Why Do Rottweilers Fart So Much?

Rottweilers are known for their imposing stature and their steadfast loyalty and bravery, but unfortunately, too many Rottweiler owners also find them to be a rather smelly breed. What is it that makes Rottweilers fart so much?

Rottweilers may fart so much because of a medical condition like bloat, allergies, or inflammatory bowel disease. Parasites, overfeeding, or stress can also be responsible for excessive flatulence. The wrong diet or treats can also cause your Rottie to be gassy.

You don’t have to live with a gassy Rottweiler. From feeding to medical and lifestyle changes, there are lots of things you can do to address the reasons that Rottweilers fart so much.

Medical Reasons for Excessive Rottweiler Farting 

Bloat

If your dog suddenly starts farting a lot, you need to bring them to the veterinarian immediately. Farting and burping are classic symptoms of bloat, a potentially life-threatening disorder that affects a number of breeds that tend to have a deep chest, like the Rottweiler. Along with burping and farting, your dog may also vomit a white, foamy material. 

No one is entirely sure why exactly bloat happens, but it occurs when a dog’s stomach fills with air and flips, cutting off the exit for the air. Pressure builds, stopping blood from flowing, which can cause the dog to go into shock quickly. 

The stomach can also pull the pancreas and spleen along with it, cutting off blood flow to them. The pancreas releases toxic hormones which can even stop the heart after treatment has seemed to be successful. 

Other signs of bloat include your dog seeming painful, especially if you press on the abdomen. The abdomen will feel unnaturally hard. 

Treatment isn’t always successful, but it is more successful the faster it begins. Within only an hour or two, it may be too late. If you believe that your Rottie is experiencing bloat, bring them to the veterinarian as quickly as possible. 

On the way, you can give your Rottie an anti-gas medication like Gas-X, but this should not be depended upon to reduce the symptoms, since it won’t have much effect if the stomach has already flipped. 

Allergies

Unfortunately, Rottweilers are one of the breeds that tend to be most prone to allergies. They can get both environmental and food allergies. 

Allergies result in all kinds of symptoms, including itchy skin, ear infections, and gastronomical upset. Food allergies may be more likely to cause gas than environmental allergies, but allergic reactions can be complex and diverse. Even an allergy to pollen may be causing your Rottweiler to fart more. 

Allergies can be very unpleasant for your dog, as well as for you if they’re causing extensive gas, so it’s a good idea to have your veterinarian screen out potential allergies. In the meantime, your veterinarian may prescribe a low dose of Benadryl to control the symptoms of allergies in the short-term.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Rottweilers can suffer from inflammatory bowel disease very similar to what people can suffer from. The intestinal lining will become overrun by the cells from the immune system and fail to absorb nutrients. 

Since nutrients do not get digested properly, diarrhea and gas are often the result. Your Rottweiler may also vomit because of their inflammatory bowel disease. 

Just as in humans, managing inflammatory bowel disease is often not straightforward. Symptoms frequently flare up because of environmental factors like a change in diet or stress. Intestinal parasites can be a cause of inflammatory bowel disease in Rottweilers. 

Managing your Rottweiler’s diet and lifestyle, a specialized diet, and medication may help to manage inflammatory bowel disease. 

Cancer

Rottweilers are prone to a couple of types of cancer, including bone cancer and Lymphoma. Between them, these two types of cancer can show up practically anywhere in your dog’s body. 

Lymphoma affects the white blood cells, so they can go anywhere that white blood cells grow. As cancer progresses and depending on where it shows up, it can cause gastrointestinal upset like gas. If your dog has also lost weight or seems to have labored breathing or lameness, one of these cancers may be at fault. Make sure that you have your dog’s blood tested yearly, as blood tests can often find lymphoma. 

Neurologic Issues

Rottweilers can be prone to some neurologic issues. Imbalance, tremors, and seizures can all point to neurologic issues in your Rottweiler. Sometimes when dogs experience seizures, they may have gas or defecate or urinate. 

Seizures can be very diverse in symptoms. It may not always be obvious that your dog is having a seizure. If your Rottie has sudden gas, particularly if it corresponds with strange behavior or imbalance. or if your dog is having gas while sleeping, it may be a sign of neurological issues. 

Parvo

If your Rottweiler puppy is farting excessively, particularly if they are very young and if you aren’t sure what their history is, it may be that they are infected with Parvo. Parvo is a brutal virus that attacks puppies and young dogs. 

It spreads very easily and can kill any puppies that it infects. Some of the first signs of parvo include gastrointestinal symptoms since the gastrointestinal tract is one of the primary areas that the virus attacks. 

If your puppy is experiencing parvo, they will show many more symptoms than gas, including vomiting, extreme lethargy, and typically bloody diarrhea. However, if you are not sure and the gas seems like a lot, it’s important to have your veterinarian test for parvo, as it can be deadly. 

Lifestyle Causes for Rottie Gassiness

Parasites

There are a wide variety of parasites that can invade your Rottweiler’s body and cause gastrointestinal upset and gas along with all kinds of other problems. Everything from walking on contaminated soil to drinking contaminated water can result in your Rottweiler being infected by parasites. 

Since Rottweilers tend to be outdoorsy type dogs that love a good swim or roll in the mud more than just about anything, they may be more at risk for these kinds of problems than other dogs. It is extremely important that you give your Rottweiler all of the preventative and vaccinations that your veterinarian recommends. 

Even if you are providing all of the preventative that they need, you should also make sure that you test for worms every year or so, especially if you are noticing excessive gas. 

