collies

Chris

Re: Windy old dogs

Hannah Wynne Richards — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 10:04:09 GMT

What on earth is PAA?

Stephen. That's more or less my feeling about pre/probiotics. I haven't enough confidence to profit by selling them in these cases, but sufficient suspicion they may help to recomend live yoghurt. I don't run a grocers as a sidelinr - honest!

Wynne

Re: Windy old dogs

Christopher Saul — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 10:01:34 GMT

herein lies the problem... high fibre diets may help give them a better 'grip' but may also worsen flatulence . I guess it depends whether the primary concern is anal tone or flatulence; a full neurological examination may help shed some light on that.

Re: Windy old dogs

Stephen Courtney — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 09:45:04 GMT

Old dogs with mild faecal incontinence often have some spinal /djd or neuro issues, and something that can helps to add extra fibre to the diet, it bulks up and slightly softens the stool but seems to give them a better 'grip' on things.

I often recommend moistened wheat bran added to the food, but oat bran or all-bran could do a similar job, perhaps worth a try?

I've never felt that prebiotics and probiotics make much difference though i do use them when i feel the need to be seen doing something...

Re: Windy old dogs

Christopher Saul — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 09:35:07 GMT

[quote user="David Mills"]How many old dogs get EPI?[/quote]

Admittedly not that many but it is increasingly recognised that EPI can arise as a sequel to chronic pancreatitis, which itself is believed to be more common that previously thought and in some cases itself is largely asymptomatic. Not all EPI cases are 'classic' PAA!

As I say, not likely but worth a single blood sample to check

Re: Windy old dogs

Niall Taylor — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 08:33:36 GMT

[quote user="Andrew Kent"]There was some work done by Purina on Fortiflora... [/quote]

Not a very auspicious name for a diet intended to reduce flatulence!

Cheers,

Niall

Re: Windy old dogs

Hannah Wynne Richards — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 08:20:38 GMT

A teaspoon of live yoghurt on each meal MAY help. No guarantees.

Wynne

Re: Windy old dogs

David Mills — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 23:00:07 GMT

[quote user="Christopher Saul"]Maldigestion in the small intestine (e.g. due to EPI, small intestinal malabsoptive diseases) can lead to flatulence. it might be worth running a TLI to rule out EPI and B12/folate[/quote]

How many old dogs get EPI??

Re: Windy old dogs

Stephen Courtney — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 22:07:24 GMT

I'd look at one of the diet options also - I've had some success in reducing flatulence by getting people to change their dogs' diets to something completely different - in your case something like a commercially available fish and potato based novel protein diets - whatever you choose it just has to be different from the usual food . Not commercial diets are chicken rich, so that;s a component to avoid, and i also prefer gluten free.

you don't have to go for a prescription diet at all, but they can be simpler to choose.

Re: Windy old dogs

Clare Tapsfield-Wright — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 21:56:55 GMT

Thanks both , much appreciated . Won't be so bad when the weather improves and I can leave the doors and windows open.

Re: Windy old dogs

Christopher Saul — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 21:49:00 GMT

Hi Clare

Maldigestion in the small intestine (e.g. due to EPI, small intestinal malabsoptive diseases) can lead to flatulence. it might be worth running a TLI to rule out EPI and B12/folate (if low provides evidence for malabsorption and b12 should be supplemented if low).

Beyond that, I guess given her age you won't want to do too much of an intestinal work up; assuming you don't then it could be worth trying a highly digestible 'intestinal' type or hydrolysed diet to minimise the residue of undigested protein reaching the large intestine (where it will be fermented by the colonic flora into all sorts of foul smelling gasses).

Ultimately it might be a sphincter control / anal tone issue however which is harder to control...

Hope this helps

Chris

Re: Windy old dogs

Andrew Kent — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 21:20:14 GMT

Hi Clare,

There was some work done by Purina on Fortiflora showing that it apparently reduced flatulence - I don't think it has been published but it was presented as an abstract - it certainly wouldn't do any harm so might be worth a go?

It does, however, sound like the poor anal tone could be more of the problem and so the response may be limited.

Andy