Mary Allen
You have certainly noticed bubbling, gurgling and gurgling from your dog’s stomach, for example while cuddling or because it woke you up at night?
You are rightly asking yourself: “Where does this stomach or intestinal noise come from in my dog? What does my dog’s stomach rumble mean?”
In this article we want to take away some of your worries, give you tips and explain what the loud gastrointestinal noises are all about!
In a nutshell: This is where stomach noises come from in dogs
If you hear stomach or intestinal noises in your dog, this can have many causes. The normal digestive process makes noises, just like a feeling of hunger or possibly a change in diet. In addition to these harmless reasons, excessive and extremely loud intestinal noises in dogs can also indicate various diseases. For example, gastritis, pancreatitis, poisoning, worms or inflammatory bowel disease.
Want to find out why your dog’s tummy is growling? contact dr Sam! The online veterinarian can advise you in an initial consultation and tell you what to do now.
Causes: This is what the stomach noises mean in dogs
If the dog’s belly growls, this can have different causes.
Some of these are harmless, while others can also indicate diseases. So it’s important to keep a close eye on your dog, find out what you’re doing and go to the vet if anything seems strange.
Harmless causes of gastrointestinal noises in dogs
1. Natural digestion
When your dog digests his food, it is not uncommon for this to be accompanied by bubbling in the digestive tract. This is completely normal and nothing to worry about. The chyme is broken down, the rate of absorption increased and excretion prepared.
If your dog is completely relaxed and his digestion and elimination are working properly, you don’t need to worry.
2. Your dog is hungry
This cause is not even that harmless! Hunger can be really uncomfortable. Please feed your dog regularly and species-appropriately so that it does not go hungry.
If the stomach growls mainly in the evening, it could be that the last meal before bedtime was too far away.
3. Consequences of a change in diet
Changing the food, for example from dry food to BARF or vice versa, can also lead to loud gastrointestinal noises in the dog. The digestive tract has to get used to the new food. However, the gurgling in the stomach should not be a permanent condition, but should calm down again after a few days.
Serious causes of gastrointestinal noises in dogs
Of course, you should always take it seriously when your dog shows atypical behavior! But as you’ve already learned, the stomach noises don’t always mean something bad.
Nevertheless, they can also indicate pain or illness, for example:
1. Stomach pain & bloating
Every dog owner knows their own dog best. You will definitely find out quickly if your dog has a stomach ache. As a rule, the stomach is then hard and your dog has little desire to move.
Maybe he needs a lot of cuddles. Stomach pain and bloating are often accompanied by loud gastrointestinal noises and can cause your dog severe pain.
2. Your dog ate something wrong
If your dog has ingested something that is not good for him, this can also lead to loud stomach rumbles. Pay attention to what your dog eats and, above all, what he tolerates well and what not!
3. Serious gastritis
Gastritis is an inflammation of the gastric mucosa. Here the stomach is attacked by too much stomach acid, which is very painful for your dog. It is often accompanied by loud noises in the digestive tract, vomiting, feeling unwell, diarrhea and listlessness.
4. Worm infestation
A worm infestation is often only late or hardly recognizable from the outside. Inside your dog, however, things are going wild and this leads to loud noises from the stomach/intestinal area.
Typical signs of a worm infestation are weight loss despite the same feed ration, diarrhea and constant growling of the stomach.
Danger!
If your dog has worms or you suspect gastritis, do not hesitate, but contact your vet directly! In both cases, your dog can be helped if it is recognized in good time.
There are a number of other possible causes of your dog’s stomach rumble. For example:
- poisoning
- Food intolerance / allergy
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- gastric torsion
- medication
- Disturbed intestinal flora
- liver and kidney problems
- stomach cancer
- Swallowed foreign body
- pancreatitis
- consequences of anesthesia
- intestinal obstruction
When should I see a vet?
Since the causes of abdominal noises in your dog can range from harmless to life-threatening, sensitivity is really required here.
Is he alright? Does he seem limp? Is his digestion working properly? is he eating well Does he answer? When and how often does the stomach gurgle? Is the stomach hard? Can you localize the noise more precisely?
Alleviate abdominal pain in dogs: home remedies and tips
If your dog’s stomach is rumbling from time to time, maybe he’s stuffed his stomach a little too much or he’s eaten something that is difficult to digest, you can gently massage his stomach. You probably know yourself how pleasant it is! Your dog will definitely enjoy it too!
Also, always provide your darling with enough water and keep a close eye on him.
A hot water bottle can also be beneficial for stressed dog tummies. It just can’t be too hot! You can also wrap it in a cloth or simply put it in its basket.
Bland foods are also a good idea if you have an upset stomach. Oatmeal, soft-boiled rice, Moroshe carrot soup, psyllium husk, boiled chicken – there are many foods that will get your dog back on his feet right now! Here’s the best way to make yourself clever again!
Prevent gastrointestinal problems
A balanced and species-appropriate diet as well as sufficient exercise are the be-all and end-all for an all-round healthy dog! So if you feed your dog well and provide it with all the important nutrients, you can prevent gastrointestinal problems.
Don’t feed your dog junk like chips, chocolate, alcohol, or other foods that are harmful to him (and actually us!).
Make sure your dog doesn’t have any intolerances or allergies and refrain from feeding him any of these foods.
In addition, your dog should always have access to fresh water – of course!
Conclusion
Gastrointestinal noises in dogs are not uncommon. They are part of normal digestion and in most cases you don’t need to worry.
However, if you notice that something is different than usual and your dog is not doing well, please contact a veterinarian!
You can support your dog at home with a species-appropriate and balanced diet, light food, abdominal massage and hot water bottle, but you should rule out that the stomach noises have serious causes!
Extremely loud intestinal noises and constant, persistent grumbling can indicate intolerances, poisoning, worm infestation, gastritis, pancreatitis, an intestinal obstruction, stomach cancer, a disturbed intestinal flora, inflammatory bowel diseases and many other life-threatening and serious causes. That’s why it’s great that you’re finding out more here!