Gdv-bloat

[ish]

I have 2 GSDs, a GSD x kelpie and a kelpie.

The rules that I have followed with my GSDs is soak dry food (reason being that it makes it easier to digest, stomach doesnt need to work so hard therefore not so much movement), do not feed them 1 hour before or after heavy exercise, try to limit the ammount of water they drink after heavy exercise and feed small meals often if possible.

My first GSD Bailey ended up dying at 2 and a half of a twisted intestine. Obviously I was so distraught that it had happened (after two vet visits for a "tummy bug") when I heard twisted intestine I heard bloat. Ended up being nothing to do with anything. I was very careful with him, followed the above rules and made him eat with his bowl ontop of a little kids plastic chair but I've since decided that raising the bowl was a waste of time. I am exceptionally paraniod about the health and well being of my other dogs.

So..

I'm interested in peoples routines with their dogs, especially people who work. I'd love to be able to feed smaller meals often but just cant fit it in.

6:30am Get up, walk dogs. Clean out pens

8:00 Get ready for work.

8:30 go to work

6:00pm Get home, feed dogs.

9:30 Check dogs, go to bed.

What do you do?

[Kavik]

Two of my friends' GSD have died from bloat in the last few years. They had gotten out of their kennels and into the food room and gorged themselves on dry food.

Having a GSD myself, I am equally paranoid about bload, especially as I have studied it at TAFE. I feed a raw diet and two meals a day, which I think probably helps reduce the problem. I looked after a GSD who wolfed her food and I was worried she would bload in my care (she was on dry and chicken wings). I have read that temperament may also have something to do with it (if they are nervous - more likely).

Glad Tay is feeling better.

My routine varies with my work schedule since I am on shift work at the vet. Most mornings it it:

4:45 Get up

5:30 Walk dogs

6:15 leave out meat for Diesel

6:20 eat breakfast (me!)

6:30 leave for work

(dogs back in crates)

OH feeds Diesel before he leaves for work at 7:30

5:30 get home, play with dogs

7:00 dinner

8:30 feed dogs

9:30 dogs to bed

10:00 bed (me)

Zoe only gets one meal (kelpie cross)

[SlickQannik]

Oh you poor thing, it's the one thing I am terrified of with my two Alaskan Malamutes....The gobble down their meals so fast it really worries me at times....we started feeding them their chicken frames still frozen, that's slowed them down heaps and my puppy isn't getting the hiccups quiet so much now (and now when she does get the hiccups, it's cause she's been in eating the cat litter again so you know to push her away when she tries getting up to give you kisses! LOL)

[melree]

Just thought I would add that Tay was the slowest eater in the world prior to this happening. I had to feed her seperate to the others or risk her drowning in a pool of drrol as they waithed for her to walk away LOL.

Since the surgery, she is an absolute PIG! She eats anything and everything, including my dinner off the bench

[melree]

Just thought I would add that Tay was the slowest eater in the world prior to this happening. I had to feed her seperate to the others or risk her drowning in a pool of drrol as they waithed for her to walk away LOL.

Since the surgery, she is an absolute PIG! She eats anything and everything, including my dinner off the bench

This is why I wonder if having the colitis as a baby then a twisted bowel, if there had always been some underlying problem that has now been corrected. We will never know but even the vet thinks my thoughts may have some merit.

Anyway, she is back to normal, mad as ever, thank goodness. We cant believe how lucky we are to still have her.

Also, Lia commented on temperament and perhaps nervous dogs being more prone. Tay is a very confident, outgoing girl, so not so in her case anyway

[aus_k9gsd]

I think if your dog is going to get bloat (gastric torsion), it will get it no matter what you do to try and stop it, if you have a breed that is prone to bloat you just have to know the signs and act quick to get them to a vet

I also think it may be genetic to a small degree

My dog had bloat when he was 3

He was not fed dry food what so ever as he was on barf

He did not eat anything anyway that night

He was not exercised that afternoon

I got home from work at midnight and found him so rushed him to the vet, he now has his stomach perm. attached to his ribs and he also had his spleen removed.

I knew what to look for as i had heard that several dogs related to him had died of bloat so was warned what to look for as i would not have had a clue otherwise.

[fifi]

sadly, wolfhounds are terribly prone to bloat & GDV, its the biggest killer of young & healthy dogs. We feed very little soaked kibble, but mostly a semi-barf diet of chicken frames, meaty bones, rice/vegie pulp, fish ect...

mine are locked up an hour before feed time, and feed later in the early evening in summer when its cool, they are also locked up or in bed for two hours after dinner. bowls are on the ground, as that seems to be the latest thought in preventing gulping of air with raised bowls.

I tend to agree with the partial genetic predisposition too.

most wolfhound folk will have the stomach secured to the wall or the belt loop to the ribs after a bloat or torsion, to hopefully prevent the gut rotating if they bloat again.

glad your little one is okay, and yes, early gut problems can sometimes be a sign of trouble to come, my friends beautiful wolfie boy passed away last year, he had always had odd problems with gas, colic ect, and sadly it was no suprise when he finally bloated & torsioned at only six years.

