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Can I Give My Dog Gas-X?

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Dog Health By Ben Team 6 min read January 3, 2023 20 Comments

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Just like humans, dogs can and do suffer from gas on occasion – and it can be quite deadly as well as silent.

While this is a harmless (if unpleasant) medical issue that usually resolves on its own (or with the help of a fan), there are a few things you can do to help speed along the airing out process. This can help spare your pup some potentially painful gas pains and help everyone retain their sense of smell.

The good news is: Yes! You can give your dog Gas-X.

Simethicone, better known by the brand name Gas-X, is generally considered safe for dogs (although as always, you should make sure to consult your vet before administering any kind of medication).

Wondering where to get it? You can grab Gas-X on Amazon!

What Causes Gas in Dogs?

There are a number of different things that can cause your dog to suffer from gas. Some of the most common include:

  • Excessive Air Consumption – Many times, the gas inside your dog’s belly is simply air. This type of dog gas rarely has a particularly foul odor (air smells like, well, air), but it can still cause them to suffer from the accompanying discomfort. Most particularly gassy dogs end up swallowing excess air by gulping down their food and water too quickly. You may even hear your dog’s stomach making noise and strange sounds!
  • Cruciferous Vegetables and Other Foods – The compounds found in some foods, particularly cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli and their relatives), naturally produce gases when they breakdown. Extremely rich foods may also cause gas, so avoid giving your dog fatty table scraps.
  • Gastrointestinal Infections – Bacterial infections may upset the normal digestive processes in your dog’s gut, leading to the formation of more gas. Some such infections may be self-limiting and resolve on their own, but others will require antibiotics to clear. Consult with your vet if you suspect your pup has contracted a bug – particularly if the gas is accompanied by loose or watery stools.
  • Gastrointestinal Malformations – Although they are relatively rare, congenital defects of the digestive system may lead to poor digestive function. This dysfunction may manifest as copious quantities of gas.

Some dogs may also experience gas if they’re given low-quality foods or those with excessive fiber content. 

What Is Gas-X and How Does It Work?

Simethicone (aka Gas-X) works in a fairly simple and straight-forward manner, but it doesn’t do what a lot of people think it does. In fact, simethicone isn’t even absorbed by the bloodstream at all – it simply passes through the piping.ir?t=k9ofmine 20&l=li3&o=1&a=B0013NHSL2

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Simethicone does not stop gas bubbles from forming, nor does it eliminate these bubbles, once they’ve formed.

As explained by the University of Michigan:

“Simethicone allows gas bubbles in the stomach and intestines to come together more easily, which allows for easier passage of gas.”

And unfortunately, no, it doesn’t do anything to improve the odor of said bubbles either.

The gas will still need to escape from your dog’s body one way or another. Simethicone simply helps accelerate this process. By hastening the exit of the gas, your dog will feel less bloated and more comfortable.

In other words, simethicone accelerates the expulsion of gas by reducing the surface tension of the gas bubbles.

Think of it this way: The gas bubbles that form in your dog’s digestive system are typically rather small. This prevents them from moving through the intestines efficiently. They eventually make their way out, but it can take a considerable amount of time for this to happen.

But because simethicone lowers the surface tension of these bubbles, they readily combine with other small bubbles. The larger bubbles that result are propelled through the intestines more rapidly, which allows them to be expelled out more easily. Simethicone works rapidly, and the results can usually be seen (well, heard or smelled) within minutes.

Simethicone also has other uses too. For example, it can be used in the emergency treatment of detergent ingestion to help reduce the foaming that will otherwise occur.

What Is the Recommended Dosage of Gas-X?

Gas-X is not licensed for use in dogs, so you’ll always want to consult your vet before administering it to your dog. Nevertheless, the typical dosing regimen is as follows:

  • Small dogs require about 20 milligrams
  • Medium-sized dogs require about 40 milligrams
  • Large dogs require about 80 milligrams

Note that simethicone is generally very safe, and it’s tolerated at even ridiculously high doses. Loose stools are usually the only side effect associated with high doses.

