Belgian Mal owners, gas of death

[Ruralhideaway]

Yea, about the corn. Dogs are omnivores and in the wild will eat the gut from its prey because it includes plant based materials such as corn. Also, I work at a dog kennel and we use a lamb recipe and don’t notice any difference

I'm not a die hard grain free person. But corn is a pretty darn empty bulk grain. Most things are ok in moderation in life. Corn surely should not be the first ingredient, that's a garbage filler for a largely carnivorous animal. Some dogs do fine with it, but this dog isn't.

As for the lamb, I've switched my couch sleeping dogs to it and they cleared the room. Tried it a few times. Not just the nasty gas, the entire dog got stinky.

 

[kissezmychicken]

Before reading, I thought you had a gassy chicken!! I wasn't aware chickens farted.

 

[MinervaELS]

Yea, about the corn. Dogs are omnivores and in the wild will eat the gut from its prey because it includes plant based materials such as corn. Also, I work at a dog kennel and we use a lamb recipe and don’t notice any difference

Yep! Corn is a good source of energy for dogs that is well-digested and well-utilized by them when properly prepared. Most performance feeds know how to get the most out of it and just about every performance dog out there (certainly all the successful ones!) eat food with corn in it because nothing else provides the energy. When I was riding the hipster train I tried running my raw and Orijin fed dog alongside a dog eating Loyall, which has corn in it. Let's just say my dog's performance reached soul-crushing levels of embarrassing in spite of a similar conditioning program.

The idea that corn is bad for dogs, isn't used by them, etc. is purely marketing by Blue Buffalo and their ilk, as is the term "filler." There is no such thing as a filler in dog food. Everything is in there for a reason. Many things are better than others, but nothing is put in without thought or consideration. A filler would be something like sand, cardboard, or sawdust. Something that the dog genuinely cannot digest or use in any way.

Don't get me wrong, I bought into the hipster nonsense lock, stock, and barrel at one point. Then, when my dogs looked like trash and performed like trash on every high end, Orijin, raw, faux wolf, yadda yadda diet, I consulted a canine nutritionist. She promptly gave me a lesson on how long humans have been feeding dogs grains and how they have evolved to digest and utilize them efficiently, and on all the health issues cropping up now that people are changing that with the grain-free fad. I felt dumb because I knew a lot of the history, but I'm glad she set me straight. My dogs are too!

 

[drumstick diva]

When I was a kid, we had a Cocker Spaniel and fed him the Strongheart canned dog food, it was the cheapest available. Not only would his farts clear a room but, doing the actual deed, he would attack his behind, appearing upset by the noise itself.

Much later when I had a kennel, never had problems with gas - they ate KenL Biskit
a dry food but, we always put water in it first and then drained it off. Just wanted to soften it bit because it was hard as rocks. And it was said if dogs ate dry food and then tanked up on water, they could get bloat.

Haven't had dogs since 1989- last survivor wasn't a stinker either. BTW at vet's advice we gave the adults dogs 2 meals a day - not more food but divided into 2 smaller meals instead of one. They liked that better than being empty for 24 hrs. till the next feeding.

You say he isn't prey driven ,food driven, or toy driven which may be too much of a good thing. Maybe something on the inside prevents him from enjoying life. A good vet might want to check out his GI system, etc.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

Well I don't know that grains, including corn, are particularly bad for dogs. Making it the bulk of their diet is however, hell on their digestive tracts, your lawn, and likely their coats will suffer quickly.

Corn in excess is generally poor nutrition for all species, the high sugar supports dangerous inflammatory processes in equines especially. If you want to fault my calling that a filler you can, but it's an incredibly poor main ingredient.

As for the Loyall feeds, check their label. Corn is a listed ingredient, but not the primary ingredient. Much better food. I didn't say feed no grains. I suggested a higher quality food with more meat based ingredient percentage. So that's clearly a good fit.

I don't consider this to be hipster nonsense. Just a sound, practical, reasonable opinion.

 

[MinervaELS]

I wasn't responding to you specifically, @Ruralhideaway, nor did I suggest that dogs be fed straight corn or say that Loyall has corn as the main ingredient. Merely putting out some facts considering the rampant "Fluffy is a wolfie" feeding craze going on at the moment.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

I wasn't responding to you specifically, @Ruralhideaway, nor did I suggest that dogs be fed straight corn or say that Loyall has corn as the main ingredient. Merely putting out some facts considering the rampant "Fluffy is a wolfie" feeding craze going on at the moment.

Some like grain free. I personally don't get how there isn't more concern for their kidneys that have to clear all that excess protein out. I've had best results with chicken and rice for sensitive giant breeds. They weren't working hard and it seemed a good balance between meaty and actually eating daily, which wolves surely don't.

A gassy Great Dane is a real unpleasant buddy and the chicken rice toned that down the most. I have access to all the super premium brands at or below cost so I've tried all the flavors.

 

[ThreePumpkins]

We had that problem with our Boston Terriers...granted, they are a gassy breed to begin with, but they were making everyone downright miserable until we found the right food that worked for them. It was trial and error, but because our male Boston also has food allergies we settled on a venison grain free food.

After trying 7 different brands I can definitely say the right food makes a world of difference...and we can all breath a little easier.

 

[Ms Biddy]

I have a Dutch Shepherd mix pup. She eats half grain free kibble and half balanced raw. I just prepped 2 weeks of meals for her tonight. It's a little extra work but her coat is shiny, her teeth are clean, and no gas. I would guess there is something in your dog's diet that doesn't agree with their digestion.

 

[dainerra]

you can get a high quality food without spending a lot of $$. For one thing, you will feed less of it so you will get a good saings there. More of the food is utilized so you will have less stools.
Corn in dog food is almost always GMO so most dog people try to avoid that in the first 4 ingredients. A bit of corn is fine but many dogs have a corn sensitivity and gas is a common sign. It could also be the protein. Some dogs don't do well on lamb but the majority will find it a safe alternative to chicken.

Get a named meat meal as the first ingredient. No "by product" meals, no "chicken" "lamb" etc.

For example, this is what I feed (not the full ingredient list but the top ingredients) Beef Meal, Grain Sorghum, Chicken Meal, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols), Pork Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal (source of DHA-Docosahexaenoic Acid), Whole Grain Millet, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Flax Seed (source of Omega 3 Fatty Acid), Feeding Oat Meal, Yeast Culture,

A 40lb bag will last my male GSD around 5 weeks at 4 cups a day and he's bigger and eats more than any of my friends Mals. Price $35 a bag, $1 a day. This formula isn't good for dogs that may have a protein allergy unless you've tested to find out what exactly they are allergic to since it has multiple proteins but it's a great sport food, rated 5 stars. They have many other formulas as well, including grain free.

Most dogs don't need a grain free diet, only those with grain sensitivities. But it shouldn't make up the bulk of their diet.

$$$ doesn't equal a good food. Royal Canan, Science Diet (except the prescription formulas for specific issues such as kidney), etc are just cheap bulk fillers.