Bloat. Has Your Dog Bloated?

[OSoSwift]

Oh of other dogs I have known,

2X Dobermanns - first bitch had surgery and surb=vived had a GAstroplexy. second dog - didn't have surgery and survived.

1X Am Pit Bull - Didn't have surgery owners opted for conservative treatment ( deflating stomach via needle and medication) ??? and dog got euthed.

And my Brothers dog A Hunterway X Border Collie - very deep chested bitch. The vet hosp did do surgery after stuffing around and deflating via needle into the stomach for 2 days. She lost her spleen and didn't have a Gastroplexy. She was fed dry and scraps. Not sure ewhat she was doing when it happened. She is still going at 12 years old.

Bloat = dog in car and bolt at my house!

[FHRP]

What breed?

Italian Spinone

How old was the dog?

nearly 9 years old

Was there a familial component?

Not that we knew of. Her son suspected bloated not long after her though.

What was the dog being fed? Need some detail of what exactly - if dry food, which one, if raw, what it was

In general a BARF diet. The meal prior to bloat was a chicken frame.

How often was he fed? Once daily or more?

1-2 times a day

Was his bowl elevated, or on the ground?

The meal before bloating was not fed from a bowl, neither was the one prior to that. When fed from a bowl it was on the ground.

What was he doing when he bloated? (ie, at a show, at home, playing, at home alone)

Home, sleeping. It was in the early hours of the morning.

Has he bloated more than once?

No, she did not survive the first.

Has he had a gastrowhatsit? LOL (too lazy to look it up, but you'll know )

No

Edited March 28, 2010 by FHRP

[Poodle Mum]

Danois....if my bitch was being opened for speying I would def be going the pexy as well. If your vet is familiar & done the procedure before

[Caesars mum]

What breed?

Pug

How old was the dog?

nearly 4 years old

Was there a familial component?

Not that we knew of.

What was the dog being fed? Need some detail of what exactly - if dry food, which one, if raw, what it was

Dog Roll and raw

How often was he fed? Once daily or more?

2 times a day

Was his bowl elevated, or on the ground?

Bowl was at ground level

What was he doing when he bloated? (ie, at a show, at home, playing, at home alone)

Home, sleeping to my knowledge

Has he bloated more than once?

I was at work and she passed away, I found her when I returned from work.

Has he had a gastrowhatsit? LOL (too lazy to look it up, but you'll know )

No

[Addicted to Dogs]

Jed

I've responded below but also attached a summary of some research that I recently did on Bloat - bloat.doc. Thought you or others might be interested.

What breed? German Shepherd Dog

How old was the dog? 5 years

Was there a familial component? Unknown

What was the dog being fed? Need some detail of what exactly - if dry food, which one, if raw, what it was - Royal Canin Hypoallergenic

How often was he fed? Once daily or more? Twice a day

Was his bowl elevated, or on the ground? On the ground

What was he doing when he bloated? (ie, at a show, at home, playing, at home alone) Had just eaten minutes before

Has he bloated more than once? No

Has he had a gastrowhatsit? LOL (too lazy to look it up, but you'll know ) Yes - during surgery for GDV

Did he ever bloat after that? No

Did the dog also suffer GDV - here I am confused I understand GDV to be the scientific term for bloat - am I missing something here

Did it have surgery? Yes

What was done to relieve the bloat? Tried passing a tube but it wouldn't pass through to the stomach so took xrays and then performed emergency surgery. Did gastro thingy at the same time.

I'd also be interested in survival rates, the quality of life or ongoing issues since. My boy developed megaesophagus about a year later which the vet believes is related to the trauma of the GDV and its treatment. Loves life still but brings up food or water without notice anytime, anywhere - and its as much as shock to him as it is to us.

[Danois]

Danois....if my bitch was being opened for speying I would def be going the pexy as well. If your vet is familiar & done the procedure before

Yep my vet is familiar with the procedure - especially in danes.

[Lab_Rat]

I would like to find out more about bloat. Read the scientific papers, read the theories, now am looking for some hands on. If your dog has bloated, I would be very grateful if you could answer some questions about it.

If I get a few replies,I'll post the results here. And maybe we'll all learn a little

What breed?

Rhodesian Ridgeback

How old was the dog?

10 years

Was there a familial component?

Not that Im aware of

What was the dog being fed? Need some detail of what exactly - if dry food, which one, if raw, what it was

Dry (Pedigree Chicken & Rice from memory), meat & veges

How often was he fed? Once daily or more?

twice a day

Was his bowl elevated, or on the ground?

