28 Flatulence Fighters Resource Page

Key Concepts

1. Basic Digestive Process in Dogs:

• • Mouth: The process of digestion begins when the dog chews food. Saliva contains enzymes that start breaking down carbohydrates.
  • Esophagus: a tube that carries food and liquids from the throat to the stomach for further digestion.
  • Stomach: The stomach releases acids and enzymes that continue breaking down food, especially proteins.
  • Liver and pancreas: both organs produce enzymes or substances for food breakdown in the small intestine.
  • Small Intestine: Most nutrient absorption happens here, aided by enzymes that break down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Aerobic (oxygen present) bacteria are the main population in this section.
  • Large Intestine (Colon):Water is absorbed, and the remaining food matter is prepared to be excreted. This is where microbes play a significant role, where anaerobic (absence of oxygen) bacteria are of greater abundance.

2. Role of Microbes in the Digestive System:

• • The microbiome refers to the group of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses) in a dog’s intestines. These microbes help break down food, especially parts that the dog’s digestive enzymes cannot process. They also can synthesize vitamins, protect epithelial cells (lining) of the gut, stimulate the immune system, and fend off pathogenic microbes. The main groups of bacteria in a dog’s gut are Firmicutes, Bacteroides, Proteobacteria and Lactobacilli, among others.
  • Fermentation: This is a chemical change that microbes do when “eating” sugars in food, without oxygen, creating new substances like, for example, carbon dioxide gas, which makes bread rise. In the large intestine, some microbes ferment (break down) fiber and other complex carbohydrates that were not fully digested in the small intestine. This produces gases, such as methane, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen.
  • Flatulence: Gas production during fermentation can lead to flatulence (gas in the intestines), which is often released through the rectum. In dogs, this process can be influenced by their diet, the types of microbes in their gut, and how efficiently the microbes break down certain foods.
  • Probiotics: they are healthy live microorganisms (bacteria and yeast) that break down food and hydrogen gas produced during digestion. Probiotics may increase flatulence when you first take them, but these symptoms usually subside within a few days.

3. Why Flatulence Occurs in Dogs:

• • Dietary Factors: Certain foods due to their composition, such as beans, high-fiber vegetables, or dairy, are harder to digest and can lead to more gas production. The same applies if the dog is allergic or has food intolerance.  The body lacks the enzymes to fully break down the complex carbohydrates in fiber, causing gut bacteria to ferment it in the large intestine, hence, producing gas as a byproduct from the process. Foods like beans, peas, cabbage, and certain grains can produce more gas.
  • Microbial Imbalance: A dog’s gut flora (the community of microbes in its digestive system) can be influenced by factors such as diet changes, antibiotics, or stress. An imbalance can lead to increased fermentation and more gas production. In addition, not all gases are the same, given that different types of microbes produce different gases. For example, some bacteria produce methane, which is odorless, while others produce hydrogen and sulfur compounds (which stink).
  • Breed Differences: The types of bacteria and their efficiency in breaking down food can vary between dogs, influencing how much gas is produced. Some dog breeds may be more prone to gas due to the natural composition of their microbiome.
  • Poor digestion: If a dog’s body isn’t properly breaking down food in the small intestine, more undigested material reaches the large intestine where it is fermented by microbes.
  • Eating habits: Dogs that eat too quickly or are anxious may swallow air, which can also contribute to gas.

What the Parent or Tutor Needs to Know

• • General Digestive System Review: Be familiar with the key concepts of the digestive system (mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine). Understand the process of digestion: mechanical (chewing) and chemical (enzymes, stomach acids, microbes in the intestine).

• • Microbial Contribution: Explain that microbes in the dog’s intestines help break down certain foods that the dog’s body can’t digest on its own. Some of these microbes produce gases during fermentation.

• • Flatulence and Its Causes: Understand the science behind why flatulence occurs, especially in relation to the types of food that dogs consume and how microbes interact with them. Be able to discuss how dietary changes or an imbalance in gut bacteria can lead to increased flatulence.

• • Signs of Normal vs. Problematic Flatulence: Explain that flatulence is normal for dogs and most pets, but excessive gas, discomfort, or changes in behavior (e.g., diarrhea or vomiting) could indicate a problem and may need veterinary attention. Stinky flatulence can also be normal based on the type of food that was provided to the dog. The smell actually comes from gases that contain sulfur produced by certain bacteria in the gut that break down proteins (found in foods like meat, eggs, or some dairy).

Analogies that could help explain the concept

• Gut Bacteria as “Helpers”: think of the gut bacteria like chefs in a kitchen. When you go to a restaurant, you make an order, and there is a person in charge of cooking that meal with the essential ingredients that you are requesting and does the process for you to eat (because, in this case, you didn’t manage to do it on your own). Microbes act like chefs by cooking (chemically breaking down) the meal and providing what you (the organs) requested (allowing the absorption of nutrients by the intestine), which is then charged when the service is done. The price (flatulence) is the result of the chemical breakdown.
• Gas as “Waste Product”: think of gas as the smoke that comes out of a campfire. When you burn wood to make a fire, the main goal is to create heat and light, but as a result, a chemical reaction occurs, releasing gases like carbon dioxide and water vapor, which we can see as smoke. Microbes work like that heat that burns (chemically breaks down) the wood (food), and releases smoke (flatulence).

References

• Sampson, J.E. (2015). The science of gas: Digesting the mysteries of flatulence. Springer.
• Cotillard, A., et al. (2013). “Dietary interventions impact the gut microbiome and metabolism in mice.” Nature, 500, 124-128.
• Wright, R.D. et al. (2009). “The Role of Sulfur Gases in Gastrointestinal Tract Function and Flatulence.” Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 54(5), 1156-1163.
• Kiecolt-Glaser, J.K., et al. (2002). “Gut Bacteria and their Role in Flatulence: The Stinky Side of Digestion.” Journal of Gastroenterology, 37(2), 200-206.