Hi everyone! I have a question about Hugo and his horrible gas. I can't even express to you how horrid it is. We have had issues with almost every food we have ever tried him on and stared realizing my guy just can't do any kind of kibble. We have tried digestive enzymes, probiotics and now we are onto raw. The raw has been great so far but oh my good lord, the gas...the gas is still flowing strong from this guy! I just don't know what to do anymore! I read all the old posts on food and it sounds like many people have experienced he same issues with gas and the runs. Did anyone ever have good success with either? I feel bad for Hugo because he is really farty, and I'm sure that is quite uncomfortable physically. I can't also help to feel sorry for myself and my guests (when we have people over) for having to deal with the deadly gas...any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

Molly was never overly gassy but had the runs terribly. We did all kinds of testing, absolutely nothing wrong with her. My vet finally suggested adding 2 tsps of metamucil to her food twice and day and her runs have been cured ever since! We stopped the metamucil to see and they came back, so we continue to do it and she's fine!

Yes, Hugo has had a terrible bout with the runs too. Ever since he was a puppy he has had issues with his tummy and food sensitivities. It seems like we tried everything under the sun - different kinds of kibble (and not cheap stuff either, like we are talking $100 - 120 per bag), we tried digestive enzymes, probiotics, etc. I think we finally got the runs under control...almost 2 years later! We switched him over completely to raw. I know there has been a lot of controversy about raw, but I did a lot of research and was willing to try anything just to make him more comfortable. Low and behold, it worked like a charm! No more runs - literally within days! He loves the food too which is great. He was incredibly picky with kibble and would kind of stare at it as if to say "ummm, you expect me to eat this!?" No dirty looks with the raw!

The gas however, is another matter. Since we've switched him over to raw his gas has gotten better, but we have nailed what causes the bad gas (I think). It's the tripe - my goodness when he eats tripe it's best that he disassociate with everyone for the rest of the evening! So we've stopped feeding him the tripe and it's clearing up the problem. It's only been a few days so we will see how our little elimiation experiment goes!

Thanks so much for replying - glad to know I'm not the only one with a doggie that has tummy issues!

Buddy (berner) has his gassy moments but in general isn't as bad as Jango (border collie/rottie). Jango can clear a room in a second. I tried all kinds of food (both expensive and cheap) and the only thing that doesn't give him bad gas is Pedigree. I know it's not the best food out there, but it's what works so that's what they get. I think you just have to keep trying things.

The only time Buddy really gets the runs any more is when he eats things he shouldn't (like green apples from the neighbor's tree or baby wipes - yes, he ate a baby wipe once).

Bad gas, as you have discovered is a clear sign of a food issue and inability to properly digest it. I am glad you identified the tripe as that should be a huge improvement at this point.

Tripe is a wonderful food in theory - in other words, if you have access to good quality, clean green tripe from naturally reared cattle who have had no chemicals, hormones, or antibiotics administered, it can be a wonderful food. But sadly, this is now very very hard to come by and most tripe commercially sold has been denatured - usually with charcoal and this can be a serious problem. So knowing your source and where it comes from is key. If the tripe appears more black than green, it has likely been denatured.

I recommend you continue with the probiotic and digestive enzyme for life - my dogs get these forever.

Berners are immune deficient - 70% of the immune system is in the digestive tract - this often equates to very sensitive digestive tracts and a lot of food intolerance in this breed. I have seen more cases than I can count! It is no surprise as a result that we have the largest pure-breed raw feeding, natural rearing discussion group on the internet (natural berners) and the greatest number of contributors to the Rabies Challenge Fund (vaccines are a big problem in this breed and exacerbate the digestive, allergy, and autoimmune issues we see).

Hope you have it sorted out now......and stay away from cruciferous veggies - very gas inducing.

You need to go to the vet. What are you feeding your dog?

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Bernese Mountain dogs have a way of finding the people who need them, filling an emptiness we don't even know we have.

It's MUCH better now. We've figured out the problem... it was the tripe in his food (we feed him raw). For some reason, it gives him the WORST gas ever! So, we've, for the most part, eliminated the tripe and we are back to a nicer smelling doggie (thank goodness!)