On the ground

What was he doing when he bloated? (ie, at a show, at home, playing, at home alone)

It occured at night, so relaxing and sleeping

Has he bloated more than once?

Only the once - was euthanased

Has he had a gastrowhatsit? LOL (too lazy to look it up, but you'll know )

No- see above

Did he ever bloat after that?

na

Did the dog also suffer GDV

Yes

Did it have surgery?

No only xrays to confirm

What was done to relieve the bloat?

Sadly we had Miekah euthanased

I might think of more questions later, but this about covers what I would like to know.

To add a bit to this dogs history. Miekah was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma about 15 months prior to having bloat and had her front RHS leg amputated. This was followed up with chemo. My hunch is that her movement with having a front leg missing may have contributed to the bloat. Up until the bloat she was doing well as a tripod!

[Jed]

I think like a lot of other people with large, deep chested breeds that this is one of my worst fears.

Many thanks to those people who have shared information, even though they have lost their dogs. I cannot help to think that by sharing you must be reliving the pain.

From the respondants so far, bloat doesn' t seem to be confined to large, deep chested breeds.

Although perhaps large, deep chested breeds are more predisposed to the problems with dry / commercial feed than smaller breeds?

I have two puppy buyers waiting for Anatolian pups, both have previously had danes, one has lost two danes to bloat and another has lost one dane to bloat. I can pretty much guarantee - that given a raw meaty bone diet - their Anatolian wont die of bloat before other more high risk factors.

If commercial dry food causes more gas, more end product; is metabolised faster,

then to me all that dense 'protein, essential amino-acid nutrient enriched food', is asking too much of the dogs metabolic system, and in some dogs this is what is giving out.

Sorry Jed am brainstorming in your thread, will shutup now

Keep watching, lilli!!

[Jed]

Jed - perfect timing for this thread for me - I was switching between pexy on desexing or not.

There is bloat in his lines - his mother bloated and survived.

Oh, I'd have the pexy done!

[BiggD]

My dogs haven't bloated- touch wood- but I believe that stress could be a factor in Great Danes anyway. I know a lot of Dane people that wouldn't put their dogs in a boarding kennel because they are afraid the dog would bloat if they left it there. I am also wondering about eating style. I have 1 that picks at his food and 2 gulpers. I also thought that it was more common in older dogs but have heard of puppies bloating as well.

[Jed]

Yes, stress is given as a probable cause in most of the studies I've read.

[weisnjac]

What breed?

Weimaraner

How old was the dog?

8

Was there a familial component?

Mother has bloated

What was the dog being fed? Need some detail of what exactly - if dry food, which one, if raw, what it was

ProPlan Dry food, soaked. EcoPet Roll, 1.5 slices. Chicken Wings

How often was he fed? Once daily or more?

Once Daily

Was his bowl elevated, or on the ground?

No

What was he doing when he bloated? (ie, at a show, at home, playing, at home alone)

Had been out at Obedience Training, warm but not hot day. Started bloating at home in the backyard

Has he bloated more than once?

No

Has he had a gastrowhatsit? LOL (too lazy to look it up, but you'll know )

Lol, yes. Was done in the surgery when she bloated

Did he ever bloat after that?

No

Edited March 28, 2010 by weisnjac

[Kirty]

I read on an American website that 60% of Danes will bloat (and from that I think they mean GDV). Very scary. My new girl is a stress-head (she is very very scared of most things) and that just increases the risk.

[Jed]

I am so grateful for those who have shared their experiences with bloat. I realise it isn't pleasant reliving a nasty experience which brings back hurtful memories, so please know that I do understand how difficult it is. Thank you.

I have never had a dog with bloat, but a friend did, with a dog I knew and loved. And it was a nasty experience, distressing even to hear without being there, so I know how hard it must be.

[centitout]

First bloodhound bitch died of bloat at 2,was found dead in morning.Had had dry food(Bonnie)and meat mix that night ,normal amount,no excercise.Raised food bowl .

9 yr husky- 1/2 tin pal mixed with small amount pedigree dry.Bloated 1/2 hr later,vet tried to de-cant,was sucessful first time,but re bloated 20 mins later.Was euthanised.Found to have large tumours on spleen.

[Tarmons]

I would like to find out more about bloat. Read the scientific papers, read the theories, now am looking for some hands on. If your dog has bloated, I would be very grateful if you could answer some questions about it.

