Bloat

[rugerfly]

Ruger looks very uncomfortable about an hour now after feeding. He had two and a half cups of dry food with water. He is walking around and lying down suddenly, i took him out to throw up and he moved over to the grass making the normal motions to be sick, but wasnt and lay down in the middle of the lawn which he never does.

Anyway, just wondering for those that have been through it, what happned to their dogs if they were lucky enough to notice it coming on...

[fifi]

VET...NOW, right now, don't delay.

fifi

[TangerineDream]

These were the signs I got when Tegan (Dobe) was bloating

- discomfort

- if you tap the belly with your finger it sounds hollow and feels sort of distended but not heavy

- would get bigger as you watched

- either very loud gut noises or totally silent (the opposite to what would be normal often) - put your ear to the belly

if in doubt - get to the vet....and if seriously concerned, don't let any vet fob you off with - just watch for a couple of hours - if you haven't been through it before it's better to annoy everyone and make sure - this action saved Tegans' life once because the vet was being lazy...

Let us know how things go......

Jane

[FHRP]

An uncomfortable dog that is trying to vomit, but can't is a sign of bloat. Ring your vet ASAP.

Edited April 27, 2006 by FHR

[Erny]

There will be more 'expert' responses to follow, than mine here. But look for a distended stomach. Tap on it (I usually put two fingers together and place them on the stomach, then tap on my two fingers.) If you hear a sound that is kind of like a tight drum, then that's a huge signal that the dog has bloat. Some dogs will be trying to vomit but not successfully. Some end up vomiting froth, because that's all that can come up.

With some dogs I've seen with bloat, you don't get all the usual symptoms.

I can't say I like the sound of what you describe. The fact that she hasn't been able to vomit could indicate bloat. If it were me, I'd have the dog down the Vet's toot sweet urgent. When it comes to bloat, VERY FAST ACTION is required if the event is not to result in fatality.

ETA: Rugerfly doesn't seem to be here. Hope she's on the way to the Vet's NOW!

Edited April 27, 2006 by Erny

[rugerfly]

was on the phone to the vet to tell them to stay there for me and he did an almighty fart....then wagged his tail and went to sleep. Im watching him closely and he is still passing wind in his sleep....thankfully this looks like a pain in the tummy. his tummy isnt really even slightly swolen and i tapped it a bit. its making little gurgling sounds now.

I think its very handy to hear first hand what people have gone through.

[aus_k9gsd]

i had a dog bloat few years back i got him to a vet and he was operated on his stomach is now perm attached to his ribs

on advise from a vet i now give both my dogs 2 charcoal tablets every single night

forgot to say i was already in the vets the other evening for something else and my dog seemed to be early stages of bloat due to distress he was in so the vet shoved charcoal down his throat so might pay to keep some handy rugerfly

Edited April 27, 2006 by aus_k9gsd

[rugerfly]

was wondering about things to give them for upset tummys, i hate seeing them uncomfortable, like little kids who cant tell you whats wrong..

[TangerineDream]

I gave Tegan ipecac syrup in one instance and then walked her around the backyard for 30 minutes till she threw up - but you can only use this method if you catch it right at the very beginning before the gut has even considered twisting - I'd only ever use it if I was suspicious that there might be a problem and I wanted the dog to empty their stomach...salty water also works....

[fifi]

:p glad to hear the gas 'escaped', bloat is something we don't wait around to see, even if we only have a trip to the vet with a farty dog! it can go pear shaped very quickly and go on to GDV (torsion) in the deep chested dogs.

(in fact, its one of the rare times one cheers when in the car and the dog let one go!!)

we always have 'De-Gas' tablets on hand, available from any supermarket or pharmacy, and if we think one of ours looks a bit 'sus' we give two to three capsules.

We have had two bloat & survive, one torsioned and had surgery to rotate the stomach back into place & had the gastroplexy - the belt loop version done. Navarre bloated three weeks ago, and we were lucky the vet was able to intubate & release the gas, but he had to be anaethatised, as the tube wouldn't progress.