What Are Some Other Ways to Deal with Doggie Gas?

Although it is often quite effective, Gas-X isn’t the only way to treat your dog’s bloating and flatulence.

  • Try to reduce the amount of air your dog swallows. Many dogs swallow air when gulping down their food, so try to slow the process down. You may also consider getting an elevated food dish or a slow-feeder, which may help reduce gassiness
  • Try using probiotics to maintain a proper gut flora. Probiotics may help improve the efficiency of your dog’s digestive system and outcompete harmful (and potentially gas-producing) bacteria. However, be warned, some dogs appear to experience more gas on probiotics than they did before.
  • Avoid providing your dog with food that causes gas. If your dog begins compromising the integrity of your home’s air after eating a given food, stop giving him that food. Usually, the foods that cause dogs to produce a lot of gas are vegetables, so they are relatively easy to replace. You may want to consider switching to a dog food for dogs with gas issues!
  • Visit your veterinarian. You’ll likely need veterinary help to address gas caused by congenital disorders or illnesses like irritable bowel syndrome. He or she may be able to prescribe medications or prescription diets to fix the issue, or they may even recommend more elaborate procedures to fix more serious problems.

Emergency Use of Gas-X For Your Dog

Gas-X is typically used for eliminating minor bloating and gas, but it also has another important use. In fact, some veterinarians recommend keeping Gas-X on hand for emergency usage, specifically for dealing with bloat.

Bloat is a serious medical condition that occurs when gasses get trapped inside a dog’s digestive tract. Often, it is accompanied by a twisting of the stomach, which further locks the gases inside the body. Without immediate medical assistance, bloat is often fatal.

Treatment often requires surgery to untwist the digestive tract and free the trapped gas. However, some vets recommend giving dogs who may be suffering from bloat an immediate dose of Gas-X while on the way to the emergency clinic. The Gas-X may help some of the gas escape, and improve the chances of a full recovery.

When used in this manner, Gas-X is typically administered at double the normal dosage.

***

Do you use Gas-X to tame your dog’s gastrointestinal tract? Have you found other methods that work better? Perhaps you just try to tough it out and live with the chemical warfare your little tooter emits.

Regardless of your approach, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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Ben Team

Ben is the managing editor for K9 of Mine and has spent most of his adult life working as a wildlife educator and animal-care professional. Ben’s had the chance to work with hundreds of different species, but his favorite animals have always been dogs. He currently lives in Atlanta, GA with his spoiled-rotten Rottweiler named J.B. Chances are, she’s currently giving him the eyes and begging to go to the park.

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20 Comments

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Tiffany

I don’t know if this will be helpful to anyone- but if anyone has ever experienced trapped gas it’s known to be painful and through-out time I’ve come up w my own little tricks that help me and I use the same tricks on my chihuahua and it seems to help him when he is bloated with gas. You know those little hand held push button back massagers (they ultimately just mildly vibrate) you can find them at Walgreens and most like Walmart as well. Well the vibrating seems to help break up the gas and when massaging back muscles downward it helps move it around and ultimately to its exit. My dog is sketchy about literally everything (he doesn’t even like the car- he has unfounded trust issues I suppose) but when his tummy hurts he loves the vibration (it’s somewhat soothing as well.)

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Ben Team

Interesting idea, Tiffany. We’d recommend mentioning it to your vet just to be on the safe side, but it does seem like that may be helpful.
Thanks for sharing!

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Teresa

My baby diamond is mixed pit-Shar-pai – something like that. She’s 11 right now she has gas and she always is trying to lay right but changes just to be comfortable. I can hear her she would push the gas out but I gave her another GasX. The first one seems a little better so now I’m waiting on the next. I would move her legs up to her chest hopefully the gas comes out. I think she got it from eating raw chicken patty’s from Stella chewy. She was always thirsty and a lot of smelly gas so I stopped giving it to her it was her first time eating it. I’m not giving her anymore.