If I get a few replies,I'll post the results here. And maybe we'll all learn a little

What breed? GSD

How old was the dog? 2 yrs old

Was there a familial component? Definitely in the blood line .The Sire's brother blaoted twice- didn't survive the second attack

What was the dog being fed? Need some detail of what exactly - if dry food, which one, if raw, what it was Dried Food Royal Canin German Shepherd 24 Raw Meaty bones twice a week.

How often was he fed? Once daily or more? [b]Twice daily[/b]

Was his bowl elevated, or on the ground? Elevated

What was he doing when he bloated? (ie, at a show, at home, playing, at home alone) In a Boarding Kennel

Has he bloated more than once? Yes TEN WEEKS later

Has he had a gastrowhatsit? LOL (too lazy to look it up, but you'll know ) He has TWO gastropexies now. The first one is 7 cms long, the second one 14 cms long. Both are double stitched. The first one was double stitched but when the stomach distended and turned it ripped 1 cm of the first gastropexy stitching.

Did he ever bloat after that? Yes he did bloat after the first gastropexy.

Did the dog also suffer GDV Yes The first time the stomach had turned 180 degrees and the Spleen had ruptured from the pressure of the distended stomach. The second time the stomach turned 360 degrees in spite of the gastropexy.

Did it have surgery? Yes both times and both times was in the Vet Hospital for 10 days. The first time he was critically ill for several days and was in Intensive care. The second time he was only on pain killers and antibiotics for 48 hrs.

What was done to relieve the bloat? Intubation was attempted first but was unsuccessful then they opened him up and had to manually turn the stomach, flush it out and secure it to the chest wall by the gastropexy.

Another question: Did Stomach necroposy set in? I was lucky. Both times necroposy of the stomach had not set in so no part of the stomach had to be removed.

How long was the recuperation period? It will be 6 months before he is allowed to run or play rough or jump or do any serious training.

What did the aftercare require? Vets will tell you that the aftercare is extremely important as poor after care can undo all the good the surgery has done.

For the first 6 weeks whenever he was outside he had to be on lead at all times. No jumping, no running, no horse play. Short walks. He has to have 3 small meals a day. He must rest and be quiet for 2 hrs after each meal. Only small amounts of water are to be available. No longer buckets full at the ready. It will be 6 months before he is allowed to go running, do any jumping or rough play. He cannot do any serious training for 6 months. It will be at least 12 months before he can have brisket bones or chicken necks.

For the rest of his life,dry food must be soaked and with each meal a Tablespoon of Vegetable/ Olive oil is added to slow down fermentation. Charcoal tablets/capsules are given at each meal to prevent gas build up in the stomach.

I might think of more questions later, but this about covers what I would like to know.

Edited for Spelling

Edited March 28, 2010 by Tarmons

[Jed]

Just wondering if anyone one else would like to add to this before I try to sort it out?

thanks

[Lab_Rat]

Does anyone use the feeding bowls with lumps in the bottom? To supposedly slow down eating?

I got one the other day as my ridgy girl is quite a pig. It has definitely slowed her eating time down.

Im hoping that will help with less air being swallowed, dunno if its in the list of things that can bring on bloat, but I thought Id give it a try.

There certainly have been some sad stories here. Living through it once was enough for me. I am so vigilant about feeding times, exercise before and after eating and water consumption, but I guess in the end if its going to happen it will!

Rat

[centitout]

Just like to add,the bloodhound bitch i was importing(the first one, not the replacement one!) died of bloat 6 weeks prior to flying out at 10 mths old.There is bloat in the line on the sires side i found out later.

Also my vet advised me against gastropexy as a prophylactic measure as she had had to repair 4 done by other vets when the dogs had re-bloated.She said they were a mess when she opened them up,so whether it was inexperience on the performing vets part,or the old fashioned way instead of the new one,i dont know.

If she did have to do one,it was always double stitched.

[Red Fox]

I have a question re bloat and exercise and feeding-

what exactly would you term as exercise? Obviously if the dog has been for a long walk or run you would not feed it for an hour or two. But what about a few minutes of training or spontanious bouncing around? Would you still wait a full hour before feeding?

I always try to leave at least an hour (if not longer) between exercise and feeding and no excercise for at least 2 hours after eating but often have the problem of my dog deciding to do zoomies before dinner or having a quick bouncy one minute training session in the morning then not knowing if I should hold off on feeding him In these cases I try and leave at least 30 mins of quiet time before his meal but I wonder if I should be leaving it longer...

What are others thoughts on the matter?