Dog isn’t Eating & Stomach is Making Loud Noises – Top 4 Reasons Why
Has your dog lost his appetite and this is being accompanied by loud gurgling noises from the dog’s stomach? Digestion or stomach-related issues can arise due to a number of causes with the following being the most common reasons for dogs that may exhibit these symptoms and behaviors.
1. Signs of bloat
Bloat, also known as gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), refers to a medical condition when the dog’s stomach starts to fill with gas and becomes twisted. Bloat can become a life-threatening condition for dogs if it isn’t treated quickly.
It’s not uncommon for dogs to exhibit symptoms like a lack of appetite when they suffer from bloat. Given the stomach is filled with gas and digestive content, it also shouldn’t come as a surprise to hear a lot of audible noise from the dog’s tummy.
Bloat in dogs can develop due to a number of factors such as how quickly the dog eats his food. It can happen to any dog although certain dog breeds, such as standard poodles and rottweilers, are known to have a higher risk of suffering from this medical condition than others. It’s vital you get your dog to the vet right away if you suspect he is suffering from bloat.
2. Foreign objects in dog’s stomach
The dog’s stomach could also be making loud noises because there is a foreign object in the dog’s digestive system that’s causing blockage. Dogs can be quite silly sometimes and their curiosity would lead them to eating things that can’t be digested easily.
This could be things like shoe laces, plastic bags, or food wrappers. Your dog is not going to want to eat if he feels something uncomfortable in his stomach.
Again, it’s important to take your dog to the emergency vet straight away if there’s something inside the dog’s stomach that isn’t allowing the digestive content to pass along. Surgical removal might be necessary if the foreign object can’t be safely removed through the endoscopy method.
3. Presence of Intestinal Parasites
A lack of appetite accompanied with loud stomach noises might also suggest the dog is suffering from the presence of intestinal parasites. There are a number of common parasites that affect dogs, including roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and tapeworms. These parasites can affect your dog’s health and behavior in a number of ways. In addition to stomach noises, your dog may also exhibit symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, and scooting.
4. Other Digestive-related Diseases
Lack of appetite could be indicative of other digestive problems that dogs suffer from including a common gastrointestinal upset, gastritis, colitis, and pancreatitis. For puppies, you might want to also double-check that the symptoms are unrelated to diseases like the canine parvovirus.
While mild stomach gurgling can be seen as normal, a lack of appetite for an extended period of time isn’t. Don’t second-guess whether your dog is sick and book in a trip to the vet as soon as you can as any of the reasons we have highlighted above could be indicative of something serious.
Preparing for a trip to the vet
There are certain steps you can prepare in advance to give as much context as possible to the vet. This may include the preparation of information such as how long it has been since your dog last ate, how well your dog is sleeping, how active your dog is, and how often you have seen your dog exhibiting other worrying symptoms.
It will also be helpful to note down any environmental or dietary changes the dog went through prior to showing the stomach noise symptoms. Did you, for example, change the type of water your dog drinks from? One of our readers noted that his dog started to eat again and no longer had stomach noise problems after switching from tap to distilled water.
You may want to also ask if it’s necessary to bring a sample of the dog’s stool. There are certain steps you need to take for the sample to be valid for analysis such as making sure the dog poop is fresh, and storing the sample in a bag that’s completely sealed.
Minimizing Health Dangers and Risks
You should double-check with your vet but there are certain steps that may help minimize your dog’s discomfort and pain while the symptoms are being diagnosed. This includes making sure that your dog always has access to fresh clean water and not give your dog any treats or foods that aren’t easy to digest for the time being.
You should also minimize anything that may make your dog feel more anxious or stressed, such as reducing encounters with strangers and other animals (if it’s something you know your dog doesn’t like).
Last but not least, you may want to add dietary supplements that are known for being beneficial to a dog’s digestive health. One popular choice is slippery elm bark powder. This powder may support your dog’s digestive health by helping to reduce inflammation associated with gastrointestinal issues.
12 year old West highland terrier has gurgle in stomach and won’t eat. Stool don’t know yet. Was good yesterday . This happens about once ever 2 weeks. When she will eat Chicken & rice has worked in the past. Also pepto Bismol has worked in past. Any help out there?
Hi i have west highland terrier too and found this article. Any idea did you take yours to the vet ?
Our Westie has done this on and off for years. It is getting more prevalent now. We have her on wonderful food from a company called My Perfect Pet. It is their chicken and rice food, with a few added nutrients and vitamins, but no preservatives. She likes it and we like giving it to her, feeling good about doing so. But she still gets the stomach gurlgles and goes a day without being able to eat. Our vet has her on Pepcid AC 10 mg once a day. Xrays have been taken and there is not a blockage, which is good. But it’s still worrisome, and the vet is not figuring this situation out. Zoey is 15 and putting her through some kind of invasive procedure is worrisome. But I am worried about this, and we just can’t seem to get it under control. Have you had a lot of tests done on your Westie?
Hi Susan, I’ve been going through this for years and can’t figure it out. Spent thousands on full blood panels x-rays sonogram yoh name it. January had to put him in the hospital. Gave him fluids and changed his diet to royal canine HP we went almost 3m with no issues then 2m then 2m then 1 and now back to weekly bouts. I thought that food was the key and it wasn’t. My westie will be 9 soon and he has many years of love left in him. You folks come up with anything?