I do agree, that all our preventions - if its going to happen, there's not much we can do about it, its one of the heartbreaks of owning a deep chested breed

fifi

[Ittybitty_]

I dont believe dogs should be on an 'all dry food' diet. I have had my shepherds and Poms on the BARF diet which i swear by. Its an all raw food diet. They get a bone for Breakfast, and raw chicken mince for dinner with rice/pasta and mixed vegies which is cooked. Otherwise, you can put spinnach, apple, celery, carrot, banana, paw paw and other vegies and fruit in the blender and make a 'slop' and we mix it through our guys dinner. They love it! Especially on the day we mix it, as we make it in bulk and store it in the freezer. They all wait in the kitchen to lick the bowl.

We also give our guys chicken necks, turkey necks, chicken carcases, Beef livers, lambs hearts, all raw. They eat better than us some days i think.

Kadama German Shepherds

Ittybitty Pomeranians

[Jesami]

if you have a breed that is prone to bloat you just have to know the signs and act quick to get them to a vet

Could you please tell me what those early signs are in as much detail as possible.

Would be very grateful.

I have an Irish Setter and I know at least one of her close relatives died of bloat.

[aus_k9gsd]

there are some excellent sites with heaps of informations, here is one i like, or do a search on Gastric Torsion

http://www.kifka.com/Elektrik/Bloat.htm#Symptoms

When i found my dog, he was walking round in a circle trying to vomit unsuccessfully, he had the blown up stomach and kept laying down, he was also very restless

[greyhoundangel]

We've lost two dogs to bloat, it is believed by the Veterinarian to have been genetic...

There are numerous precautions that are taken throughout the racing industry, as when greyhounds are racing they are placed at high risk...

My mothers dog died on the Vet's table of a heart attack, my boy Bundy who passed away December 10 last year had already passed away when I found him

Ben was 8, Bundy was 5...

I stayed for the autopsy, I was so angry that I had to know what this 'bastard' thing had done to my boy...I am still yet to get over it...

Sometimes no matter how careful you are, you have no chance...and it is true that once a dog has bloat, it is highly likely that he/she will have it again...

Mel

[fifi]

Jesami, in answer to your question, the signs we check for are;

* unsuccessful attempts to vomit, retching with no results

* gums colour that is not usuall for your dog, ie; very deep pink or pale

* restless, pacing, attempting to lay down, but getting up again, agitated

* just seeming 'not quite right' many dog owners have saved their dogs early because they picked up on suble signs, that the dog didnt seem himself, or was very clingy, I'd rather have a trip to the vet for nearly no reason, than miss subtle signs & lose my babies.

* distended or swollen stomach,

* tight tummy that sounds like a drum if you tap it lightly

* frothy or exess saliva

* gurgley tummy, that wont resolve itself

basically, its about knowing your dogs and being attuned to thier behavior, dogs are very good at disguising symptoms until its too late

* enjoy them and dont make dinner & after dinner a stressful hunt for bad symtoms, friends of mine who have lost several dogs - being at their place at feed time is enought to make me bloat!!! they get so agitated and stressed that the dogs must pick up on it.

fifi

[Jesami]

aus - thanks very much, that's a terrific site - easy to understand unlike some others.

fifi - thanks for going to the trouble with so much excellent info.

I feel much more at ease about it. Knowledge is a great thing to have and also a pre-thought out plan of action. Then you can relax and as you say "enjoy them" and not make a stressful situation out of meal times.

[Jed]

Years ago, I read an article by a leading poodle breeder in the US regarding the vaccination regime introuced in the 80's which included the parvo vaccine.

She was having a lot of problems with the poodles, including stained teeth, fits and bloating.

She had been line breeding for years without any problems. Bloat in the standards was a huge problem, with huge losses over the years. Both the ones she retained, and those she had sold.

In consultation with Dr. Jean Dodds, a vaccination regime was instigated which involved single doses of live vaccine, instead of one dose of multiple vaccines. ie, the pup would be vaccinated against distemper, then a few days later, against parvo and so on (and I believe they were also having rabies shots).

From memory, she didn't connect the bloat with the vaccines, but once the dogs were on single shots, there was no more bloat.

I found this very interesting, and although I find it difficult to tie vaccines in with bloat, there was so little bloat about 20 - 30 years ago, that hardly anyone had ever heard of it.

Since reading that article, I have been ultra careful with vaccines - just in case. I posted it to this forum a year or so ago, and I think it is worth reading.

Not much use to anyone with an adult dog, but worth keeping in mind for the future.

[Fido]

My rescue Jemma worries me. She is a GSD/Kelpie cross, and had previously been neglected and starved. I get the impression she had to fight for every mouthful she ever got.....she reminds me of a vacuum cleaner the way she guzzles her food....and I have to separate her from the other dogs to stop her "helping" them to finish their dinners.

Can anyone come up with some suggesions to get her to eat more slowly?? :D

[Jesami]

Can anyone come up with some suggesions to get her to eat more slowly?? :D

I have absolutely no idea if this works but I read on one web site to put a few rocks in the food bowl to slow down eating.

I guess you'd have to make sure they were big enough that they wouldn't be swallowed by accident.

[Jesami]

I posted it to this forum a year or so ago, and I think it is worth reading.

Jed - I've done a few searches but can't find anything. Can you remember the topic name?