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Do Boxers Fart?

Do Boxers Fart?

When you are spending a little ‘TV and couch’ time with your furry best friend, you might notice a change in the air quality and possibly a sheepish look from your Boxer dog. Do Boxers fart?

Yes, they do, but they actually tend to do so less than humans if you really want to try and keep score. On average, it will happen 5 to 10 times per day and this is not only less than the human average of 5 to 15 times, but it’s also less than most other dog breeds.

Today we’re going to rally in the defense of Boxers everywhere who’ve been accused like Vegas Casio workers of having been ‘the ones who dealt it’. We’ll give you the facts about Boxer flatulence, such as why it makes some Boxers jump, and when you should be worried. Let’s take a closer look doggy-gas and what you need to know!

Do Boxers fart more than other dogs?

Actually, no they don’t. While you might not believe us, the statistics say that Boxers only pass gas around 5 to 10 times per day, which is actually less than the average of most dogs – which is 15 to 20 times per day.

So, you are actually getting off lightly in this regard, but that 5 to 10 times per day is not guaranteed for every Boxer. If your own dog seems to be setting records, then you should consider their diet first. Have you made any changes to them lately or introduced some new, yummy treats?

If you haven’t then it’s probably a good idea to bring your Boxer in for a vet visit. Too much or extremely foul flatulence can be a sign of other health issues, so you’ll want to rule that out as soon as possible. That said, the occasional ‘stinker’ shouldn’t be a cause for too much alarm.

Just like us, sometimes your Boxer need to ‘let one go’, and you can’t expect them all to be quiet or ‘mildly scented’, can you?

Why do dogs fart so much, anyway?

While 15 to 20 times a day seems a bit excessive for humans, who average 5 to 15 times per day, it’s not really that unrealistic when you consider a dog’s digestive system. Dogs ingest and process their food rather quickly, enough so that most dogs are ready for a potty break within 15 to 20 minutes of a meal.

In order to break down those meals, gut bacteria is hard at work on them, but part of the process in breaking them down is producing hydrogen sulfide gas and depending on the food that’s being broken down, there could be a little or quite a lot.

The gas gets banished from the stomach and moves on to its new home in the colon, but it can get trapped and the pressure builds up until your dog decides to let it go. It doesn’t smell so great, of course, but it’s a completely natural part of digestion for all of us.

Your Boxer just does it very quickly and efficiently and, as it turns out, the cost is a bit more daily gas.

Do Boxers know when they fart?

Yes, your dog knows, but whether or not a guilty look is going to flash across their faces is going to be up to each individual dog. The thing is, as humans we have around 5 million scent receptors at our disposal, but your Boxer finds this laughable – having 300 million of their own.

So, yes, your Boxer knows very well when they’ve delivered a ‘stinker’, and they probably know when you have even if you are in the garage! They’ll even ‘call’ you on it from time to time if you create something foul yourself, and many owners have reported their dogs immediately leaving the room in protest.

When you think about it, with a Boxer averaging 5 to 10 times a day and most humans averaging 5 to 15, humans are statistically geared to be the most likely culprit.

Keep that in mind, so that the next time you smell something ‘unholy’ in the air you should take a moment to see if anyone else is around besides your Boxer. They might well be innocent, after all!

Why does my Boxer jump after farting?

You might notice that your dog responds more to the sound than the smell of bad gas and you wouldn’t be the first. A number of Boxer owners have reported that their dog actually seems surprised after a ‘rear report’ and the most common response is a startled jump!

While we don’t have a lot of hard data on this phenomenon, we assume that it occurs because the individual dog is frightened of loud sounds and they simply don’t associate the noise of their fart as coming from them.

The same dog is likely the first one under the covers when there is a thunderstorm, so when you see your dog jumping after one of their own ‘gaseous deliveries’, then there is no need to worry. They’re likely just sensitive to loud sounds – even the ones that they make themselves.

When should I be worried about my Boxer’s gas?

The time to start worrying is when your dog’s flatulence is out of character for them, most specifically whenever the frequency increases and especially when the odor is fouler than usual. There are a number of health conditions that could be at play which have heavy flatulence as one of their symptoms. Get your vet’s opinion.

The exception to this would be in a very recent change in diet, which can definitely have an impact on your dog and cause gas. If you did recently change their food, then check the ingredients of the new food. High-fat foods and foods with dairy can cause excess gas, and things like beans, peas, and spicy foods too.

If it’s not their diet, however, then it’s potentially something serious. Excessive and pungent gas may be symptoms of the following:

  • Cancer
  • Stomach infections
  • Intestinal inflammation
  • Intestinal parasites
  • Inflammation of your Boxer’s pancreas
  • Irritable bowel syndrome

While your dog might just be particularly gassy today, it’s much better to bring them in to visit the vet anyway. If it’s something serious, your best chance at effective treatment is getting an early start, so be sure to bring your gassy Boxer in to the vet if you are worried.

It’s always best to err on the safe side.

Helping your Boxer to feel less bloated

If your dog seems a bit bloated and gassy all of the time and you take them in to the vet, then they might get a prescription to drugs such as simethicone, which can definitely help with their gas. You can help from home as well, but your dog is not going to like it – you’ll need to cut down on scraps.

Some foods are going to make dogs gassy more than others, so you can start giving those scraps again, but you need to start checking in advance before you do. Spicy foods and dairy items should definitely go, but you might be surprised how many nutritious veggies can also create a problem. Use Google and double-check first.

Aside from this, you can also help your dog out by slowing down their eating. A lot of dogs like to ‘wolf’ down their food and this quick ingestion can lead to gas sometimes. You can purchase special bowls that will help out with this, called ‘slow feeder’ bowls, or you can make one on your own for your Boxer.

To DIY a solution, simply start by putting a ball that is not a choking hazard in the center of the bowl before pouring their food. This causes your dog to eat around the ball and this forces them to eat a little more slowly so that their bellies don’t get overwhelmed by the sudden avalanche of food.

Some closing words

In today’s article we’ve answered some breed-specific questions about your beloved Boxer and whether or not they are inclined to casually ‘pollute the air’. As you can see, while they certainly earn a little blame of their own sometimes, as a breed they are actually quite a bit LESS gassy than most.

As such, if your Boxer has become bloated and more prone to gaseous gifts then it could well be a red flag that you need to take notice of. In the absence of a recent diet change, excessive or foul gas may be a sign of certain health issues that you’ll want to start getting treated right away.

A quick trip to the vet will help to rule out any health issues and wmen you get them hope, try to get into the habit of checking out potential snacks before you feed them to your Boxer buddy. You’d be surprised how many different foods can really make a difference when it comes to flatulence and your dog!