My Westie is almost 12 and has had this issue for years. Our vet believed it may be due to acid building up in her stomach between meals. I think so too as I’ve found it is more likely to happen soon after she’s been particularly active, playing chase etc. We have managed to largely stop it by feeding her 4 times per day. We already fed her 3 times, so split one portion into two and gave her that first thing in the morning and last thing at night with her normal lunch and dinner in between. That means her stomach is never empty for long enough for the acid to build up. Hope this helps.
Hi Jim,
Been there mate. It took me a long time to figure it out, tried and changed everything I could think of… Questioned everything my dog had eaten where he’d been and what he’d been doing the day before. Then one day it just hit me ! Tap water the only thing i hadn’t tried changing. Been buying bottled still water. That was 9 months ago and he’s been perfect ever since. Now realise tap water never the same two weeks in a row! With chlorine and such like chemicals. Give it a go mate, non chilled. Good luck, 😉 Allan
How much pepto bismol? I have a 10 pound chihuahua/French bulldog mix and her tummy sounds like it’s screaming or a baby crying. And it’s loud. She obviously doesn’t feel well. She didn’t eat yesterday til quite late and I gave her freshly cooked chicken.
try bottled still water Janet 😉
Lance I have a 9yo westie with same issues. December it went days and he stayed at vet for 2days. They changed his diet and he has been ok for 9m and it’s back. Vets can’t figurdd it out. Like you this was happening every 2w and now it’s every week. Did they find anything for you? I’m sick over this. Anything you can share would be appreciated.
My dog has the same problem, once a week or every other week he doesn’t eat for a day and his stomach makes loud gurgling noises. He usually also has loose stools, but it only lasts for a day and then he is fine. Does anyone out there have any insight into this? I thought maybe he was eating poop. He likes deer poop, but we have been very vigilant to keep him away from it. He eats about anything like sticks and parts of his toys but we are also trying to minimize that too.
Hi Keith,
My dog is going through the same thing. Did you find a reason and solution to alleviate these symptoms? Please let me know.
Thanks,
Julia
Have ya’ll asked that your vet checks for giardia or coccida? Does your dog eat sand, have smelly mouth, poop smelling unusual, stomach making loud noises? Likely giardia or coccida.
My Chihuahua/Docksin used to do this all the time. He was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. He’s been on prednisone for years and we have them down to half a pill every other day. I try and incorporate foods that have probiotics in them. I also give my dogs and cat those sodium bone broth with their food which is very beneficial. You could add yogurt and canned pumpkin to your dogs diet which helps with stomach issues.
Hello, my mixed Chi has similar issues bit hasn’t been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Her stomach makes loud terrible noises when she gets this way which is 4 times a month. I made another appoint for her next month. Last year she had a bad case with diarrhea and her Vet told me to not give her chicken anymore and start her on Royal Canin, but it didn’t work. I’m praying there’s nothing serious wrong and I’ll just make her food at home with Turkey & Pumpkin and put Greens powder on top so she’ll get all her vitamins and probiotics. She doesnt get diarrhea anymore, but she still eats grass but doesnt vomit. I’m so worried. 😔
Hi Barbara. Has anything worked? Vets don’t know what it is. I’ve done sonogram b-day blood work you name it. No answers.
Hello, our 8 months old Maltese/Bichon has the same issue. Almost every week, he will not eat and tummy makes noises and loose stools and he is fine after a day or so. Just ordered pumpkin and we have been giving him natural cooked food, rice/chicken or rice/beef etc for 4 months now and don’t know how to improve his diet. He vomits the night before this happens and after two days, he is perfectly fine. Any suggestion are much appreciated.
Our 8 month old Cockapoo has similar symptoms to the comments already made. She won’t eat anything (inc treats/bland food) for almost a whole day. Her tummy squealches, loudly, as if she’s hungry and she usually tried to eat grass at this point. Her poop is often loose (as in some consistency, not full on diarreah). But she isn’t lethargic, she will happily go out for her walks and charge around with the ball.
Every time we have been to the vets they just say give her a bland diet…seems like there might be something more going on, any ideas?
Thanks
Have a vet check your pups for hiatal hernias.
I’m afraid I don’t have any helpful suggestions, but has anyone else wondered why nobody sells deer-poop flavored dog treats? Seems like a great commercial opportunity!
I agree with you Mike. My shipoo eats it a lot. Lol.
I’ve been going thru this SAME issue with my 2 1/2 yr old female Chow Chow. I’ve gone to the vet twice- had X-rays done to see if there was any blockages or growths… NOTHING. He ran bloodwork— NOTHING. Have no idea why this happens. Made her chicken and rice…ground turkey and rice…canned pumpkin and green beans…I’ve exhausted every option. She’ll go about a whole day or so without eating, gets very gassy and runny poop…I just stick with chicken and rice for a while until it lets up. I MAKE SURE THERES WATER DOWN AND SHES DRINKING. The vet said she’d go for a day or so without eating…I try and get her to eat at least some chicken so she doesn’t throw up…I’m STUMPED!
