You’re relaxing with your dog when you hear a weird sound coming from its stomach.
You know it’s not hunger noises because you just fed Fido, so what’s going on?
These stomach noises might become a regular occurrence, which can increase your level of concern.
What’s causing those stomach noises?
The scientific word for stomach noises in dogs is borborygmi. This basically refers to the gurgling sounds that are produced in your dog’s body when gas moves around the intestines.
While the movement of gas is normal and some dogs just have more gas than others, there are many other reasons that can cause these noises to occur more frequently or at strange times.
With that in mind, let’s look at common stomach noises produced by your dog and what they could mean – as well as when they could point to something serious.
What Stomach Sounds Are Normal For Dogs?
It’s totally normal for some gas to be in your dog’s intestines, but this shouldn’t be loud enough to be heard.
If you put your ear against your dog’s abdomen, you might hear some soft gurgling sounds followed by periods of silence. That’s what’s considered normal.
What’s Causing Loud Or Excessive Stomach Sounds?
Some dogs have much louder stomach sounds that you might be able to hear even when you’re not placing your ear against your dog’s abdomen. What’s causing them?
Here’s a rundown of possible causes.
Your Dog Ate Something He Shouldn’t Have
If your dog’s been enjoying those table scraps you give him at dinner, or a dessert it shouldn’t be having like pecan pie, this could be the culprit. Eating human food can cause intestinal distress and stomach sounds.
The same goes for if your dog ate a toxic food or item in the house, such as the leaf of a toxic plant, or if he was digging around in the compost heap outside and ate something rotten.
Sometimes those gurgling stomach noises will be accompanied by other symptoms, such as vomiting or diarrhea because whatever your dog ate won’t agree with him and will make him sick.
This is especially the case if your dog ate something toxic in the house. If your dog’s symptoms are severe and you suspect he ate something toxic, don’t delay in taking him to the vet.
Your Dog Gobbles Down His Food
If your dog’s eating his food too quickly, he could be swallowing mouthfuls of air along with the food. This can cause his stomach to be filled with air and this results in those gurgling noises.
Puppies are even more likely to produce weird stomach noises as they will try to eat everything in front of them even if it is too much for them to handle.
Luckily, this is something that can be fixed really easily. Just try to feed your dog multiple meals throughout the day instead of one big meal, and you can also feed your dog bit by bit instead of placing a full bowl in front of him at mealtimes. This will force him to slow down and chew his food properly.
Your Dog Has An Upset Stomach
If your dog’s stomach is making gurgling sounds as a result of an upset stomach, he’ll probably have other symptoms, such as diarrhea. Give your dog a bland diet of rice with boiled chicken to settle his stomach.
If your dog’s vomited once or twice, don’t give him food for 12 hours and then give him the above-mentioned bland meal. If your dog doesn’t get better, or he vomits more, you should bring him to the vet.
Some common reasons for stomach upset include eating the wrong food, eating too much food, or eating something that’s not supposed to be eaten.
Your Dog Is Hungry
You might be feeding your dog enough food, based on its size and recommended feeding quantities, but sometimes your dog might benefit more from having smaller meals throughout the day to keep hunger at bay.
Dogs usually experience hunger noises in their stomach before breakfast and dinner, so give your dog two or three meals throughout the day instead of one big meal that might not be enough to sustain them for the whole day.
When Are Stomach Noises Something To Worry About?
Generally, gurgling noises aren’t anything to be concerned about unless they’re accompanied by other symptoms. These include vomiting, drooling, regurgitation, vomiting, and a lack of appetite.
If your dog is experiencing these symptoms, your vet will probably want to do a bunch of tests, such as blood and urine tests, and fecal evaluation, to mention a few that might be required. Here are some serious conditions that can be at play if your dog’s stomach is making gurgling noises.
Dog Bloat
Known as Gastric Volvulus-Dilatation, “dog bloat” is when air accumulates in your dog’s stomach.
Sometimes the stomach can twist, cutting off blood supply. It’s a potentially life-threatening condition so you need to get your dog to the vet immediately. A twisted stomach will be treated with surgery.
Intestinal Parasites
If your dog’s got parasites, this can cause your dog to feel sick. Parasites such as roundworm, tapeworm, and hookworm can cause your dog to have a swollen belly, intestinal obstruction, diarrhea, vomiting, and lethargy.
Luckily, deworming medication will help to kill the parasites that are giving your dog a hard time.
Pancreatitis
This is inflammation of the pancreas. There are many causes for it, such as a diet that’s high in fat, trauma, underlying health conditions such as diabetes, and medications that your dog is taking.
Along with gurgling stomach noises, your dog might have symptoms such as vomiting, fever, weakness, loss of appetite, and a swollen abdomen.
Is Your Dog In Pain?
You know how you feel when you have excess stomach gas. It can be really painful! So, you might be wondering if your dog’s in pain when he has gurgling sounds in his stomach.
It really depends on what has caused the excess gas. If your dog’s got loud gurgling sounds coming from his stomach and he’s also got other symptoms, such as diarrhea, the culprit could be a health condition.
On the other hand, if your dog seems otherwise fine except for the loud noises in his stomach, then this could just be that his intestines are more active than those of other dogs, but it probably won’t be painful.
How To Prevent Stomach Noises In Your Dog
Some simple changes to your dog’s lifestyle can go a long way to prevent stomach noises. These include the following tips.
- Feed your dog smaller amounts of food so that he doesn’t gulp air or get so hungry before dinner time that he ends up wolfing down his food which can cause him to have excess gas.
- Keep toxic items out of reach of your dog. Some common offenders include chocolate, antifreeze, toxic plants, and human medications like birth control pills, Xanax and eye drops.
- Prevent your dog from ingesting non-edible items such as squeaky toys by ensuring you purchase toys that are safe and not soft enough that your dog can rip them into pieces. This is dangerous because it can cause an intestinal obstruction. You should also never feed your dog bones.
- Never feed your dog table scraps. Even though he really enjoys them, they’re not always dog-friendly, and can cause gastrointestinal upset.
- Get your dog dewormed. Puppies should be dewormed when they’re two weeks old and then every two weeks until they reach the age of 12 weeks. After that, they should be wormed once a month until they reach the age of six months. Then, dogs should be dewormed once every three months.
Related Questions
What causes your dog to have excess gas?
It’s not just gulping air while eating that can cause excess gas. Panting a lot, such as during exercise, can also cause your dog to swallow air and end up with gas.
Why does your dog get an upset stomach when left alone?
Your dog’s upset stomach could have emotional causes. He or she could be battling with separation anxiety and this is causing them stress that’s having an effect on their stomach. If they also behave frantically, this could be indicative of separation anxiety.
Conclusion
Your dog’s at rest but his stomach is making loud gurgling noises. What’s that about?
As we’ve seen in this article, there are many reasons why your dog’s stomach could be noisier than usual. Some are really harmless and nothing to worry about, such as hunger or air gulping during feeding.
However, sometimes stomach noises can be accompanied by other symptoms, such as vomiting, diarrhea, or lethargy.
When this happens, the stomach gurgling could have an underlying cause, such as a parasite infection or undiagnosed illness, so it’s essential to take your dog to the vet to be examined.
Heather Abraham is a professional blogger who owns two dogs, a cat, a parrot, and a leopard gecko. She has a connection with animals since she was a child. She shares her love for all pet breeds and provides information on pet food, toys, medications, beds, and everything else.
She is committed to learning about the internal workings of animals. Her work permits her to work closely with knowledgeable vets and obtain practical expertise in animal care. When she is not working, her love of animals continues in her writing. Her goal is to educate and uplift readers who also have a passion for animals through her writing.