My dog just ate an enormous amount of food and I am afraid her stomach may explode. What should I do?

Question

I accidentally left the food bin open and Allie got into it. Based on the size of the hole dug out of the food, she ate about as much food as would fill a gallon milk jug. Her stomach is now very big and is bulging out past her rib cage, and she is burping a lot. She is a 7 year old yellow lab that weighs approximately 75 pounds. She usually only eats two measured cups of food a day, and maybe another half cup of Cheerios (one at a time for treats). How concerned should I be? Does anyone know how to tell if her stomach is going to burst, or if it does, how will I know?

I appreciate any comments. Thanks!!

Pip

Answer 1

You must keep a careful eye on her.
There is a condition called 'bloat and torsion'
If the stomach becomes very hard and she seems distressed - this is an emergency situation. the stomach
can twist - cutting off at both ends. This causes her to go into shock.the lack of blood to various organs can cause them to die. The fact that she burped is good as if the stomach has turned, she would not be able to do that.
If she has bloat/torsion, she would act strange. I've seen that look but can't really discribe it. You just know something is wrong.
Here is an article on it
Bloat, Torsion. Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV). Call it what you will, this is a serious, life-threatening condition of large breed dogs. While the diagnosis is simple, the pathological changes in the dog's body make treatment complicated, expensive, and not always successful.

A typical scenario starts with a large, deep-chested dog, usually fed once daily. Typical breeds affected are Akita, Great Dane, German Shepherd, St. Bernard, Irish Wolfhound, and Irish Setter. Sighthounds, Doberman Pinschers, Weimaraners, Bloodhounds, other similar breeds, and large, deep-chested mixed breeds are also affected.

Factor in the habit of bolting food, gulping air, or drinking large amounts of water immediately after eating to this feeding schedule and body type. Then add vigorous exercise after a full meal, and you have the recipe for bloat.

Of course, the fact that not all bloats happen in just the same way and the thought that some bloodlines are more at risk than others further complicates the issue.

Simple gastric distention can occur in any breed or age of dog and is common in young puppies who overeat. This is sometimes referred to as pre-bloat by laymen. Belching of gas or vomiting food usually relieves the problem.

If this condition occurs more than once in a predisposed breed, the veterinarian might discuss methods to prevent bloat, such as feeding smaller meals or giving Reglan (metoclopramide) to encourage stomach emptying. Some veterinarians recommend, and some owners request, prophylactic surgery to anchor the stomach in place before the torsion occurs in dogs who have experienced one or more bouts of distention or in dogs whose close relatives have had GDV.


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The physiology of bloat
Torsion or volvulus are terms to describe the twisting of the stomach after gastric distention occurs. The different terms are used to define the twisting whether it occurs on the longitudinal axis (torsion) or the mesenteric axis (volvulus). Most people use the terms interchangeably, and the type of twist has no bearing on the prognosis or treatment. When torsion occurs, the esophagus is closed off, limiting the dog's ability to relieve distention by vomiting or belching. Often the spleen becomes entrapped as well, and its blood supply is cut off.

Now a complex chain of physiologic events begins. The blood return to the heart decreases, cardiac output decreases, and cardiac arrythmias may follow. Toxins build up in the dying stomach lining. The liver, pancreas, and upper small bowel may also be compromised. Shock from low blood pressure and endotoxins rapidly develops. Sometimes the stomach ruptures, leading to peritonitis.

Abdominal distention, salivating, and retching are the hallmark signs of GDV. Other signs may include restlessness, depression, lethargy, anorexia, weakness, or a rapid heart rate.


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Treatment
GDV is a true emergency. If you know or even suspect your dog has bloat, immediately call your veterinarian or emergency service. Do not attempt home treatment.

Do take the time to call ahead.; while you are transporting the dog, the hospital staff can prepare for your arrival. Do not insist on accompanying your dog to the treatment area. Well-meaning owners are an impediment to efficient care. Someone will be out to answer your questions as soon as possible, but for now, have faith in you veterinarian and wait.