My 13 year old lurcher has had squeaky painful tummy once every 4 weeks. Had her tested and have been told she has pancreatitis. She has to have a low fat diet. But it hasn’t cured it. She doesn’t eat or drink all day doesn’t have up set stomach or sickness, just pain. She is prescribed tramadol which helps.
I have a Siberian husky that does the same. It worries bled to no end even though huskies are known to regulate the food they eat to the amount of exercise they get. When he won’t eat I offer food til he gets hungry.
My Husky does the same, she was 71/2 when I adopted her and have had her 3 years and she has done it since I have had her, have tried various food but no difference , I should say I have kept her on the same food her previous owners gave her for the most part.
Not eating and chewing grass tends to last for 24 hours then all is fine for a short while, I have noticed that not eating makes her worse so try to get her to eat Bonio biscuits , her favourite plus some cheese which she loves to eat [grated cheese on her food goes down well]
I’ve been going through this with my Bichon/Yorkie mix for years. He used to have an episode every couple of months but recently it’s been a couple of times a week. I’ve had him to the vet dozens of times, three times in the past month. They say everything checks out fine with labs and physical exam. I know he’s miserable though. He has bad anxiety and these spells make him so much worse. He acts scared and it’s very hard to even console him. Over the years I’ve spent hours and hours trying to research this issue, I’ve changed his diet in every way imaginable, I’ve added probiotics, given him Pepcid, Pepto Bismol as well as other things suggested. I’m so frustrated and feel like I’m failing him. 😞 There has to be more to this. How can something so “simple” be so debilitating? Still looking for solutions….
We are going through the same thing with our 2 year old American Eskimo mix Pomeranian. I’ve taken her to 4 vets and one internist. We’ve tried everything, including feeding her five times a day. The internist thinks Snow White has food allergy IBD, but her regular vet diagnosed her with gastritis. If you have any idea how to make things better for your fur baby, please share your thoughts. I have done so much research and yet I don’t know how to alleviate her discomfort.
Dee your not alone. I spent sleepless night comforting my guy Dr bills all over the place. I don’t get it. I’m sitting here with my guy right now trying to get this to pass. You learn anything new?
I have been reading all of these problems with our beautiful dogs. My little Shih Tzu was diagnosed with IBD, at home cook for her, she does have flareups. She was on lots of medicines. It’s an endless disease, but I think I can get this under control but it’s very nerve-racking.
My westie has had a noisy tummy nearly every 2 weeks. My vet suggested potato and white fish which seemed to do the trick for about a month. However it’s back again – every other Tuesday. He has been getting bits of chicken if we’ve had it for a meal as I thought that would be ok. I gave him some yesterday and today he has a gurgle in his tummy. He remains alert and spritely when his tummy is off. I am going to try yogurt in his food and no chicken as a treat to see if that helps.
I have had the exact same issue occurring to my 3 year old maltese dog. It happens a couple times a week seemingly. I dont know what to do she has quality food and one day she’s fine the next she can’t sleep next to me. Any ideas?
I have a 10 month old chi cross. He’s been a very fussy eater the day we brought him home. What I have noticed is I have to be so careful with what he winds up putting in his mouth. Loves chewing on wood. This is a horror to me as I lost a beautiful dog from this same thing. Wood. I like to walk him in the country, oh my before you know he has poop in his mouth. Now his stomach is off, eating grass, off his food. I believe he might have a parasite. Off to the vet. Be so careful everyone gosh with what they chew on. I even wonder about his toys. ❤
I’m reading all of the comments here but I never see any replies.
My dog also like once a week does not eat and has loud gurgling noises. He does act fine except for he will sleep on the floor instead of with me.
i worry that something bad is wrong, but after a day he is back to his normal self.
It sounds like maybe this is common and many people have had it looked into without any real answers.
This problem seems so common, my 9.5 year old tibetan terrier has in recent months started having the same symptoms roughly once a week. She has always had a bit of a sensitive tum and has suffered badly with colitis in the past. I’ve tried giving her probiotics and changed her food to hills science plan sensitive stomach. Going to the vets next week with her.
My 11 year old Golden/ Chow has the exact same issue, every 2 weeks his stomach will start making loud noises in the am and he will not eat. Sometimes it last the whole day, other times I can get him to eat by lunch time.
It started for about 2-3 years ago. The vet did all kind of tests, but they can’t find anything wrong. His pancreas was checked and it’s fine. He gets fresh pet, boiled chicken and white tuna mixed with dry food.
I have a pomchi and she has been doing this every 2 weeks. Her stomach gurgles so much, she won’t eat or drink. She throws up bile. I have spend thosands taking her to the vet and ER. Everything always comes back normal. I am at my witts end because I don’t know what’s wrong and why this keeps happening. She get under skin fluid, gravol by injection and a few hours later is eating back to normal etc. But I can’t keep taking her to the vet every time this happens, but I’m scared if I don’t something worse will happen…like her organs fail due to dehydration. I need helps as she is doing it again today but not vomitting…yet.
Try slippery elm bark. Good quality, best in capsule so you can put powder on food as preventative, or dilute in water and give with a syringe in mouth (obviously no needle attached) when sick. It will calm digestive track, remove irritants, parasites or poisons without costing an arm and a leg. Research yourself but it has worked for my lead poisoned dog, my sister’s dog that was poisoned by a neighbor and stays I took in with various stomach issues. Walmart quality will not do. Has to be organic and from a reputable source. Powder will slime up when mixed with water which is what you want. You cannot overdose and no side effects. As I said, research yourself.
