Grumbling tummy - very loud

Question
Hi

I have a 10yr old collie/Lab mix male dog, and more frequently his tummy grumbles loudly.... Generally early morning (5am).

When i put him in the Kennel last year, when i went on holiday, the woman advised me to give him some milk, and a buscuit or two, which i do.... and it works!!

Again if i put his breakfast out, its not to keen eating, til the grumbling stops!

Any advice would be helpful

Thanks
Alan

Answer

Hi Alan,

It's really common for dogs to develop this problem of an excessively noisy stomach first thing in the morning.

Giving adult dog milk isn't the best solution, as milk can give a dog loose stools. Instead, try feeding your dog the same amount of dog food, but smaller portions more frequently during the day. If your dog gets fed twice a day, divide his meals over four meal times, with the last meal later in the evening. It wouldn't hurt to give him a dog biscuit or two just before you go to bed.

Sometimes a little bit of bread or a soda cracker given before the dog's first meal of the day will help to make the dog feel better, so that it readily eats it breakfast.

Some dogs throw up a frothy yellowish liquid when their stomachs are empty enough, as an only symptom, this means nothing more than your dog's stomach is empty, which is uncomfortable. If possible, your dog should be walked outdoors within 30 minutes of his meals. This encourages defecation and elimination of intestinal gas. Excessive formation of gases in the stomach or intestine can cause loud stomach noises.

Ginger root can help settle a stomach. Before you go to bed at night you might try giving your dog a capsule of pure ginger (you can get this at a health food store). Most herbal dosages for adults are calculated on the basis of a 150 lb (70 kg) adult. Therefore, if a dog weighs 50 lb (20 - 25 kg), the appropriate dose of ginger for a dog would be 1/3 of the adult dosage.

You may want to try giving your dog the over the counter antacid regular strength Pepcid AC as a simple and inexpensive remedy. The usual dose for a dog is 0.25 to 0.5 mg per pound, once a day. Give it at bedtime along with a dog biscuit (to make sure it goes down) for at least 5 consecutive nights.

If nothing seems to help, it's time to have your dog examined by a veterinarian.

Best of luck,

Patti