Signs Of Bloat

[Odin-Genie]

The thread in general made me wonder when one should rush to the vet. Should any discomfort after meals be treated as a possible bloat?

Sometimes when my dogs have stomach upsets they seem lethargic. There are other times when their stomachs growl loudly. Sometimes they have gas. If I was to treat all of these as emergency, I would possibly be rushing to the vets frequently. However, I wouldn't want to ignore any symptom if it could be potentially fatal.

It would be great if someone can list the symptoms that should make us rush to the emergency vet. Also, it'll be great if someone could specify if any one symptom should be treated as emergency or a few of the symptoms taken together.

[Vehs]

When my mum called me when D had bloat it was because he was pacing, looking uncomfortable and she said he was dry retching. When I went to get him (I was 2min round the corner) I felt his abdomen and it was tight, firm and swollen and his gums were a light pink I knew what it was and got him to the vet (who then dicked around while he was, essentially, dying)

He paced around in the back of the wagon for the trip.. and he did break wind a couple of times, which he doesn't do

I know my dog pretty well so I know when he needs an emergency vet and when he doesn't - he ripped his toenail off and when I rang up to see what they would do it was everything I could do at home so I left it - it's grown back fine.

When in doubt I would recommend anyone take them to the vet

[fifi]

http://www.iwclubofamerica.org/ER_info.htm#Bloat

Odin, although specific for Irish Wolfhounds, the symptoms and description of bloat / gastric torsion are very good.

We also have on hand De-Gas capsules available at the supermarket, and will give some if we think a dog's tummy is very rumbly / gasy.

But we are off to the vet if the tummy / abdomen is taut, swelling or the dog is in discomfort, won't settle ect.

We don't feed after excercise, and after their meal our dogs are put to bed for the night & checked before we go to bed.

fifi

[SwaY]

I always have a bloat kit at home and one in the van, complete with instructions and de-gas.

If it gives me an extra 5min to get the vet it's worth the risk of using it - I would rather not, but sometimes when away form shows you're not close to a vet.

[Odin-Genie]

I always have a bloat kit at home and one in the van, complete with instructions and de-gas.

If it gives me an extra 5min to get the vet it's worth the risk of using it - I would rather not, but sometimes when away form shows you're not close to a vet.

Where can I get a bloat kit from? What de-gas capsules do you give? A few days back my dog's tummy was growling so much that it was really loud. He wanted to go out and chew grass. I checked his tummy but there was no bloating. It felt normal. He was ok after a while but should I have taken him to the vet?

[Larrikin]

I took my GSD bitch into the vets a few months ago because I thought that she bloated.

She wouldn't eat her dinner(very unusual) and she had a swollen tummy.

My vet said that if she was bloated her stomach would be very hard and when you tapped it, it would sound hollow.

Rumour must have helped herself to the bag of dry food in the kitchen.

Vet also didn't charge me (8pm) just sent me home feeling silly

[fifi]

Odin, they are called 'De-Gas' the one's we buy are in the medication area of the supermarket.

fifi

[OSoSwift]

What is in a bloat kit??

I am guessing it wouldn't be much help when they have tortioned as my girl tried to drink some water and it basically fell out of her mouth as she had already tortioned high up. She had very minor bloating - looked liked she had had a bit of a drink of water which she hadn't had as she was in her crate. She was restless and pacing once she was let out of her crate, and had woken me up as she was howling and barking and never did that normally.

This happened at 5 in the morning and she had been feed some Advance tinned food and then crated at around 9.30pm the night before

[SwaY]

Bloat Kit

A note about TUBING your dog

Many experienced Great Dane breeders and exhibitors keep a Bloat Kit nearby at all times. A Bloat Kit provides all the items you need to tube your own dog if a serious bloat emergency develops when medical attention is more than 15-20 minutes away. Some people feel strongly that EVERY Dane owner should buy a bloat kit and learn how to tube his or her pet. That said, however, most people would agree that an inexperienced (or panicked) person should never attempt to tube a dog. Precious time is lost and the dog could be injured – possibly fatally – before he gets the professional medical treatment he so desperately needs.

My advice is to talk with your own veterinarian about tubing. Ask if he or she would be willing to teach you the proper technique, using your own dog for the training session. You may have to pay a little for the lesson, but it could be a life-saving exercise. If your vet refuses, find out why. Depending on how strongly you feel about this issue, you should not give up until you find somebody who is qualified and willing to teach you.

