Mary Allen
Do you know the unpleasant feeling of an overly acidic stomach? Heartburn has become a widespread disease. Your dog can suffer just as much as you.
Fortunately, heartburn affects dogs less often than humans. But what exactly happens to your dog?
How do I recognize heartburn in dogs?
Does your dog start to smack or lick out of nowhere? Then you should take a closer look. This is often a sign of an overly acidic stomach.
Dogs try to remedy this by licking. This can be licking the ground or your nose. Your dog may also start eating dirt or grass.
Gagging, smacking, and vomiting foam or mucus are signs of heartburn. Then something is wrong with your dog’s stomach.
How does heartburn manifest itself in dogs?
The food enters the stomach of your four-legged friend via the esophagus. There, the stomach acid breaks down the ingested food.
The dog’s stomach has two sphincters. One sits between the esophagus and the entrance to the stomach. The other muscle (pylorus) closes the path between the stomach outlet and the duodenum. These two muscles regulate the way the digested food travels between the esophagus and the outlet of the stomach.
The upper sphincter is called the cardia. If this is weakened, stomach acid can flow back into the esophagus. Medically, this is called reflux. This reflux of stomach contents is responsible for unpleasant heartburn in dogs.
Reasons for heartburn in dogs
The most common causes of heartburn in dogs are wrong food and stress. Sometimes heartburn occurs as a side effect of other diseases. There can be many causes of stress.
Stress in your dog is always a reaction to an uncomfortable or unfamiliar situation. Overwhelm, boredom or other problems such as being alone are just a few examples of stress triggers. Try to recognize if your dog is under stress.
Stress as a trigger for hyperacidity
Not every four-legged friend shows stress. Understand the body language of your furry friend. This is very important. Stress manifests itself in the form of restlessness or unusual behavior.
- Does your dog start destroying things? Then it can be a sign that something is wrong.
- Shallow panting, whimpering, and howling or trembling are other signs of increased stress levels.
Many dogs try to shake off the stress. Then they shake their fur unusually often.
Increased body care for your four-legged friend can also indicate stress. This manifests itself in the form of excessive licking or biting of the fur. Often these behaviors occur together.
What do I feed my dog with an acidic stomach?
The wrong food can lead to irregularities in the gastrointestinal tract. It triggers heartburn.
- Does your dog no longer tolerate the food?
- Or is your dog even allergic to ingredients in dog food?
These can be the causes of the unpleasant burning sensation in your dog’s stomach and esophagus.
You should avoid strongly seasoned food with fur noses anyway. Especially if you have a dog with a sensitive stomach. The spices irritate the stomach unnecessarily.
Food that is difficult to digest also ensures that more stomach acid is produced. The stomach tries to break down the food faster. Does your dog show heartburn symptoms immediately after feeding? Then you should think about changing the feed.
What helps against heartburn in dogs?
Adequate hydration is most important. Make sure your dog has enough fresh water available. And that he drinks it.
For bad drinkers, you can make the water more interesting. Just add a dash of milk. Or a few drops of tuna sauce.
With heartburn, it is therefore important that your dog drinks a lot. This is because water dilutes the stomach acid and relieves the burning sensation. Milk and yogurt soothe the stomach. However, only if your dog is not lactose intolerant.
Feed small portions several times a day. This way, your furry friend’s stomach can process the smaller portions better. Larger portions sit longer in the stomach and are harder to digest.
Rusks soaked in water or some crispbread are easily digestible. Both also help your dog against heartburn.
What do I feed my dog with an acidic stomach?
If your dog has a sensitive stomach, you might want to rethink your feeding. If your dog regularly has heartburn after eating, you should change the menu.
Smaller portions of food can help. This makes life easier for your darling.
You can choose a special sensitive food for dogs with sensitive stomachs. It is best to consult your vet on this. This food is specially tailored to the needs of your four-legged friend. They help him feel good.
Medication or globules for heartburn?
Does your dog have mild heartburn only now and then? Then it is usually not necessary to give your dog additional medication. Anise, healing earth, and psyllium husks have proven themselves as home remedies.
But if he regularly suffers from his sensitive digestive tract, medication can make life a lot easier. Be sure to coordinate treatment with your veterinarian.
If grass and rusks don’t help, we recommend treating your four-legged friend with products such as acid inhibitors. Elm bark is a popular remedy for heartburn.
Give your dog elm bark as a powder, paste, or syrup. It has an anti-inflammatory, mucus-forming, and soothing effect on his stomach.
Homeopathy also offers help for heartburn and stomach problems. Nux vomica can help your dog with nausea or heartburn. Before administering the globules, you should consult an animal homeopath. Or with an alternative working veterinarian.