DO NOT FEED YOUR DOG FRESH PET!!!!!! It has garlic in it and that is POISONOUS to dogs!!!! Our BT almost died because if Fresh Pet!!!! The emergency pet hospital dr couldn’t figure out what was wrong until 8 mentioned the food smelled the whole kitchen with GARLIC! She was beside herself!!! That explained the symptoms, but almost killed my dog! Fresh Pet won’t tell you what “natural flavoring” ingredient is……..but it’s garlic! POISON!
My pooch has been prescribed omaprazole for two weeks for possible excess stomach acid, so let’s see if that helps?
My 14 month ol Pughas the exact same thing. I don’t see any replies on here, how do you see them? Has anyone found a solution or a treatment plan? We are getting ready to leave on vacation for two weeks and I’m very nervous about leaving him. He was just out eating grass, tummy gurgling and looking like he doesn’t feel well. Guaranteed he won’t eat breakfast tomorrow. I’m so worried.
My 11 year old chi mix whom I adopted a year and a half ago does exactly the same as others mention. About 2x per month he does this, stops eating and tummy loudly squelching…..lasts about a day and next day fine. Bizarre, I wonder what it is?
Same story here. 2 1/2 year old mixed coonhound/beagle. Twice a week his belly gurgles. He is currently on a prescription diet. He gets no food other than his Royal Canin HP food. His stool is more solid, but seems smaller than it should be. Been to the vet once a month, ran many tests…no negative results. When his belly is bad he doesn’t show any terribly alarming behaviors, although he does lay by himself, he will still get up and play with the puppy. He is a rather anxious dog. Things we’ve tried: chicken & rice, pumpkin, goats milk, probiotic, different feeding times, increased number of times feed throughout the day, slow feeder bowl, raised food bowls, prescription food. Looking into a raw diet now. There is a ton of similar stories with no answers. This is frustrating and scary.
My 4 year old chorkie has the same about every 2 weeks has a gurgling tummy and doesn’t eat for the day been vets but got no answer.The next day he’s fine. Just asking about trying pesto for dogs and how much to give.
Same with my boxer. Loud gurgling sounds you can hear across the room. Won’t eat for 1 or 2 days. Always the same from vet “gastritis” Have tried expensive mail order fresh food, chicken and rice, many brands of dry dog food and she always gets the same problem every 1 to 2 weeks. I have tried pepto , Pepcid, antacid etc. Doesn’t seem to help. Also gets probiotics. I am at my wits end. She seems uncomfortable when this happens. I just ordered purina sensitive stomach. We will see, but I don’t hold out much hope.
exact same thing with my boston terrier (coming up to 2 years old)
He will get loud gurgling stomach followed by a chuck of white foamy substance
skip breakfast and then be fine by the afternoon
happens like once or twice a month..
My Welsh Terrier gets the same. I did some research found that beef and chiken were not good for dogs so I have changed to a one protein diet lamb and rabbit treats pure rabbit. Been good for a few months if she has a different treat back it comes. The vet thinks it’s ibs I give her 1:2 a paracetamol we are fine again.
Our 12 year old Chorkie has had this on and off for the past few years. Initially it started with a bout of Pancreatis that led to an overnight in the vets, rabbit pooh was the culprit. I know now as soon as I hear a gurgle it’s tummy time. He won’t eat when he has it, he feels super sorry for himself and his stomach sounds like a marching band. Vet told us to keep Pro-Kolin paste in the house (which he hates, I literally have to rub it round his gums to get him to take some) and if needed give him a Buscopan. He is fed a really good quality dog food and although 12 still has high levels of exercise each day so I’m reluctant to cut his protein and fat levels as one vet advised. I find though it’s seems to be worse when he has treats for dog walking friends. His tummy has been fine for a good while and he had a treat from his dog buddy owner this morning and boom we have gurgling tum tonight. I have given him some ProKolin so fingers crossed.
Did your treatment work? Been dealing with this for years and getting worse.
All of these comments make me so sad, my boxer mix has been dealing with the same issues for years. No idea why it happens. He will get “bubble tummy” and I’ll know because he won’t eat, or drink, or wanna go outside, he just sleeps. All day. It’s so sad. And then tmrw, he’ll be completely fine. Like nothing happened. I’ve tried all kinds of nutritional additives to bulk up his stomach lining, but I just don’t know what else to do.
I’ve had life-long issues with my cheweenie, who’s 12. Tried powder probiotics with no luck. She’s on Fomatidine (Prilosec, I think) every day, which seems to help. Less often incidences. I’ve also been making home-made dog food for most of her life. Chicken, rice, some veggie. Seemed to work with much less issues. But now, she’s been eating a few days, off a day, eating a week, off one, eating a few days… Maybe it’s her age? Going to increase pill to twice a day. NOTE; have taken her to three different vets over the years, no firm diagnosis. I’m not going to put her through all that again with no results or some kind of an outcome.