Keep in mind that a successful tubing does not mean you needn't go to the vet. Your dog still needs expert medical care – tubing merely buys you extra time to get him there

[SwaY]

Odin, they are called 'De-Gas' the one's we buy are in the medication area of the supermarket.

fifi

They look like this

[OSoSwift]

Bloat Kit

A note about TUBING your dog

Many experienced Great Dane breeders and exhibitors keep a Bloat Kit nearby at all times. A Bloat Kit provides all the items you need to tube your own dog if a serious bloat emergency develops when medical attention is more than 15-20 minutes away. Some people feel strongly that EVERY Dane owner should buy a bloat kit and learn how to tube his or her pet. That said, however, most people would agree that an inexperienced (or panicked) person should never attempt to tube a dog. Precious time is lost and the dog could be injured – possibly fatally – before he gets the professional medical treatment he so desperately needs.

My advice is to talk with your own veterinarian about tubing. Ask if he or she would be willing to teach you the proper technique, using your own dog for the training session. You may have to pay a little for the lesson, but it could be a life-saving exercise. If your vet refuses, find out why. Depending on how strongly you feel about this issue, you should not give up until you find somebody who is qualified and willing to teach you.

Keep in mind that a successful tubing does not mean you needn't go to the vet. Your dog still needs expert medical care – tubing merely buys you extra time to get him there

Thank you, very interesting, and definately something I would have had on hand. The first time my dogs bloated we could tube her until she was GA'd and opened up. One thing though, how would you stop them biting off the tube?

[OSoSwift]

Bloat Kit

A note about TUBING your dog

Many experienced Great Dane breeders and exhibitors keep a Bloat Kit nearby at all times. A Bloat Kit provides all the items you need to tube your own dog if a serious bloat emergency develops when medical attention is more than 15-20 minutes away. Some people feel strongly that EVERY Dane owner should buy a bloat kit and learn how to tube his or her pet. That said, however, most people would agree that an inexperienced (or panicked) person should never attempt to tube a dog. Precious time is lost and the dog could be injured – possibly fatally – before he gets the professional medical treatment he so desperately needs.

My advice is to talk with your own veterinarian about tubing. Ask if he or she would be willing to teach you the proper technique, using your own dog for the training session. You may have to pay a little for the lesson, but it could be a life-saving exercise. If your vet refuses, find out why. Depending on how strongly you feel about this issue, you should not give up until you find somebody who is qualified and willing to teach you.

Keep in mind that a successful tubing does not mean you needn't go to the vet. Your dog still needs expert medical care – tubing merely buys you extra time to get him there

That is very interesting thank you. It's something I would have been very interested in having.

One question though, how do you stop the dog bitting the tube off potentially and maybe a antiseptic pad to scrub the area the needle is to be inserted in might be a good addition to the pack so as to reduce the potential for introducing bacteria via the needle.

[Mim]

Midnight on a public holiday (typical) we rushed Daina to the vet thinking she had bloated. Her stomach was huge, she refused to walk, wouldn't settle and looked unhappy and scared. The emergency vet did 2 examinations, 20 minutes apart and an ultrasound and couldn't find a thing wrong with her but it was a case of better safe than sorry.

The emergency vet said that although her stomach was large on arrival (by the time they were done with her her stomach had shrunk and she looked like she'd just eaten a big dinner) and felt tight, it was squishy on palpitation so a sign that it was not bloat. He said a bloated stomach will be very hard.

[Odin-Genie]

Odin, they are called 'De-Gas' the one's we buy are in the medication area of the supermarket.

fifi

They look like this

Thanks SwaY. Are these meant for dogs? If not how much should I give to a dog who weighs 23kgs? And should these be given every time there is gas or grumbling tummy noises?

[Kaffy Magee]

Earlier this year I had a 9 month old Bullmastiff I had ran on along with his brother. I'd decided to home him and the night before he was due to leave he started to bloat. Ive never experienced bloat so wasnt sure exactly what was going on but having Bullmastiffs I knew about it. He had just eaten a lamb neck and was very restless and appeared to be in much discomfort, wouldnt sit or lie down, his tummy was swollen and the first thing I did was tap it, however it didnt sound hollow so I thought, maybe its not bloat, maybe he has the lamb neck lodged somewhere as Im pretty sure he had tried vomiting a few times too. Anyway I finally made the decision to call the vet, went and got the phone, came back to him and he had vomited everywhere, watery and frothy, with a little chunk of lamb neck bone and it stunk to high heaven, his tummmy had gone down and he was much happier. I know now that he was definitely bloating and should it happen agani with one of my dogs, I'll know exactly what Im dealing with this time.