Overfeeding

It may be that your Rottweiler is farting so much because they are eating too much. Rottweilers have a naturally husky, robust build. Many people tend to overfeed, perhaps without being aware that their Rottie is putting on more pounds than their frame can support. 

Rottweilers should be muscular and lean. Guage your Rottweiler on the body condition score chart to determine whether they may be obese. In general, you should be able to feel your dog’s ribs and hips by lightly running your hands over their sides and hindquarters.

Obese Rottweilers are likely to have many more problems than flatulence. They may be more prone to joint problems that already can be problematic in the breed, like hip dysplasia. Obesity may also increase risk for heart disease.

It’s very important to keep your Rottweiler at an ideal weight and make sure that they get plenty of low impact exercise along with a balanced diet to maintain an ideal weight.

To help your Rottie’s food go further, consider feeding them from a heavy-duty food distributing toy like the Kong Extreme which you can see on Amazon.

Stress

Rottweilers may have a tendency to fart more when they’re stressed. Rottweilers are very intelligent dogs with natural instincts to guard and protect their people, so all kinds of things from having the mailman walk by to having friends over can be stressful for them. 

If you notice that your Rottweiler often farts in stressful situations, this may be the culprit. Longer periods of stress can also result in flare-ups of irritable bowel syndrome, which may result in gas along with other issues. 

What They’re Eating

Rottweilers can have sensitive stomachs, even if they’re not suffering from irritable bowel syndrome or parasites. It’s extremely important to choose the right diet for your Rottweiler. 

There are all kinds of theories about what’s the best thing to feed your dog, and only you can make the right decision, but if your Rottweiler seems excessively gassy, it may be time to consider changing their diet. Here are some things to consider about what you should and should not feed a Rottweiler if you want them to digest food well and not fart so much:

Avoid Grain-Free

Recently grain-free diets became just about as popular for pet owners as the Atkins diet was for people, but recent investigation by the FDA indicates that a grain-free diet may be considerably less healthy for dogs than it is for people. It appears that grain-free diets, particularly those with peas, lentils, and legumes or potatoes as one of the first 10 ingredients, resulted in heart disease known as cardiomyopathy even in breeds not typically predisposed to it. 

Since Rottweilers are already prone to some heart problems, it is very important to avoid aggravating any issues and avoid these grain-free diets. It is likely that since dogs do not seem to get all of the nutrients they should from them, they likely don’t digest them well either, leading to gastrointestinal problems as well as heart conditions. 

Think Carefully About a Raw Diet

The raw diet has become a very popular alternative to cooked foods for dogs, since dogs can digest raw foods in a way that we cannot and because it is more similar to how wild animals like wolves and coyotes eat. There is endless debate about the value of a raw diet, but one consensus does seem to be that feeding a raw diet causes some gastrointestinal changes. 

Some people find that changing to a raw diet significantly reduces gas, while other people find that a raw diet makes dogs much gassier. Research has found that switching to a raw diet can cause gastrointestinal upset and gas, as well as other issues like nutrient deficiencies.

You Get What You Pay For

Rottweilers are big dogs that eat a lot of food, so as a Rottweiler owner, you may find yourself looking for ways to save a little bit on the budget. However, skimping on the quality of your dog’s food isn’t the right way to go. 

On the other hand, you can easily overpay for subpar food. A lot of dog food marketing and labeling has more to do with advertising than the quality of the product. Skip the marketing product information and look right at the ingredient list to find what you need for your Rottweiler:

• Meat. Rottweilers are big, powerful dogs with a lot of muscle mass, so their diet should have a bit more protein than some other breeds. The food that you choose should have either whole meat or meat meal as the first ingredient. Avoid meat by-product. Meat meal is often misunderstood and avoided. In fact, it may be higher in protein than whole meat. If your dog has been experiencing gas, choose a relatively bland but protein packed meat like chicken.
• Grain. Despite the fads, the right amount of cooked grain is very likely to be the right food for your Rottweiler. Rottweilers that have digestive problems benefit from easy-to-digest grains like oat.
• Veggies. Your Rottweiler needs a balanced diet, including veggies like broccoli, carrots, etc to provide a natural source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. However be careful, as too many veggies or incorrectly prepared veggies can lead to gas. 

Control Treats

Lots of people spend a lot of money on very high-quality dog food, but offer treats that your dog may not digest well, wasting all of your efforts and leading to a very gassy Rottweiler. Fatty treats like pig ears or manufactured treats full of ingredients like molasses or animal by-products can easily irritate your dog’s stomach and result in gas. 

Instead, give your Rottweiler natural treats like fresh or dried carrots, cooked or dried sweet potato, yogurt, etc. Controlling the ingredients in your Rottweiler’s treats can really help to reduce gas. Your Rottweiler may love to chew on that meaty bone, but if it’s resulting in farts all night long, consider switching it out for a Kong toy packed with healthy ingredients.

Try Probiotics

Probiotics can be beneficial for reducing a range of gastrointestinal issues, including diarrhea and gas. Probiotics may be especially beneficial for the treatment of dogs that are experiencing gastrointestinal upset due to stress or life change, so if your Rottweiler only has periodic gassiness, they could be very beneficial for you. Choose a capsule that is protected from moisture and air and that has both prebiotics and probiotics. My favorite is this probiotic from Nutramax on Amazon.

Enjoy a Less Gassy Rottweiler

Rottweilers are big dogs and they can have very stinky farts, but with the right diet, lifestyle changes, and medical management, you should be able to get control of even the gassiest of Rottweilers.