What helps against heartburn in dogs?
Not only humans but dogs can also get heartburn. For your four-legged friend the associated complaints are extremely unpleasant, which is why you should counteract them as soon as possible.
The following section explains how heartburn develops in dogs and which symptoms you should be aware of. We will also explain how heartburn in dogs can be treated and what options are available to prevent it.
Where does dog heartburn come from?
Under normal circumstances, the dog's food passes through the oesophagus and into its stomach, where the actual digestion process begins. Thanks to a sphincter at the entrance to the stomach, the food pulp from the stomach cannot get into the four-legged friend's oesophagus.
However, the sphincter muscle can be weakened for a variety of reasons, such as acidosis of the stomach. As a result, the sphincter muscle can no longer perform its task properly and the stomach contents, which consist of food and gastric acid, flow into the oesophagus, which causes heartburn in dogs.
What can cause heartburn in dogs?
In addition to a weakened sphincter muscle at the entrance to the stomach, heartburn in dogs can have other causes or be, at least, partially promoted by them.
Possible triggers of heartburn in dogs include excessive stress and hormonal disorders. However, heartburn can also be a symptom of gastritis in dogs.
As a dog owner, you should also be aware that your dog's diet has a direct impact on the health of his stomach. Poor quality dog food, poorly tolerated ingredients, or excessive amounts of food can easily cause heartburn and other digestive problems in dogs.
How can heartburn be recognised in dogs?
Of course, a dog cannot tell its owner that it has heartburn. There are unspecific symptoms that can also occur with many other health problems. Therefore, it is not easy to directly recognize that a dog has heartburn.
However, you should consider heartburn in your dog as a possible cause of the following conditions:
- Frequent choking and coughing of the dog
- Recurrent vomiting
- Swallowing difficulties
- Smacking and excessive saliva
- Constant burping
- Extensive licking of the body and the surroundings
- Increased grass eating while walking
Heartburn in dogs is a case for the vet
If you notice the above-mentioned symptoms in your dog, we recommend that you consult a vet as soon as possible. Even if heartburn is largely harmless for your dog, serious illnesses can also be responsible for the symptoms.
A thorough examination by a specialist is therefore essential and will give you clarity as to whether and how your four-legged friend needs to be treated.
The veterinarian will ask you about the symptoms that have occurred and will examine your four-legged friend in general. To determine the exact trigger of the symptoms, an endoscopy of the oesophagus as well as the stomach can also be carried out.
Why do dogs with heartburn eat grass?
If a dog suffers from heartburn, it is very often observed that it eats more grass when walking. In this way, the dog tries to regulate the acid level in the stomach and relieve its symptoms.
Your dog is allowed to eat grass occasionally. However, this behaviour mustn’t take over. You should also make sure that your quadruped plagued by heartburn is restricted to places where the grass is not contaminated with pollutants from exhaust gases or pesticides.
Relieve heartburn in dogs by drinking
If a dog has heartburn, it is very important to provide him with sufficient fresh water. Regular fluid intake dilutes the stomach acid, which can at least reduce the symptoms somewhat.
Instead of water, you can also put herbal tea in your dog's drinking bowl for this purpose. This can additionally support the calming effect on your dog's stomach.
The right diet for dogs with heartburn
To get heartburn in dogs under permanent control, a balanced diet is of crucial importance. Make sure that you provide your dog only with easily-digestible food made from well-tolerated ingredients.
A high cereal content and artificial additives in the food can promote the development of intolerances in your four-legged friend and, over time, contribute to your dog suffering from heartburn and other digestive problems.
It is, therefore, best to choose a high-quality dog food with a low carbohydrate content from easily-digestible sources, such as potatoes and vegetables. This will help to relieve existing problems such as heartburn in your dog, as well as prevent new problems from arising in the first place.
In addition, it's a good idea to divide the daily amount of food for dogs suffering from heartburn into several small meals, thus providing additional relief for the stomach.
With Bellfor dog food - against heartburn in dogs
Our dog food is ideal for promoting healthy digestion in your dog and reliably preventing heartburn and other complaints. As a matter of principle, we do not use wheat or artificial additives to ensure good digestibility and nutrient composition that meets the dog's needs.
For dogs with heartburn, we particularly recommend our varieties with insect protein from the larvae of Hermetia illucens (black soldier fly). The hypoallergenic dog food is available either as a wet or dry food.
The protein contained is characterized by its particularly good digestibility. Bellfor insect-based dog food is therefore not only the perfect choice for dogs with food allergies but is also ideal for four-legged friends who have problems such as heartburn.
Our food supplement for dogs with heartburn
In addition to feeding our hypoallergenic dog food, a dietary supplement with Shiimun Gastro can be useful for dogs with heartburn.
This natural preparation, based on shiitake, contains some carefully selected ingredients that promote digestion and can counteract heartburn in your dog.
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