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Shiba Inu Farting (What You Need to Know)

There’s nothing like cuddling up to your sweet loving Shiba only to get a nice whiff of stinky rotten egg smell! We’ve all done it, we’ve all smelt it, it’s a natural part of life, but if you are reading this chances are your Shiba Inu has a farting problem and you’re ready to end the stink!

Feeding your Shiba Inu human food is the most common cause of their excessive farting. Foods like beans, peas, dairy products, spicy food, highly processed and fatty foods are likely to make your dog fart more. Occasional flatulence is normal, but excessive farting can be a sign of a more serious health issue.

Luckily there are some things you can do to help end the stink and keep your dog healthy. There are a lot of reasons for dog farts, and thankfully a lot of ways we can help. Sometimes farting too much can be a sign of something more serious. In this article, we will discuss the root cause of so much flatulence and what you can do to end the stink. Let’s dive into the topic and find out more.

What Causes Your Shiba Inu To Fart

There are a lot of reasons your Shiba Inu could be farting, but the science behind it is all is the same. Your dog’s flatulence is caused by an excess buildup of gas or air in your dog’s intestinal tract and colon.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. We only recommend high-quality products that are used and recommended by real owners. If you use these links to buy something we earn a small commission.

This gas is caused by your dog’s inability to digest the food it is eating. This makes it so instead of the food and nutrients being absorbed properly it’s sitting in the stomach and colon and causing it to ferment which is then expelled through the anus as the not-so-sweet smelly gas.

So let’s take a look at why your dog may not be able to properly digest his food.

Food Intolerance

Food intolerance is the first thing that your vet would ask you to look at when considering why your Shiba Inu is farting so much. You may have an idea of what is causing the stinky stuff, but if not here is a list of things that your dog may not be handling well in its diet.

Chess Dog 300 x 600

Dairy

While some dogs can tolerate small amounts of dairy, and will likely act as though they love it when given the chance to snack on some cheese or milk most dogs are lactose intolerant. They don’t have the ability to digest lactose. In fact, according to the AKC dairy products are the leading cause of food intolerance in dogs.

Many dairy products also have high-fat content (cheese) or high sugar content (yogurts) which is also not healthy for our dogs.

Table Scraps

Those begging pleading puppy dog eyes are extremely hard to resist when you just want to share a little of your leftovers with him, but for their own good (and the good of your nose) avoiding all table scraps is necessary if you want to clear up the flatulence!

Even some foods that you think might be healthy for your dog could be contributing to the stink. For example, steamed veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts can contribute to gas.

If you love treating your pup to a delicious snack don’t worry, you don’t have to completely give up feeding your furry friend yummy people food. It just means that you need more thought and preparation into what you give them and when.

If you are able to keep track of what foods he can and can’t digest then you can treat him to his favorites in moderation as a reward for good behavior. Often lean proteins such as chicken and fish as well as non-gassy veggies like sweet potatoes, peas and carrots are good options.

Be sure, however, to never feed your dog from the table. This will help them learn that they should not beg, and it will encourage appropriate and healthy habits for better health.

Poor Quality Food

If you are not feeding your dog table scraps and they are still having gas the next thing to look at would be the ingredients in their regular food. Some dog food companies rely on carb-heavy filler ingredients to more cheaply manufacture their food. Even some high-end brands sometimes contain things that can cause our dogs to have gastrointestinal problems.

The most common problems for dogs are low-quality ingredients or filler ingredients. It’s important that you always read the ingredient labels on your dog’s food and know what they are. Here are some that you will want to avoid.

  • Artificial ingredients, and preservatives like BHT, BHA, MSG, Sodium Nitrate, Sodium tripolyphosphate
  • Artificial colors (often labeled as red #40, or blue 2, Yellow 5 & 6
  • Added sweeteners, corn syrup, xylitol,
  • Low-quality fats such as lard and Vegetable oils
  • Animal by-products
  • Cellulose
  • Propylene Glycol (an ingredient found in anti-freeze)
  • Soy
  • Carrageenan (this is a binding agent and can cause digestive problems and stomach upset)

    Changing to a better food can help ease your dog’s stomach problems.

    Here are some high-quality foods that are recommended by other Shiba Inu owners and vets.
    Natures Logic dog food (Chewy affiliate link)
    Ollie dog food – Healthy Fresh Food delivered to your door (affiliate link)
    Purina Pro Plan – Recommended by vets (Amazon affiliate link)

    Some other things that can help ease your dog’s discomfort and help heal their gut are additives such as pumpkin and Prebiotics.

    If your Shiba is eating things that they shouldn’t like poop, sticks, rocks or dirt? Check out this article I wrote to find out what to do.
  • Pumpkin is rich in vitamins, nutrients, antioxidants, and fiber that can help balance your Shiba’s digestive tract. Canned pumpkin is best as it has lower water content than fresh pumpkin, but either will work. Just be sure that it’s NOT pumpkin PIE filling, as that will have added spices and sugars that can be dangerous to your dog.

