Guest tractoen Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Our 9-year-old boy, Gus (Gustafson) has recently started gassing up our house...and it's b-a-d. He was on Science Diet Active Longevity, and had occasional gas that was tolerable. When it started to become worse, we began adding plain yogurt to his meals in the morning and evening, about three tablespoonfuls. When that didn't help, we switched him to Science Diet Lamb & Rice (still with yogurt). He's been on the new food for a couple weeks, but it doesn't seem to be helping. I should also add that all throughout this adventure, his poop has been consistently firm-ish, like mashed potatoes and holds its shape. We'd really like to not resort to an expensive prescription diet, so any recommendations are appreciated. Also, I should add that we're new greyhound owners. We brought Gus home at the end of April 2012 after he had been returned again by an unprepared family. He's our first greyhound, but most definitely not our last. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieProf Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 (edited) Hi Tracey! Funny that I am the first person to see this. Shows you I am on GT too much. Great you joined, though. (I was sort of Tracey's greyhound mentor before she adopted Gus -- she is a graduate student at my university! Gus is a super sweet hound. And I've seen his poop -- I was very favorably impressed! ) Most people here don't like Science Diet and will tell you to get off it. And they'll tell you to try yogurt, which I know you use already. Since I know you like it and you know I've had good results with it, I'll just say to consider trying the Sensitive Stomach formula, or the new Ideal Balance grain free. Different approaches but one or the other might work for the gas, and both have excellent reviews from people who've actually used them. Neither is prescription. Edited November 15, 2012 by PrairieProf Quote With Cocoa (DC Chocolatedrop), missing B for Beth (2006-2015)And kitties C.J., Klara, Bernadette, John-Boy, & Sinbad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feisty49 Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 A plug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tractoen Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Yes, Sensitive Stomach is next on our list of remedy attempts. I know some people also try pumpkin, oatmeal, or rice, but from what I've read, that's mostly been to address poop issues (which Gus doesn't have) and not just gassiness (in which he abounds). We've agreed to try the lamb and rice without yogurt for a while to see if that does anything. I've been reading around and saw that for some, yogurt actually contributes to problem, so maybe that will make a difference. I haven't resorted to a plug yet, but I have been covering his butt with a blanket every night at bedtime and tucking it around him to hold it in place. Sadly, the blanket is no match for Gus Gas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandiandwe Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 If yogurt isn't helping, could you try some powdered probiotic powder mixed into his food? The reason that yogurt sometimes works is because of the 'good bacteria' (channeling a very annoying TV ad here) in it, but if your boyo is a bit lactose intolerant then one may cancel the other. But a probiotic mixed in without lactose might be worth a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieProf Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Tracey I could give you some Proviable DC veterinary probiotics -- it's what my vet strongly recommends. Wouldn't hurt. Facebook message me and we'll arrange it -- I can leave them in my mailbox for you. Quote With Cocoa (DC Chocolatedrop), missing B for Beth (2006-2015)And kitties C.J., Klara, Bernadette, John-Boy, & Sinbad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HoHounds Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 I highly recommend Vetri-Science Probiotic chews! I have tried a lot of different supplements for my gassy girl, Runza, (ie. a spoonful of yogurt, powder probiotics and digestive enzymes), but since I've started giving her the chews, one after every meal, I haven't smelled her, lol... two paws up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Timo Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 We had gas in our house for almost two years. In the last few months, it's almost dissipated. Lol. About 10 months ago, we got him to excellent poop, but he still had very smelly gas. Well, we just dealt with the smelliness since the poop was so great. A few months ago, we happened to decide to give a new food a try because of the ingredients and excellent reviews I read, and since then, no more bad gas! I wasn't switching him because of the gas, but it was a great added bonus. Timo is on the Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch. I order it online, and it's about $40/bag (28 lbs) shipped. Timo requires a fish diet, and all the ones we used before we're salmon based. This one is herring based. So, I believe that it was a protein source issue for him. Maybe try a different protein source? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4My2Greys Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 I also was also going to recommend trying a different protein source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trihounds Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 If peas are in the ingredient list, that could be your culprit. When our dogs were kibble fed, we tried everything and the only thing that worked (for a period of time) were digestive enzymes. Not a probiotic....but enzymes. We ended up giving up on kibble and switched to raw, which eliminated the gas and other problems the dogs were having. I'll leave it to you to decide if you trust the source for the following or not, but apparently Science Diet is adding plastic to their products to increase shelf life. May be worth some more research. http://www.petsitusa.com/blog/?p=5351 Good luck - I hope you find something that works! Quote Doe's Bruciebaby Doe's Bumper Derek Follow my Ironman journeys and life with dogs, cats and busy kids: A long road Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mld Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 Probiotic will increase the good gut flora! Has Gus been on any recent antibiotics or wormers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tractoen Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 He took Simplicef 200mg at the end of August/beginning of September after his stitches opened on a rear leg after having a tumor removed. His ultra-gas phase probably started three weeks ago. I don't know if this counts for anything or not, but we also stopped giving him fish oil because it didn't seem to be helping his arthritis as much as glucosamine has been. I'm also trying to pay better attention to the frequency of his poops. It seems (today at least) that his gas is accompanied by the need to poop. However, sometimes, he still seems to be gassy even after that's been taken care of, so it's hard to detect a pattern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tractoen Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 Trying one idea at a time, we thought we'd hold off on the yogurt with his supper last night, and he was gas-free all night. I didn't give him yogurt this morning either, and so far, so good! I realize now that we hadn't tried just the lamb and rice formula without yogurt, so maybe that's all we needed to do. The sad thing is, Gus loves the yogurt and has come to expect it, so every time I opened the fridge this morning, he was right there waiting for it. Sorry, Bubba! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4My2Greys Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 Welcome to GT . Sounds like your boy is lactose intolerant and thus the stinky gas. That's great you was able to solve the problem so quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieProf Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 (edited) If peas are in the ingredient list, that could be your culprit. When our dogs were kibble fed, we tried everything and the only thing that worked (for a period of time) were digestive enzymes. Not a probiotic....but enzymes. We ended up giving up on kibble and switched to raw, which eliminated the gas and other problems the dogs were having. I'll leave it to you to decide if you trust the source for the following or not, but apparently Science Diet is adding plastic to their products to increase shelf life. May be worth some more research. http://www.petsitusa.com/blog/?p=5351 No, this is circulating as an internet rumor that has been repeatedly explicitly denied by Hill's (I follow their Facebook page and this has come up with people asking it a zillion times in recent months). They got a patent for the process as a scientific/experimental thing but do not now actually do that and have no plans to. I'm not crazy about them even exploring it as an idea, but it is not the case that there is or will be plastic in their food. This is their statement: "Hill's does not add plastic to any of its pet foods and has no plans to do so. For any company that invests in research and innovation, it is common in a patent application to include broad descriptions of ingredients, technology or processes – even those that will not be used." Edited November 16, 2012 by PrairieProf Quote With Cocoa (DC Chocolatedrop), missing B for Beth (2006-2015)And kitties C.J., Klara, Bernadette, John-Boy, & Sinbad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mld Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 Glad to hear that the gas problem has been better. Definitely sounds like the yogurt may have been the culprit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FinnsMom Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 Chicken is my guys undoing. I had tried him on the green bag because so many people have had luck with it and all it gave him was the most horrid gas imaginable. Since he's raw fed at supper I had bought whole chicken and quartered it but that gave him the stinkies, softer poo, and a very gurgly tummy. I had been mixing 1/4 of the green bag with his breakfast kibble just to get rid of the bag but even that amount gives him gas so this morning I left it out and he is fart free. By this time any other day I'd already have a slight headache from his farts as I work from home so he sleeps by my desk. So, needless to say, I'll be donating the rest of the green bag to someone in my greyhound play group or the SPCA if they take opened bags. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandiandwe Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 In terms of the yogurt, maybe you could try him on goats milk yogurt? Or a reduced lactose? Soy? Maybe? Just because he likes it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sirsmom Posted November 17, 2012 Share Posted November 17, 2012 ProPlan Sensitive Skin and Stomach is great for gas and soft movements. I tried it temporarily (its expensive) and worked in 2 days. It is fish based. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest undergreysspell Posted November 17, 2012 Share Posted November 17, 2012 I also use Proplan Sensitive Stomach - my hound had soft poops and gas with chicken based foods - no more gas and nice firm poops! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.