My poor 7 month pomeranian gets a loud tummy & won’t eat for the entire day, he looks sick hell vomit and have loose stools. i’ve changed his food 3 times including his wet food i give him once a day. currently i am feeding him honest recipe which isn’t kibble it’s like an oatmeal food. he loves it. he was doing so good not having any problems until today. I don’t understand how he could be excited for food thae night before then comes the morning & he’s so uninterested.
My 9 yr old Westie has these same symptoms; loud buzzing stomach, won’t eat, sleeps alot sometimes and other times gets his toys to play. After about 6 hours and a bowel movement or vomit, he’s good to go again. I have had him to the Vet so many times and no results. Complete blood panel, tummy x-ray, two fecal tests. The only thing the Vet tells me is that there are no parasites, virus or bacteria. Wouldn’t you think the Vets or Vet pharmacists would study this since it is fairly common? So sad.
I’m experiencing the same issue with my dog that so many here have mentioned but I’ll leave my comment anyway and hope that some day we will find a solution. I began noticing stomach issues with my shepherd mix about a year and a half ago when he had some reddish mucus in his stool, the vet said it was likely just some inflammation and suggested a bland diet for a short time. The symptoms started to happen more frequently and then became more severe, including the gurgling/screaming stomach, lack of appetite, noticeable physical discomfort, and mucusy vomit and stool. The vet ran a series of tests and found that my dog had pancreatitis so we got on a low fat diet and added a B12 vitamin to his routine but he continued to experience the problems mentioned above. The vet ran a more advanced blood panel and said his pancreatitis was gone but that he had IBD. I’ve tried several combinations of new diets, medications, and supplements to help keep his stomach healthy but nothing seems to last long-term. I’ve had some minor success with Hills Prescription W/D mixing kibble and canned food but he still has regular flare ups, I’d say monthly, but they aren’t lasting as long as they had previously. Has anyone else’s vet diagnosed their dog with IBD? Hoping to find a way to at least mitigate some of the discomfort. My heart breaks for all the commenters here, this process is so frustrating. Maybe we need to start a support group?
UPDATE: My dog experienced a particularly bad flare up back in September where his stomach was very bloated, he could not lay still and was even having trouble standing up. I took him to a different vet within the practice as an emergency visit because I was quite worried and she suggested giving him Pepcid every night before bed since his problem with not eating tends to start in the morning. I don’t want to jinx anything but the Pepcid has been working wonders! Since he started taking it about 2 months ago I’ve only noticed a couple of days where I heard his stomach squealing, but he had none of the other symptoms. It did take a little bit of coaxing to get him to eat on the two days I heard his stomach noises, but a big scoop of canned food worked for him, whereas before I couldn’t even get him to eat ANYTHING (even chicken). Just wanted to share in case it could help someone else, it’s definitely worth asking the vet about. Hopefully this helps long term, I’ll try to keep y’all updated.
Hello every one, my boy is a 4 years canaan dog , same story… loud sounds from his tummy as if he is hungry, can’t eat anything, only some leaves from the garden and he stay like this for the whole day… I went to the vet and she thought this might be due to worm or something but nah nothing is related to that… then I figure out the reason… My dog shouldn’t eat one meal only…. I gotta feed him three times a day… small portion in the morning and evening and a normal meal for lunch… If I skipped the evening or the morning meal this problem will happen 😐 so from my experience your dog should eat three times a day to avoid this problem… try that hopefully it will be useful for you 🙂
Did your treatment work? Been dealing with this for years and getting worse.
Disregard that comment. Been following that routine with my westie for years. Problem always comes back. I don’t get it. So frustrating and heartbreaking.
My little 12 year old miniature schnauzer is going through this currently. It’s not her first time. Sounds like the same as you all are describing. As far as I can tell hers started with bloody, mucous diarrhea. We knew she had eaten something she should not of eaten and were hoping by the next day she’d be fine. In comes the not eating and now tummy gurgling to beat the band. Trying to decide if we take her to the vet or not. Considering the slippery elm.
OK.. here’s my story. My 13 year old Pitsky got sick, loose stool(with blood), vomiting… Vet gave her anti biotics, probiotics etc. She doesn’t seem any better and now my other dogs (2 pits and i brussel griffon) are exhibiting same symptoms… Gurgling stomach,no appetite and vomiting…HELP
I’ve correlated not getting food into his stomach soon enough with the diarrhea/not wanting to eat.. meaning WHEN his stomach expects there to be food (based on the sun coming up, how he sleeps, if I wake up early and don’t feed him until his normal time, etc), if there is not food in there, his stomach acid has nothing to do, but keeps pouring in as if there was food to digest.. then with that amount of stomach acid, he doesn’t feel like eating, then he’s going to poop all that out (diarrhea).
Like many of you, we went to multiple vets.. blood tests, xrays, ultrasounds, fecal tests, all fine with the exception of some inflammation (seen during ultrasound). Doctor prescribed antibiotic (which he said would reduce the inflammation), which has been working for us to make the diarrhea go away and the appetite come back… except today where he was awake already, wanted to play, then after that LOUD stomach and not wanting to eat. One day when the stomach sounds started I was able to get him to eat bread and we had a fine day.. My prediction of today is it will not be good, given the fact that he wouldn’t eat breakfast (and I had ran out of the bread). My logic behind the bread was that to him it was a treat (more likely to eat it), not too unhealthy, and would soak up his stomach acid. From the previous week where we were at our worst (bloody diarrhea), we began the antibiotic, and me feeding him bread (just to get him to eat), and going to the store to get a bunch of different dog foods tried giving him each, and he went for blue buffalo turkey and potato recipe small breed… with that, his health basically went back to normal.. (possibly until i ran out of those and the bread and here we go again…)
Also to add to my previous message, I eventually stopped feeding him bread as he took to the blue buffalo food. The bread I gave him that he liked was Sliced Croissant Loaf – La Boulangerie (just because it had the smallest number of ingredients in it).
