Is it an ill wind?

I have an 18-month-old male Whippet who is full of life and a really lovely chap. My problem is he suffers from rather a lot of farting! Most people seem to find it amusing but I don’t, as I am concerned that I am doing something wrong with his diet. It doesn’t seem to bother him and he loves his food, in fact he is rather greedy! However, I don’t let him overeat and I watch his diet carefully. He is fed in exactly the same way as my current and previous Whippets, and none of them have this problem (although two of my bitches did experience the occasional bout of colic and they were quite stressed). His diet is as follows; in the morning he will eat around 4oz of cooked packaged chicken and four small biscuits. At 12.30pm we play “find it” with a very small handful of James Wellbeloved Turkey and Rice. In the evening he will eat 6oz of raw tripe or tripe and beef, 3oz of good quality puppy meat, vegetables including carrots, peas, broccoli or cabbage and 5ml of flax oil. On alternative days I give him one Ultimate Nutrition vitamin tablet, and sometimes he will have a tiny drop of milk with some hot water, and plain yoghurt. Other foods I give him include white fish once a week, scrambled eggs (occasionally), small amounts of tuna; one or two Muchy Rawhide chews a day and tiny bits of cheese and sausage as training treats. His motions are usually fine but occasionally a little loose. He is never sick. As he is a very boisterous and excitable dog, I sometimes wonder if it’s just his personality. You may be interested to hear that all four of my whippets enjoy eating Cleavers Goosegrass, more than ordinary grass. Do you know why this would be? I hope you may be able to give me some advice about this.
Ruth Pritchard, Blandford, Dorset

Lovely alternative vet and Dogs Today contributor Richard Allport was very quick off the mark on this one, think windy dogs are a bit of a specialism!

"I believe some dogs are just prone to be old farts (or in the case of your Whippet, young farts) and that in this sort of case diet is not the prime cause, it’s just an innate tendency to ‘ferment’ internally.
Helpful supplements to stifle the smell and ditch the gas are:
Charcoal – give a teaspoon of charcoal granules with each meal (most pharmacies stock this). This helps neutralise the smell and decreases gas formation
Probiotic- give a good probiotic such as Lacto B daily, long term. This encourages growth of beneficial bacteria that are god for the digestive tract
Slippery Elm – this helps keep the stool firmer and aids absorption of food. Available in powder or tablet form, the oral tablet form is usually easier to administer.
Carbo veg – a homoeopathic remedy that helps stabilise the digestion and minimise gas production. Use Carbo veg 30c and give one tablet three times daily for a week, then one twice daily for a week, then one daily for a week, followed by one tablet twice a week long term.
These should all help keep your Whippet gas free!
As to Cleavers/Goosegrass, I think many dogs just enjoy the texture; it’s probably more satisfying to chew than ordinary grass. Cleavers is a herb long used by herbalists for treating arthritis, so older dogs would definitely benefit from eating it."

Richard Allport