May as well, huh? LOL

Scott,
Our 9 month old Bull Mastiff is on Canidae dry food. We feed her 2 cups, twice a day. (She is roughly 90 pounds.) For the past 3 months or so she has had terrible gas. I mean, BAD! It smells up our whole house. I buy her food from a boutique and when I went to buy more I mentioned our little problem to the employee. She recommended adding a digestive enzyme to her food. I bought some to try and her gas problem cut down a ton. Of course, DH picked up the next batch of dog food but forgot the enzyme so the gas is back in full force. I need to go out and get some but in the meantime I thought I would chime in and see what you have to say. I know the purpose of the enzyme, but wouldn't a high quality food already be easily digestible? It makes me wonder if this is the right food for her or if maybe this is just a giant breed problem because they swallow so much air when eating and drinking. Any advice or suggestions?

(No rush to respond, this is mainly to entertain a curious mind. Obviously nothing needing immediate attention.) ;)

Thanks!

By Scott on Monday, November 24, 2008 - 10:48 pm:

Commercial dog foods are designed to be digestible. The pricier ones (like the one you buy) have higher quality ingredients (i.e. more steak, less unidentifiable bits of whatever) so they're more digestible than less expensive food. All that aside, commercial dog foods are designed to meed the general nutritional needs of everyone in the genus Canis. Mastiffs, scent-hounds, sight-hounds, Terriers, wolves, coyotes, the whole lot. And there is enough physiological variation within the species C. familiaris to account for some breeds having slightly different levels of natural digestive enzymes. And, of course, there are variations among individuals of a breed. Less so with selectively bred strains, of course, but that's where selective breeding gets you.

There are some gut flora that make gas in the intestine, there are some natural digestive processes that make gas, and there are some dogs that have all that in spades and make a LOT of gas. Lucky you, you've got one.

On the whole, mastiffs and derived breeds tend to be windy. I know they didn't mention that at the pet shop or in the AKC handbook, but let's be honest here: nobody would ever own a mastiff if they DID mention that particular breed predilection.

So get the enzyme stuff. If it works, it works. Or get gas masks and be careful about lighting candles if the dog is in the room. There's a whole world of things you can add to a dog's food to change the character of what comes out the other end, but it all burns down to what works for your dog.

By Mrs_B on Tuesday, November 25, 2008 - 03:37 pm:

Thank you Scott. I figured we were on the right track but it was nice to get the advice of others. At least she is manageable with the enzyme. I can live with that! LOL

By Tunnia on Tuesday, November 25, 2008 - 05:41 pm:

We have a boxer and have doggy gas medicine for her when she is gassy to the point that she is running us out of the room (usually when she eats something she shouldn't), but I have found that when I feed her a dollop of plain yogurt at each meal, the gas is reduced significantly and the odor is all but gone. She loves it too. I just thought it might be worth a try for you since it works for our boxer.

By Scott on Tuesday, November 25, 2008 - 11:25 pm:

I've heard of yogurt as a digestive additive. Also pumpkin puree. If the enzyme stuff gets too pricey, it can't hurt to explore other options - as long as they're not "off-label" or human drugs or outright toxic.

By Shellyg on Thursday, November 27, 2008 - 12:04 am:

I laughed so hard when I read this. All I have to say is
"welcome to the world of Bullmastiffs"
They all have gas! No matter what you do! I suggest "oust" and some good candles.
My 140 pound Bullmastiff is asleep at my feet, farting!