Sometimes to get food into him we had 2 other tricks that worked periodically 1) throwing the food to him (where he catches it in his mouth) and 2) the threat of the cat eating his food sometimes makes him eat his food.
My 10 year old Collie has similar issues to what many of you described in the comments. She will be fine for a few weeks and then she will wake up one morning not wanting to eat her meal. It happened this morning so I started rubbing and pressing on her stomach and it was making all types of sounds. She has been to the vet a few times and they have prescribed Metoclopramide. I will give it to her for a week or two and then she’s back to normal. When it happens again and she refuses to eat, I give her a pill and within a couple of hours, she is back to normal. I don’t know what causes it as I never give table scraps and am very careful as to what I feed her.
My 6 year old Chihuahua experiences the same thing about every 2 weeks. We’ve had numerous vet trips. Labs and X-rays. He even seen a specialist and still no firm diagnosis. I’ve changed his diet multiple times and give him probiotics every day. He was tested for liver failure and high bile acids levels. Liver failure test was negative but the bile acids came back high. It worries me so bad when he has these episodes. He doesn’t eat for about 24 hours then he is fine like nothing never happen. This has been going on for years. We have found out he is allergic to chicken, soy, and yeast. He is on high quality dog food hill z/d and he still has these episodes. He doesn’t get any human food. I’m so frustrated cause I feel like I’m failing him. Anyone got any answers?
Jason,
I’ve been giving my dog Pepcid every night before bed with a small amount of kibble per my vet’s recommendation. After nearly 2 years of tests, trying different diets and meds, etc. this is the only thing that has seemed to help him. I’ve been doing this since mid-September and aside for one or two loud stomach days early on, he’s had no more flare ups (before they were happening every couple of weeks). Might be worth asking your vet about! Hope this helps.
How much Pepcid do you give each time? Is it still working? We have a vet appointment in a couple of weeks but may try Pepcid in the meantime.
Thanks!
I appreciate all of the comments and concerns I am reading as I have a very healthy, active 10 year old greyhound who exhibits similar loud, (and out of the ordinary hungry or digestive stomach sounds) gurgling stomach sounds every two-three weeks. I’ve been a natural pet food sales rep for 15 years, and her diet is superb. I rotate her proteins regularly, she eats a high quality human-grade raw diet for dinner, high quality freeze-dried (raw that is quickly freeze-dried) crumbled on top of a high quality kibble with goat’s milk, probiotics, digestive enzymes, and powdered greens mixed in. Organic, raw chicken necks for treats, and is an enthusiastic eater and finishes every meal. She never throws up or has diarrhea with this periodic episodes. Our holistic vet tests her stool monthly for any parasites, her bloodwork is always fine. It is worrisome for all of us when our sweet dogs don’t eat for a day, and like comments above, I watch her closely, offer little bits of boiled chicken and rice throughout the day, and by evening she begins to show interest in eating again. She always goes out for her morning walk and long afternoon hike, and our vet advises me that it only is truly concerning if it appears to be bloat, or she exhibits any other distressing symptoms, like gums turning light pink or white, dehydration signs, or continues on day 2 to refuse food. I’m going to try the recommended pepcid and light tummy massage to help her release gas (if that is what it is, but she never passes gas due to appropriate diet and supplements) after a call to my vet this am, as she is having an episode today. Thank you all so much, as it’s such a relief to know that this seems to be a common concern for many other caring dog parents.
Hi, my dog is the same as for most of you – vomits bile then doesn’t eat or drink for at least 24 hours, and has a gurgley tummy. Tried all sorts of tests and nothing wrong. Tried Zitac and Omeprazole – nothing. Fed her later at night, smaller meals, tried different food – sensitive, hypoallergenic – nothing. It’s been getting more frequent since May (was once a month, now 3-4 times per week). At my wits end… trying raw food next, and then a lady in the vet suggested insect food in case she’s allergic to something in the kibble. I personally don’t think it’s food… I may be proved wrong. She’s 7-8 yrs and she’s on osteoarthritis drugs – so Galliprant and now librela as we thought it may be the tablets. Could be a side effect, but haven’t found a way of minimising these episodes. Slippery elm bark may be what’s made these episodes more frequent over the past few days as that’s the only thing that is different. Frustrating that the vets can’t definitively say what’s wrong, and that it’s down the to owner for trial and error which takes months. Even then we may not find a solution. I feel for you all.
DR. DOBIAS GUT SENSE. Sorry for shouting, some days I add it to my papillon/shitzu’s food. Some days I don’t. Last night around six I just gave them straight food, no supplements. I put them in the bathroom to sleep, took them out around 11 am. Had them on my bed. I was trying to read. The gurgling was so loud in Chloey that I got up,went downstairs,took a capsule of Dr DOBIAS Gut sense ,mixed it with a tiny amount of FILTERED water, and then fed it into the side of her mouth with an eye dropper. The noisy gurgling seems less now, definitely has lessened, as I write this BUT it will probably go completely away if I get some water into her.