    I like to open a can of pureed pumpkin and after I add a couple of tablespoons to my dog’s food I put the rest in icecube trays and store in the freezer so it’s easy to access a small portion next time I need it.
  • Prebiotics can be useful to help reintroduce healthy bacteria into your Shibas digestive tract. It’s important to talk to your vet and get guidance when making any changes including adding a prebiotic to your dog’s food. Often your vet can give you the go-ahead over the phone for something simple like this. Many Shiba owners have had success in adding a prebiotic like this (Amazon affiliate link) to their fur baby’s food.

    If your Shiba is eating things that they shouldn’t like poop, sticks, rocks or dirt? Check out this article I wrote to find out what to do.

Allergies to Ingredients

First, we have to understand that there is a difference between food allergies and food intolerances. 

A food allergy occurs when your dog eats a certain food and it triggers an immune response in their body. Their body mistakes the proteins in the food for being something that is harmful and attacks it as a form of self-preservation.

This causes symptoms such as inflammation, hair loss, excessive itchiness, and rashes. Food allergies are much more serious and need to be dealt with by careful observation from a vet or dog nutritionist.

If you notice your Shiba Inu licking himself a lot especialy his paws this could also indicate and allergy. Learn all about Shiba Inu licking by reading this article.

food intolerance is a bit different in that the symptoms are usually less serious and often limited to digestion issues causing gas, upset stomach, diarrhea.

This can be one of the trickier things to discover and figure out. Because most dog foods have so many ingredients in them it can be hard to isolate which specific ingredient is causing our dog distress.

Some of the most common food allergens in dogs are proteins, we already talked about dairy products, but other proteins such as beef, lamb, chicken, chicken eggs, soy or gluten (from wheat) could potentially be problematic as well.

Your Shiba Inu is Eating too fast

If your Shiba Inu is eating their food too quickly it can cause them to swallow excessive air which then has the opportunity to turn into fermented gas. Eating too quickly can cause their stomachs to bloat and make it difficult for them to digest and absorb the nutrients in their food. If your Shiba Inu is taking less than 2 minutes to finish off his meals then it will be beneficial for you to help him slow down.

How to Slow Down Your Shiba Inu’s Eating

  • Put a tennis ball in their dish – They have to eat around and under it and it will slow down their intake.
  • Get rid of the bowel – Because dogs like to forage getting rid of your dog’s dish and spreading their food out on the floor will not only slow down his eating but help him satisfy his desire to forage.
  • Feed them smaller meals through the day – Talk to your vet to make sure you aren’t overfeeding them, but spreading it out more could help them not be as starving when it comes time to dish them their dinner.
  • Avoid vigorous exercise right before or after meals – This will help their digestion slow down a little and make it so they aren’t trying to quickly feed their bodies for all the calories they just burned.
  • Put their kibble in a puzzle toy – This Snuffle Mat is a good choice. This food puzzle is also a fun idea. (Links go to Amazon affiliate).

Sedentary Lifestyle

Dogs who are more sedentary and overweight have a much higher risk of having health problems including excess gas regardless of their diet. According to the AKC most adult Shiba Inus should weigh between 15-24lbs. If your Shiba is much heavier than that then it could cause multiple health problems.

Working towards getting them to a healthier weight can reduce the amount of gas they produce as well as keep them alive and healthier for longer.

One way to do this is through more exercise. Shibas should get at least 1 hour or more of exercise each day. Because they are a hunting breed your Shiba will enjoy being mentally and physically challenged. I swift walk or run, or teaching them a new skill like fetch or to clean up their toys will help them stay physically and mentally fit.

If your Shiba sleeps a lot (how much should your Shiba Inus sleep Check out this article!)

Change in Diet

If you have recently changed your dog’s diet and he is now experiencing more gas then it’s possible that the new food may not be something that your Shiba Inu can tolerate, or it may be that you changed the food over too rapidly. It’s best if you take at least a full week to 9 days to slowly change your dog’s food adding only 10-15% more of the new food while taking away the same amount of the old food each day.

If you have given your dog some time to get used to the new food and are still experiencing problems, it’s best to talk to your vet to get help on how to try another food for your Shiba.

It’s also helpful to keep a food diary for your dog that can be used to help keep track of the ingredients in the foods that you have tried so you can notice a pattern and better understand what may be causing problems for your dog.

When Nothing Else Works

If you’ve tried many things and your Shiba Ine is still farting a lot there could be an underlying cause that you need to address.

You will want to talk to your vet and discuss with then these other issues that could be the cause.

  • Inflammatory bowel disease
  • pancreatic disease
  • gastrointestinal disease
  • worms or parasites

Your Vet will let you know the next steps to help your dog feel better, and will probably prescribe some medications. You will want to make sure to observe if there are any other symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, or lack of appetite. Having all the information and clues will help your vet get a better understanding of what needs to be done.

Overall, gas is normal for all dogs including your Shiba. However, if it occurs more frequently than usual, you should start looking for the root of the problem.

If you found this article helpful check out these other articles all about your Shiba Inu

Do Shiba Inu’s Like to Cuddle? (Owners tell all!) – Paws and Learn

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