Does your furry friend’s constant scratching and room-clearing gas have you at your wit’s end? You’re not alone! Many pet parents don’t realize these two issues might be connected.
Let’s sniff out the truth about your dog’s itchy skin and stinky toots!
The Scoop on Dog Gas
Just like us humans, dogs need to let one rip every now and then. It’s perfectly natural! But when your pup’s farts could peel the paint off the walls, something’s not quite right in their digestive system.
Excessive, smelly gas often means your dog’s body is struggling to break down and use the nutrients in their food. Think of it like a factory with a faulty assembly line – instead of producing quality parts (or in this case, energy for your dog), it’s churning out stinky waste.
The Itchy Connection
Here’s where things get interesting. The same nutrient problem causing gas can also lead to itchy skin. When your dog’s body can’t properly use the nutrients from their food, their skin doesn’t get what it needs to stay healthy. The result? A very scratchy pup.
Is it the Food?
So, in many cases, yes! If your dog has persistent, noxious gas along with a tendency for scratching (for no apparent other reason), it probably has something to do with the dog food your feeding.
Many commercial dog foods are highly processed and lack the quality nutrients your dog needs. This can lead to:
- Undigested food sitting in your dog’s gut (hello, stink bombs!)
- Poor overall nutrition (cue the itchy skin)
Time for a Diet Change?
If your dog is dealing with both itchy skin and noxious gas, it might be time to switch up their menu.
If you are feeding a commercial dog food, be sure to read the ingredient label. Organic is best, but also tends to be the priciest (just like with human food). There are a few good, natural dog foods out there, but don’t be fooled by the pretty packaging. Just because the bag shows pictures of beautiful vegetables and animals on the packaging doesn’t mean it contains quality ingredients in the bag. Always, always, always – look at the actual ingredients on the ingredient label!
Here’s what to look for:
- Natural, minimally processed dog foods
- Limited preservatives and additives
- High-quality, recognizable ingredients
- Consider organic options (if your budget allows)
Don’t be fooled by fancy packaging! Always check the ingredient list, not just the pretty pictures on the bag. Try changing up the kibble and/or try introducing some homemade meals. Your dog might be sensitive to a specific ingredient, so consider changing or removing one thing and tracking the changes by keeping a scratching/gas diary for your furry friend.
The best thing to do if your dog is experiencing both itchy skin and gas is to change his food.
The Road to Relief
Good news! Once you find the right food:
- Gas issues often improve within a couple of days
- Itchy skin can take a few weeks to fully heal, but you should see less scratching pretty quickly
Remember, every dog is unique. If you’re concerned about your pup’s symptoms, always check with your veterinarian. They can help rule out any underlying health issues and guide you towards the best diet for your four-legged friend.
With a little patience and the right nutrition, you and your dog can look forward to less scratching, sweeter-smelling snuggles, and a happier, healthier pup!
4 Comments
You’ll find zoonOx is very effective for what you are looking for on the itching as well. We keep two cans around the house. One for our two dogs. Dog hot spots are gone in less than a week. Even the nasty recurring ones we see with our goldens, The high oxygen content is one of the best antiinflamatories out there. It is also antimicrobial and contacts anto oxidents. A nice product that does three steps to control itching in one application.
I use a supplement in my Dog’s food. A few scoops a day and I don’t have to worry about him itching himself, and I don’t have vacuum my house everyday due to dog hair. Dinovite makes supplements for dogs and cats, and it helps them to digest their food better, and helps them to absorb their food better. My dog has a lot more energy when he’s on the supplement. He’s 14 and I don’t think he even knows he’s not a puppy still. Here’s the link – Dinovite.com. 🙂
Editor’s note: You can find Dinovite on Chewy or Amazon:
Dinovite on Chewy
Dinovite on Amazon
I have a friend who uses Dinovite on his dog who is very old and can hardly walk he has to keep him in the garage in the day while is at work because he can not hold his water any more but he comes in from work and he says the little fellow comes in and he is able to go to the mail box with
him he says he wants to make him comfortable and he feels the supplement has helped to do that
because the dog is still hanging in there.
Couldn’t agree more about going natural on the dog food. We have taken to making homemade dog food for our dogs (havanese) when they have intestinal upsets. Got the idea and recipe from our vet. It is really simple – just boil and drain hamburger and rinse with water. Let cool and mix with boiled white rice. Mix and chill. Take out of refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving. If they have really bad digestion issues, just serve one or two teaspoons every 3/4 hours to see how they tolerate it. Gradually increase amount as they get better. This has worked for us very well and is very inexpensive to make.
Editor’s note: We’ve also had luck with boiled chicken and boiled white rice.