Ok… I’m back from giving Chloey (btw she is 7 lbs) 7 ml of filtered water with the eye dropper,can still hear the occasional gurgle,but nothing like before. Her sister has never had this issue. It seems to me that this does not happen when I am consistent with the Dr DOBIAS Supplements in the food,although I can’t really remember for sure,I’ll have to keep track Also I feed Carna4 gently baked, non extruded, nuggets without any added synthetic vitamins.
After I posted, I went back and finished reading all of the comments. Wow, you guys are so much like me going the extra mile trying to be aware of diet etc. I am grateful to have found this group but I gotta be honest with you now, while I was finishing up reading the posts, the really noisy gurgling came back!
Someone mentioned SLIPPERY ELM BARK. I have some. I’m going now to google it
I’m back from walking gurgling Chloey and her sister. I stood there and let Chloey eat grass for approx 7 minutes. Gurgles are gone, really gone. Now I can get back to reading my book. I am grateful that living where I do in the Okanagan Valley BC I can access grass This time of year. I am still going to pay attention and give the gut sense and other Dr DOBIAS supplements ‘every’ day in their food and see if that makes a difference.
It’s good to know we are not alone. My 32 lb 18 month old sheltie/aussie cross has had tummy issues for about 8 months. He was having “episodes” about every two weeks as well (weird that it sounds like that is a thing) but we coaxed him through it, got off the raw-coated kibble he had been on since he was a baby in case that food was changed and there was bacteria there that had not been before and switched him to Kirkland brand chicken and rice which appears to be really highly rated. The “boys” also get a little dried liver sprinkled on their meals with some warm water to make “gravy”. We havent had an episode for months and suddenly he didnt take his cookie on our walk this morning and hasnt eaten all day. He is under the desk right now and his gurgling tummy is so loud I can’t believe it is coming from his little body. He wont eat anything – not even his favorite treats although at least he is still drinking water. Every time I look at him he quivers and rapidly wags his tail which he usually does if he has done something wrong and thinks he is in trouble. His brother (same breed, but 3 years older) is a walking garbage can with a stomache of steel. I have never had an animal with a sensitive tummy and I am just at a loss and feel terrible for him. The responses here have certainly given me some ideas of a few more things to try so will see how it goes!
My 12+ y/o jack russell mix, 13 pounds just gave me another scare at 1 am. She often wakes up with the need to vomit bile goop around 3am, so this was a real early alarm! She didn’t vomit or have anything more than a pee outside from multiple outdoor visits between 1am and 4am. Needless to say, I didn’t get a good night’s sleep and neither did Bella. I was more concerned hearing the constant girgling and whirling from her belly, that lasted until Noon. The most alarming thing was that she refused to eat this morning, and had nothing to do with snacks or even water all morning, through the lunch hour. She stuck very close to me for a good 12 hours and all I could do was pet her and love on her while she bravely faced her uncomfortableness. Then, I had a bright idea, after reading about an application of Pepsid to offer Bella a Highlands “Indigestion” homeopathic tablet melted in a drop of water, within a piece of chicken. She ate it! What a relief that was. So I prepared a light serving of white rice and chicken for her and she ate it! Two hours later, she was asking for more. I have my Bella back! Thanks so much for putting your posts up here. It’s nice to know we are not alone, and that there are a lot of other pets suffering like Bella. As with you all, I really hate to see her in pain or uncomfortable. Wishing you and your Pet Children well. Hope my experience helps another little one in need.
Fergus 10 yr old Scottie, what works most often for me is Chamomile Lavender tea, 1 bag, with probiotics, Chicken stock, homemade chicken bone broth, or chicken stock made with the Better than Broth chicken, Homemade stock carrots, celery, …also fresh leafy greens like kale, (I eat the kale) simmered in chicken stock ( Fergus love the tea both herbs are for stomach problems both also calm and ease providing restful sleep) the Kale just happened recently and Fergus was going nuts so i gave him some of the pot liquor (I made it with a bag of tea and chicken stock and a bit of tumeric. tasted wonderful (do not salt it in cooking) ran some stock and kale through processor he even ate some of the kale with his food. and today I am going to have to make more…because he is acting unwell, its really hot outside, and he goes out several times a day to check on the backyard chickens, and i dont know if he tries to eat bird poop or not. but when he seems to want grass, the tea works.
It’s good to know we are not alone! Our 12 year old Westie has had this problem for years ince she was 2 or 3. She gets me up (it always happens in the middle of the night and she wants her mom, not my husband) to run around the house while she howls and whimpers. She then digs, followed by a dry heave. Sometimes one dry heave is enough, sometimes it takes 3… that means running around, digging, then heaving 3 times in the middle of the night.
Lots of tests, changed diet from a very good quality food to Royal Canine GI low fat – that helped some. She has always lived with another Westie until 2 years ago when our then 15 year old died. Bella didn’t have the problem for months… so we decided it was emotional – she loved her companion, but she loves being an only dog better. But the problem is back. I’m going to try giving her filtered water – the water we drink. We are on a well and the water has all kind of “stuff” in it that we filter out for ourselves. Now she gets to enjoy the filtered water. If that doesn’t do it we’ll go to 3 meals a day… Now she has one at 6 am, 1 pm, then a treat at 7… Good quality biscuits. Thanks for all the ideas!
