A few weeks ago, we bought an adorable cocker spaniel puppy of three months old. He’s great, but there is one small problem we’d like to get out of the way. A few times every day he silently farts with a smell as if he’s been eating a hellish mix of onions, cabbage and bellpepper. We have tried changing his (dry) dogfood to a different brand. He liked that one even better, but it did not stop the farts from coming.
Suggestions anyone?
Dragon,
Have you called the pup’s previous owners to see what they’ve been feeding him? A sudden change in diet can bring this sort of thing on. When I got my puppy, he’d been eating a puppy formula wet food (read disgustoid meaty chunks). I started him on this, then gradually introduced dry food, mixed in with the wet stuff. After a while I just weaned him off the wet stuff altogether and he’s been a kibble boy ever since.
Good luck with your farting dog. Every one in a while my dogs decide it’s time to stink the house up and there’s no stopping them. Thankfully those times are few and far between!
Max 
Thanks Max,
The pup started this already when we took him home (in the car), we have been continuing his original food for some days, then gradually switched to a different brend, then to a different one again. The problem does get a bit less over time, but it is still there.
It may be something you have to live with.
Is it a common trait for cocker spaniels?
I ask becasue I have Boston Terriers and anytime I meet a fellow owner…inevitably, one of the first questions is: Does YOURS have deadly gas, too?
Sure, we can live with it - he’s a great dog. Just wondered whether the TM could offer a solution…
Don’t think it’s a regular cocker spaniel thing. We’ve had four in the (extended) family since the late sixties, and this is the first one to resort to chemical warfare.
A cork?
Do you give him rawhide chews? Our dog can fumigate the whole neighborhood after he demolishes a piece of rawhide.
I have an English Bulldog, a breed notorious for being naturally flatulent. The rescue group recommended mixing in a spoonful of plain yogurt with her food every day to help them digest a little easier. Who knows what she would have been like without the yogurt but she hardly every launches an air biscuit – it’s like a surprising rarity when she does.
You may want to give this a try, especially with a new puppy it also can’t hurt to give them this extra dose of calcium for their little growing bones
For some reason, I thought this said, “Help us stop our pulp from fading.”
Gotta get more sleep.
Why yes. One of them does. I have two. One I raised from a pup, and she is not nearly gassy as the rescue, Mr. Stinky. No matter what I feed him, he still rips 'em off constantly. Makes the cats leave the room! I’m going to try the yogurt thing.
E-mail me and we’ll trade Boston Terror pix!
[/hijack]
And the second question Boston Terrier owners always ask each other: Do yours insist on sleeping in the bed too? (Mine both do – under the covers… heads on pillows.)
LOL!
yes! Yes they do. they must burrow under the covers to sleep.
email sent!
as for the Cocker, well, at least you can have someone to blame when you eat Gramma’s chile… 
As suggested, a sudden change in diet can aggravate the fart-response… also, feeding in smaller meals may help (feeding one large meal gives one of our dogs the runs and gas - two smaller meals took care of a lot of it)… and I think I read something about using a bowl that the dog doesn’t have to bend down to get to (or maybe that was neck pain, I can’t recall).
Anyway, humans fart quite a bit everyday (so the stats say), so I wouldn’t be so surprised that your dog does it - the only difference is that we can learn manners.
When he farts, quickly pull a light blanket over his head. This creates a ‘dutch oven’ & when he has to breathe his own farts, he have second thoughts about ever doing it again…
Or…
I would visit a pet store & ask them what to feed him.
My dog (shepherd mix) had terrible gas as a puppy and we found out it was mainly due to a parasite she had picked up fom the shelter. She didn’t get diagnosed for several months. Has your puppy been checked for worms? (It may take a few tests to find them). We’re talking bad, what-the-hell-is-causing-that-stench, should not come out of a puppy, farts. Now she is clear and just has normal dog farts, (which are bad enough, but not like those). It’s not uncommon for puppies to have something, even if they’ve been wormed.
What sort of puppy kibble are you feeding him, and is it wet or dry? For some reason, wet food makes some animals really gassy, and the fillers in some cheaper brands of pet foods can have the same effect. Animals also tend to clear the room pretty easily when they eat human food. Our clinic dog used to get scraps of all sorts of junk (hey, his veterinarian owner was the one giving it to him, not us!) and he could rip the paint off the walls after cake and ice cream.
Thanks for the reactions! He is getting dry food from well-known brands. We’ll certainly try the smaller dose suggestion, as well as the yoghurt.
We want to take him to a vet anyway soon for a check-up (and to get to know him/her, always better if you have an emergency later), but he comes from a very reputable address so I’d be surprised if it was something he picked up.
On a serious note, you may want to try yeast. A friend’s gaseous dog gets a couple spoonfuls of dry yeast that he gets from the local health food store in bulk which alleviates that specific dogs problem.
Your pup may be allergic to something in it’s kibble. Corn or wheat that are used as filler in some dry foods can be a problem for some dogs.
It also may be the excitement/stress of a new home. My dogs were poot machines during the adjustment period. Now it’s just a once-in-a-while thing, esp. after a couple of White Castles. :eek:
I did a few searches on the internet and found a product called Cur-Tail. It’s like Beano for dogs. I haven’t tried it yet, but I probably will. If any of you have any experience with it, or try it, please let us all know how/if it works.