My Dog's Stomach Makes a Lot of Noise and It's Shivering

Noises from the digestive system can be part of its normal functioning. But when they're excessive, frequent, or we notice other symptoms, they're a warning sign we need to pay attention to.

If, along with these stomach noises, our dog is also shivering, it could indicate it's feeling intense discomfort. Let's take a detailed look at the most common reasons a dog's stomach makes a lot of noise and shivers, and how we should respond.

Why Does the Stomach Make Noise?

The digestive system involves several different organs. From the moment food enters the mouth until it exits through the anus, it goes through an important series of processes that let the body make use of all the nutrients in the food.

Sometimes, digestion can generate excess gas or some noise. But if this happens repeatedly, is very noticeable, or other symptoms appear, we should stay alert. In this context, the following concepts are essential:

• Meteorism (bloating): excessive gas inside the stomach or intestine, causing it to distend.
• Flatulence: intestinal gas released through the anus, along with a characteristic sound and smell.
• Borborygmi: the sound made by gas and liquid moving through the intestinal tract. It's part of normal digestive physiology. It's more common to hear it several hours after the last meal.
• Burping: gas from the digestive tract, trapped in the esophagus and stomach after eating, being released through the mouth with a characteristic sound.

The Stomach Makes Noise From Hunger

Since borborygmi are more common when the dog's stomach has been empty for hours, if we hear noises it could simply mean it's hungry. We can split its daily ration into several meals so it goes fewer hours without eating. Nowadays, dogs are generally fed reasonably well, so it's not common for them to go hungry.

But if we're involved with animal shelters, we may well come across hungry, malnourished, cachectic dogs, with hunger-related abdominal noise and fear-related trembling. Luckily, with proper physical and psychological care, they can recover.

We can also hear these stomach noises if the dog has been through an illness that kept it from eating for a while. If it's also shivering, it could point to discomfort. Once the dog starts recovering and eating normally again, these signs will go away.

Causes of Gas in Dogs

When gas builds up in the digestive system, the dog can release it as flatulence, colloquially known as farts. This is simply gas that's built up in the digestive tract escaping with a characteristic sound and bad smell.

It's gas produced by digesting the food eaten, along with carbon dioxide and air the dog swallowed while eating. So, the amount will be influenced by the type of food eaten and how anxiously the dog eats, since that affects how much air it swallows.

It's not unusual, and completely normal, for a dog to pass gas from time to time. But if the flatulence is excessive or smells really bad, we should check with the vet. It could be due to malabsorption syndrome. Also if other symptoms appear, such as abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, or the dog stops eating.

Gastrointestinal Complications

In gastric outflow obstruction, normal transit is blocked due to an interruption at the pyloric duct. There are several causes, such as ulcers, certain types of gastritis, tumors, foreign bodies, or bezoars, which are accumulations of indigestible substances that end up forming a mass.

This obstruction can be total or partial. Its symptoms notably include intermittent vomiting, sometimes projectile, with undigested food and even blood, loss of appetite, weight loss, bloating, and burping. You need to see a vet, since intervention is essential to remove the obstruction.

Symptoms of Colitis in Dogs

Colitis is, precisely, inflammation of the colon or large intestine. It's identified because the dog feels pain when defecating. It's normal to see it straining for quite a while and hear it passing gas. In the end it manages to pass small amounts of stool, several times a day.

This is accompanied by blood and mucus. The main problem is that all of these clinical signs, at first glance, seem to be caused by constipation. This can lead us, instead of seeing a vet, to try making the dog defecate at home ourselves.

Colitis can be the result of inflammatory bowel disease, internal parasites, or even, in a smaller percentage of cases, fungal infestations. It's essential to see a vet, since treatment requires identifying the cause of the colitis.

How to Prevent Stomach Noises

Adopting a few preventive measures can reduce the risk of our dog developing intestinal problems. But keep in mind these don't replace veterinary treatment if the dog is already showing symptoms. They are:

• Look for quality food suited to your dog's current life stage. Remember, diet is the foundation of good health and the best form of prevention.
• Don't give it leftovers from your plate. Some of your dishes can really disagree with it.
• If your dog is very anxious around food or tends to have intestinal discomfort, it's better to split its ration into about three meals. And it's even better to offer them at the same time each day.
• Keep the dog in a safe environment and don't let it wander unsupervised. This reduces the risk of eating something inappropriate.
• See a vet at the first symptom, and don't give any medication without a diagnosis.

Bibliography Carlson and Giffin. 2002. Manual práctico de veterinaria canina. Madrid. Editorial el Drac.