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Anne

Hi, raised bowls are no longer recommended to prevent bloat — could even make it worse. We use gasx and always wet food served in small portions throughout the day. Also got a special water bowl so he doesn’t gulp up water – that was causing a lot of gas. Also barking can make things worse! Thanks.

Reply
Ben Team

Hey, Anne.
It really depends on which vet or authority you consult. Some have stopped recommending elevated food dishes, but others continue to do so.
Thanks for reading!

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Tim

8,000 mg is 100 times the normal dose of 80 mg, not 1,000 times. The article should be corrected.

Reply
Ben Team

Thanks for pointing out the mistake, Tim. It has been corrected.

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Nancy

I read in your column that you can give a dog probiotics to help for gas. Can they eat yogurt or will that hurt them. This is my first pet and I am curious what I can give him that won’t hurt him.

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Ben Team

Hey, Nancy.
First of all, congrats on your new canine!
And absolutely — boring, plain old unsweetened yogurt is fine for dogs (and make sure you do not use diet varieties, as they may contain xylitol, which is very dangerous for dogs).
You can even freeze it and give it to your pooch like a treat.
Just understand that dogs are all individuals, and some digest things better than others. So, I’d recommend mixing in just a small amount with your pupper’s food at first.
If he digests it well, has no stomach issues, and seems to like it, then you can gradually increase the amount offered.
Best of luck!

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Dani

I have a 15 year old Chihuahua. 9lbs. He is in heart failure and extremely bloated.

I bought mylicon (20mg Simethicone) from the child and infant section at the drug store. I prefer this over Gas-X because it doesn’t have any dyes or inactive ingredients, and is safe for babies.

For anybody who has a little dog under 10 lbs, I would suggest looking in the infant section for a low dose of Simethicone!

I hope all of your dogs feel better.

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Debbie

What is the dosage for a 4 lb dog?

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Yvette

I bought the green colored soft gels (extra strength) Gas-X thinking that would be okay for my dog. It’s 125 mg. Is that too much? I need to start my Maltese and Jack Russell on it. All my dogs are over 10 years of age. Is it dangerous giving them this dosage? Is it with a meal, or once or twice a day? Thanks for your help.

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Meg Marrs

Yes, that probably is too much, especially for a small dog. See our dosage chart in the above article and also consider consulting with your vet to make sure you’re selecting the correct dosage. Generally, I’d avoid ever going with extra-strength anything for dogs as they can be more sensitive to certain medications than humans.

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linda brown

Thank you. I have one pit, and 2 pit mixes. One of the mixes is part Weimaraner. I’m worried about bloat with him. How would I administer the Gas-X to him, should he need it. Can I use Pepto-Bismol, since it’s a liquid…maybe faster acting? Can I use simethicone prophilactically, before a meal. Kinda like Beano.

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Julia Colson

Our old Boxer is suffering from heart & kidney failure. In the past few days we’ve seen her bloat very badly. If she were young and healthy, we’d operate! Now we’re just trying to make her comfortable. We’re trying Gas-X tonight, and hope it helps a little. Thanks for your info!

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Nicole

She probably needs furosimide (a diuretic for fluid retention) and pimobendan(heart med).
Getting her on K/D food

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Sharon Curtis

Thank you. Tried Gas-X on my pooch. He gets terrible gas. Changing his diet did work but he tends to eat super fast which causes gas. Saw this article and gave it a shot. Worked like a charm. Thank you

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Meg Marrs

Glad we could help Sharon. If eating too fast seems to be the issue, you may want to also try opting for a slow-feeding bowl.

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Dianne

Can you share how you give the gas-x for your gulper. Most human instructions say to take after eating. Do you do that to break up the gas, or does giving it before they eat work?

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Mary

Our dog eats shrubbery, grass, pine cones, even small pebbles – certainly rich in nutrition! When she can’t excrete this combo she is miserable – ER type hurting. Usually a BAD stinker warns that she is ready to let go of the trash in her belly. Thanks for info on Gas-X. I think it may shorten the cycle of her difficulties.

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