For 5 years pup is sick with growling belly in mornings every 2-5 days. 17 vets later, multiple efforts following advice, no change. Small things that helped us a little is got off chicken, give her food when asks, may be 3 times a day, let her eat baby hackberry leaves. One ultra sound did find diffuse swelling in intestines…it was a radiologist that said to check for heterobilharzia parasite which she had. Thought after worm treatment she would be better, no. I did want to mention this parasite on the forum because it’s under diagnosed, dogs get it from playing in the water FYI and it causes a lot of intestinal etc damage. Still working on it. Difficult to hold a job because she needs so much attention the mornings she is ill. Probably going to have to sell house soon. Good luck to us all
I wrote in 2001, here’s an update. So my girl is 13 yr old mixed Chihuahua and she’s 15 lbs. She’s had stomach issue’s ever since I can remember. I got her as a rescue when she was 6 month’s old
She was recently diagnosed with trachea collapse, it’s not that bad but the symptoms started with her coughing/hacking if she was to bark too much. Fast forward, she was swallowing a lot and licking her lips and it was so hard to watch her as you could tell she was just so nauseous. She would want to run out in the backyard and chimp on grass as if it was her last meal and then she would vomit and be ok after. I started giving her GI Tract Formula from Chewy as it has all natural ingredients, and she would be down for the count for half a day and not eat, then around 6 or 7 pm she would eat her food. This time her Vet wanted a stool sample and 4 days later I was called and told she had Giardia. So I went to go pick up her metronidazole and Parasite meds which both are in liquid form as she won’t take pills. Both Ned’s are a 5 day course and she’s going on her 3rd day and woke up fine and ate her am meal but then I heard the familiar terrible noises coming from.jer intestinal Tract and she wouldn’t even go next to her food. I’ve read a lot of these comments and I’ve always had her on Bottled Water so that wasn’t the issue before the Giardia. I’ve spent so many sleepless nights with my girl, iys just something you sacrifice for your baby, that’s her name by the way. I’m sitting up in bed right now as she’s laying next to me going thru this terrible stomach ache. It breaks my heart because there’s nothing I can do for her other than give her the meds and wait it out. It’s just so sad hearing the noises knowing she’s feeling awful. Sometimes putting a heating pad under her blanket that she’s laying on set on low helps ease her tummy pain, just be careful not to leave it on for too long. It’s time for her meds for the Giardia, I feel so bad I have to wake her up as she just got in a comfortable position. I’ll make sure to give her Gabapentin for pain as well.
I’m on the same boat. And I don’t think its a coincidence that there this many people facing the same/similar issue. It most likely has something to do with the food that we think are healthy for dogs but maybe its creating a latent disease. All vet works show dog to be completely healthy, yet 1-2 times a month my dog is suffering! Next day or so, hes completely fine and acts like nothing happened. There’s some weird virus/disease.. I don’t think its as simple as acid reflux or any other underlying disease.
My crossbreed rescue dog has had this same problem for years. Initially about once or twice a month he would throw up and get me up at 4 in the morning with loud stomach gurgling and go completely off his food, upset and obviously on pain.
He is an anxious dog and has separation anxiety and we find that increased stress makes it much more likely to flare up. He has never had a big appetite anyway. We moved house several times and now it happens once or twice a week.
I have managed to reduce the problem by feeding him better quality food, going from Royal Canin to Lilys and now frozen freshly cooked deliveries.
We have started feeding him three times a day (before it was twice) feeding him at 10, just before bed. He still wakes me up but now it is at 7:15, much more sociable.
I can say for certain that for him the way to stop the stomach gurgling and pain is to have food in it. As he refuses to eat while in this state I have discovered that force feeding him gently and kindly (don’t want to make him more anxious) stops the symptoms immediately.
This discussion is incredible for me as I had never really found other people talking about his same exact symptoms before. I shall therefore immediately give him Omiprazole (its an antiacid or PPI) and I have never thought to change his water and will do so immediately.
Best of luck to you and your dogs. X
My Pomeranian was having this same problem with waking up in the morning and not eating his breakfast, loud stomach noises and wanting to eat grass. He only eats the best quality meat including bison and he’s on powders including probiotics. Anyway I wanted to share I started him on psyllium husk 1/16 tsp and liquid milk thistle from nhv online and he’s doing great. Hope this helps others as I’ve tried everything and this is working. Detox the liver with milk thistle and psyllium soaks up toxins and gives them fibre keeping everything moving.
I’ve had success with psyllium husk and liquid milk thistle from nhv natural pet online. Just a small amount of psyllium in food has made a huge differenvve . Please try as I’ve tried everything and this works!
What is it with Westies???? Mine too. The gurgles. I thought we were finally doing good on her diet, and we are gurgling again. She gurgles and feels like poo and gets ultra clingy. Doesn’t eat all day. Trying to push a lil boiled chicken and rice (per vet) to keep down the acid.
Is this just prominent in westies??
If anyone has answers,,,,,