[SwaY]

Thanks SwaY. Are these meant for dogs? If not how much should I give to a dog who weighs 23kgs? And should these be given every time there is gas or grumbling tummy noises?

They are for humans.

The packet says 1-2 for a human.

I would ask your vet on what he thinks is when best to use them and how many.

It's a hard one to advise on because there is serious issues if it goes wrong.

[SwaY]

That is very interesting thank you. It's something I would have been very interested in having.

One question though, how do you stop the dog bitting the tube off potentially and maybe a antiseptic pad to scrub the area the needle is to be inserted in might be a good addition to the pack so as to reduce the potential for introducing bacteria via the needle.

I have been told most dogs don't bite the tube and actually fight the block as it wedges the mouth where as a tube sits more comfortably. Being lucky enough not to have had to perform it I have not seen it, so I can't say what happened to my dog.

When it comes to bloat I don't think you have time to scrub the area before inserting a needle - but yes I will add some.

[Staranais]

Be careful with bloat kits. They can be lifesaving, if your dog is crashing and you are really unable to get to a vet. But, they are a risk in themselves - passing stomach tubes can rupture the esophagus, & sticking needles in to the dog can contaminate the abdomen & result in a nasty peritonitis (or if you are unlucky, you can easily hit the wrong thing!)

I'm sure everyone here is sensible enough to know this, so this is mostly written for the benefit of any lurkers - sometimes you don't have a choice in what you do, but getting the dog to the vet should always be your first choice if humanely possible.

When I have helped with bloats, we've done a very quick clip and prep of the site before inserting a bloat needle. At the vets, the dog will hopefully already be on shock rate IV fluids by that point, so it's not the first thing done (although it does want to be done really quickly). Some vets will pass a stomach tube first instead, but most I know prefer to decompress percutaneously (by needle) first and then pass a stomach tube when the dog is under a GA or sedation.

ETA - for a conscious stomach tubing, I've been taught to tape a roll of vet wrap into the mouth behind the canines and pass the tube through the centre of that. I've never passed a stomach tube in a conscious dog myself, but I've passed nasogastric tubes in awake dogs before, and the dog certainly isn't very impressed - although I suppose a dog that was really on death's door from bloat might be a bit more accomodating.

Edited September 21, 2011 by Staranais

[stormie]

Be careful with bloat kits. They can be lifesaving, if your dog is crashing and you are really unable to get to a vet. But, they are a risk in themselves - passing stomach tubes can rupture the esophagus, & sticking needles in to the dog can contaminate the abdomen & result in a nasty peritonitis (or if you are unlucky, you can easily hit the wrong thing!)

I'm sure everyone here is sensible enough to know this, so this is mostly written for the benefit of any lurkers - sometimes you don't have a choice in what you do, but getting the dog to the vet should always be your first choice if humanely possible.

When I have helped with bloats, we've done a very quick clip and prep of the site before inserting a bloat needle. At the vets, the dog will hopefully already be on shock rate IV fluids by that point, so it's not the first thing done (although it does want to be done really quickly). Some vets will pass a stomach tube first instead, but most I know prefer to decompress percutaneously (by needle) first and then pass a stomach tube when the dog is under a GA or sedation.

ETA - for a conscious stomach tubing, I've been taught to tape a roll of vet wrap into the mouth behind the canines and pass the tube through the centre of that. I've never passed a stomach tube in a conscious dog myself, but I've passed nasogastric tubes in awake dogs before, and the dog certainly isn't very impressed - although I suppose a dog that was really on death's door from bloat might be a bit more accomodating.

I was going to say exactly this. We also use vet wrap in the mouth to pass the tube through.

[bianca.a]

I have de-gas and also activated charcoal on hand now after Molly took a trip to the after hours vet a few months back. She was whining and could not get comfortable. Tummy and gums looked and felt fine but I rang the vet and he said I could watch her for half an hour and if no change bring her in (it's a 5 min drive to vet) as he thought it was indigestion.

She didn't get better but not worse so off we go, pull up in the parking lot and she chunders...happy as can be then! Vet gave her an examination and off we went. Scared the heck out of me though.