Other wolfie folk have lost dogs very, very quickly

so glad you've had a good outcome ruger. Keep an eye on him though, you may need to feed smaller meals and break them into morning & night.

fifi

[Dogsfevr]

Yep we keep the de gas here too but if we have the slighest incling of bloat where off to the vet as the earlier caught the better the chances of survival & hopefully no surgery just tubing

[TangerineDream]

I ended up carrying a tablet of apomorphine everywhere as Tegan, when she bloated, bloated incredibly quickly (she was a 'fermenter' mostly) - my vet accepted that I would follow his instructions to the letter for its use, and I'm pleased to say that I never had to use it, but because it's a restricted drug, I had all h#ll trying to find a vet in Melbourne who would exchange my tablet every year, as the fear was that if it was given at the wrong time, the dog could die and I would sue them........ If you have a high bloat tendency and a very, very good relationship with your vet it might be worth asking - I know that it made me feel a lot more confident when away from my normal vet....

[spikey]

As other posters have said, the most important thing if bloat is suspected is to get your dog to the vet IMMEDIATELY.

A few years agp, my 12-year-old GSD had an attack of bloat one Sunday evening (always on a weekend night or public holiday, isn't it, when hardly any vets are open!). He had had his tea (kibble) and then started trying to vomit but only brought up yellow bile. He was crying in pain as well and literally running blindly through the house as if we was trying to find somewhere to hide. I rang the only local vet who was open (thank God!) and they said to get him down there NOW! We had him there within 15 minutes and they immediately rushed him out the back where they took x-rays to confirm the bloat diagnosis. Thankfully torsion had not yet occurred and they were able to get a tube down him, but hix oxygen levels went through the floor and they almost lost him. It was a long and anxious night for us, and the vet told us that if we had got to them any later, they could not have saved him. From the start of the attack until the time we reached the vet would have been LESS THAN AN HOUR. So time is definitely of the essence when it comes to a bloat attack.

Although Coco survived the bloat attack, the vet told us the x-rays showed an enlarged heart and fluid on his lungs and to take him to our normal vet the next day. We were quite shocked at this, as there was practically no sign there was something wrong with Coco - the next day our vet told us the condition appeared to have developed very quickly (within the last month or so) and he did not have long left. We hoped to have a couple of last weeks with him but sadly, because the bloat attack had put so much stress on Coco's organs and had been so severe etc, his system started to "shut down" a few days later and we had to have him put to sleep straight away to end his suffering.

It devastated me then and still brings tears to my eyes now, more than 4 years later :p .

Edited April 28, 2006 by spikey

[panda]

Oh god! my dog had a similar symptom yesterday from about 3.30pm. He was running in and out the courtyard and couldn't sit still for a minute. I didn't know what was wrong with him then till he vomited at 10pm. I could see that he was uncomfortable, scared, panicing, running about, but had no idea that was the sign of bloating. I was quite stressed from watching his behaviour as he was also barking at the front door. He was back to normal after he brought up the food at 10pm.

How many 'De-Gas' tablets should I give to a 13kg dog?

[fifi]

Oh god! my dog had a similar symptom yesterday from about 3.30pm. He was running in and out the courtyard and couldn't sit still for a minute. I didn't know what was wrong with him then till he vomited at 10pm. I could see that he was uncomfortable, scared, panicing, running about, but had no idea that was the sign of bloating. I was quite stressed from watching his behaviour as he was also barking at the front door. He was back to normal after he brought up the food at 10pm.

How many 'De-Gas' tablets should I give to a 13kg dog?

Panda, I usually give a de-gas tablet if I think the situation might be very mild, and monitor by the minute & off to the vet straight away if symptoms are worsening. In the case you describe, I would have been off to the vet, it sounds more like a digestive upset or bowel discomfort than bloat though.

I guess the main thing is never leave things to see how it goes, its better to have a wasted trip to the vet, than a dead dog. Also, if in doubt, contain the dog in a crate to monitor them while you are phoning the vet, running in panic for the seven hours you mention, is too long to allow a dog to be scared, sick or suffering.

fifi

Edited May 2, 2006 by fifi

[Dogsfevr]

Totally agree with Fifi,vets should be your first visit especially during business hrs.

The de gas is very specific not something you just give.

If the dog has started bloating the de gas is useless ,we carry the de gas for country shows etc to use as a precious saver on the way to the vet but as yet we have never used it.

Also there is one main ingredient that makes de gas important you get the wrong brand & it wont be helpful