As a dog owner, it’s no secret you love your pups dearly. So when you hear their stomachs grumbling while they sit loyally by your side, it can certainly be concerning. Many things could be causing your dog’s stomach to be growling, and all come with different levels of severity.
In this article, we will be going over some of the common reasons your dog’s stomach may be making noises. Some of these reasons are obvious and will go away on their own while others can be far more serious. So, without further delay, let us get to it.
If you’re wondering why your dogs stomach is making noises, chances are are good it sounds like something more than just the gurgling from hunger or digesting food. There are 7 common reasons why your dogs stomach might be making weird noises:
- They’re hungry
- They’re digesting
- Unusual Changes in The Diet
- Canine Bloat
- Diarrhea
- IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease)
- Feeling Nauseous
Let’s take a deeper dive into each of these 7 potential causes.
What You'll Learn
Your Dog Could Be Hungry
Just like humans, it is obvious dogs get hungry from time to time. When you hear them scratching at their dish or sitting by the table, staring at you while you eat, this can be pretty obvious. Of course, another good way to detect your dogs growing hunger is when you hear their stomach rumbling.
This is normal and even happens to humans from time to time. This is an excellent place to start when you hear your dog’s stomach making noises and can be your first step at troubleshooting the issue. If this is the case, then what you are dealing with is not that serious, and after some food, everyone should be in good shape.
Just Finished Eating or Drinking
Another reason your dog’s stomach could be growling, completely opposite to the reason mentioned above, is that they may have just finished eating or drinking. There has probably been a time where your dog woke up and immediately chugged down an entire bowl of water. Maybe it is normal for your dog to eat his entire bowl of food in one sitting. Well, there’s your answer. He’s just full.
We’ve all been there, scarfed down the taco-12-pack and sprawled out on the couch to recover from a food coma. Your dog is no different! He/she is just trying to wait out the storm while their stomach figures out how to digest everything.
Unusual Changes in The Diet
This next one can be the most frustrating of them all. Walking into your kitchen only to find pieces of the wings you ate three days ago scattered around the floor. You wake up to find a few of your socks torn to shreds or the stuffing ripped out of your pillows.
Unusual changes in the diet can cause an upset stomach. Upset stomachs can lead to growling. As long as what they ate isn’t something harmful, your dog should be OK once they work that stuff out of the system.
Canine Bloat
A more serious cause of the noise is Canine Bloat. Bloat is a more serious issue than eating some old food out of the trash. When a dog gets bloat, their stomach gets twisted up, and they become really gassy. Unfortunately, we have yet to pinpoint what the actual cause of bloat is. However, some signs will assist you in identifying it.
Some of the main signs that your dog has canine bloat can be seen below:
- Their stomachs are hard or swollen
- Dry Heaves
- Your dog cannot get comfortable
- Excessive Drooling
These symptoms, along with a noisy stomach, should not be taken lightly and you should schedule a visit to the vet immediately. Since bloat is such a serious issue, we will discuss it in more detail shortly.
Diarrhea
Another reason your dog’s stomach is making noises could be that he/she has diarrhea. Diarrhea with dogs could come from a variety of different things and should be handled on a case by case basis. If it only lasts a day or two and goes away, you should be fine. But if it lasts for a week or longer, there could be a more serious issue going on.
There are plenty of things you can do to assist with getting your dog over diarrhea. One of the most popular options is fasting. Letting your dog empty the tank before giving them any more food is an excellent method for clearing up diarrhea. Basically, hitting the reset button.
If your dog is suffering from diarrhea, make sure they are drinking plenty of water so they don’t become dehydrated.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Inflammatory Bowel Disease or IBD is actually more of a syndrome than it is a disease. IBD occurs when the inside of the intestine is attacked by inflammatory cells. This prevents your dog from absorbing or digesting the nutrients from their food. There are a few causes of IBD, such as bacterial infection or a reaction to something in their diet. If your dog has IBD, the following symptoms should be key indicators to help diagnose it.
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Poor Appetite
- Weight Loss
If you notice these signs, your best bet is to schedule an appointment with the vet. They will use x-ray machines, blood testing, and take samples of your dog’s fecal matter to get a more accurate idea of what could be going on. While there is no cure for IBD, your vet will most likely recommend a combination of diets and medications that will help with treating your dog.
Feeling Nauseous
Dogs, like humans, tend to get nauseous on occasion. If you hear your dogs stomach making noises, this could very well be the culprit. Several different things could cause nauseousness. It could be caused by gobbling down their food too fast or overeating. Maybe they get a little sick from riding in the car. Your dog can even get nauseous if they get stressed out or have separations anxiety.
When your dog is nauseous, there are plenty of home remedies and treatments for them. Some people even give them small doses of over the counter drugs to combat this issue. The most important thing is to make sure your dog is hydrated and to call the vet if it lasts multiple days.
There are lots of things that could cause your dogs stomach to be making noises. If you know your dog, you will most likely be able to tell the difference between regular noise and something more serious. But you can never go wrong heading to the vet when you are in doubt.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if My Dog Refuses to Eat?
Let’s get the most obvious answer out of the way…did your dog already eat? If so, they might just be full. Even you you weren’t the one to feed them, they still might have gotten into the garbage or eaten something outside they shouldn’t have eaten.
However, if you know your dogs stomach is making weird noises and you know they haven’t eaten anything in a while, you’ll want to take them to the vet ASAP. It could be something as simple as being sick with a 24 hour bug, but it could also be something as severe as bloat. It’s best to play it safe in this case.
My Dog Just Ate Grass and Now Their Stomach is Making Noises
This is completely normal! It goes back to the change in the diet. In fact, you’ll notice that most dogs who eat too much grass end up vomiting, so the noises you hear in your dogs stomach could be your dogs body preparing to vomit. Make sure they stay outside in this case!
Is There Anything I Can Give My Dog to Calm Her Stomach?
You can always try giving your dog canned pumpkin to help calm her stomach. This is what we recommend when a dog has either diarrhea or is constipated. Canned pumpkin seems to work miracles in a dogs digestive system.
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