Initial diagnosis may include x-rays, an ECG, and blood tests, but treatment will probably be started before the test results are in.

The first step is to treat shock with IV fluids and steroids. Antibiotics and anti-arrythmics may also be started now. Then the veterinarian will attempt to decompress the stomach by passing a stomach tube. If this is successful, a gastric levage may be instituted to wash out accumulated food, gastric juices, or other stomach contents. In some cases, decompression is accomplished by placing large-bore needles or a trochar through the skin and muscle and directly into the stomach.

In some cases, this medical therapy is sufficient. However, in many cases, surgery is required to save the dog. Once the dog's condition is stabilized, surgery to correct the stomach twist, remove any unhealthy tissue, and anchor the stomach in place is performed. The gastroplexy, or anchoring surgery, is an important procedure to prevent recurrence, and many variations exist. Your veterinarian will do the procedure he feels comfortable with and which has the best success rate

Recovery is prolonged, sometimes requiring hospital stays of a week or more. Post-operative care depends on the severity of the disease and the treatment methods employed and may include a special diet, drugs to promote gastric emptying, and routine wound management. Costs may run $500-1000 or more in complicated cases.

Answer 2

OH I am sorry, I"m laughing, and I don't mean to be, I know you are upset! Relax girl, For a 7 y,o. lab, that's nowhere near a dangerous amount, she's in NO DANGER of serious consequences, the worst, that might happen is she may upchuck! blucky...
Laughing here also at your comment that she is belching, I almost warned you she might "belch" out the back end as well, lol
IF you ever do have a dog that is so full, or is full of something it ate that she needs to throw up, you pour hydrogen peroxide by the tsp down it's throat, after a few, BARF should happen, and will either throw up the just excess large amount, or the poison or whatever.

Good Luck, hope it won't take her to long to get this uh, lil problem resolved!
Bet she's embarrassed, she was so busted, LOL.

Answer 3

She'll probably (hopefully) vomit but I once saw an animal emergency show where a dog was brought in with an obstruction and they were trying to aspirate the stomach to operate. They could not get the stomach to drain and the dog unfortunatly died. When they opened up the stomach they found it was filled with doughy material to such an extent that the dog could not digest it (causing the obstruction). Possibly the dog could have actually eaten a mass of dough but I'm sure some dog foods can get to that consistency when eaten fast enough, in large enough quantities so I'd say call the vet.

Answer 4

I once left my cat at our house for a few days and left enough food. He ate almost all of it the first day and had blockage of the indegestion track. Typically cats don't do that but he's a food fiend. Anyways, your dog might get sometype of blockage like that and it's normal for that situation. Stomachs are made to stretch so they won't burst. If they can't stretch anymore the dog would throw up. When you burp, that means you have too much air in your stomach and it goes up or down and doesn't just stay there. Anyways watch your dog when he eats and don't leave things out so he can grab it and eat it.

Answer 5

While a ruptured stomach is possible it is fairly unlikely. Allie might get a little sick, however. You might want to prepare for vomiting and diahrrea and lots of flatulation.

In the event her stomach does burst--which I think is not a probability--it would likely be fatal. Hopefully that won't happen.

Unfortunately dogs don't generally learn from this sort of experience. It's best to close the food bin in the future.

Good luck!

Answer 6

Dont worry, her stomach isnt going to explode. Just let her lie down an sleep it off. Dogs have the capacity to eat more in one meal relative to humans. They do this in the wild, where the next meal may be a few days away. Doesnt mean this is better for them though. Keep food intake small and more frequent, as should humans

Answer 7

Your niece will be just fine. Dog food may have a little bit of bone meal or 'ground organs' in it, but most of what goes into dog food is human grade food. There is no salt and few spices (which you must watch for when feeding a toddler), and she probably just wanted to taste it. Many older people actually eat cans of dog or cat food because it costs less than human food ... it may cause us to feel bad for them, but these may actually be much healthier people than the ones who eat at fast food restaurants all the time!

Answer 8

Her stomach will not burst. Keep an eye on her she may vomit if she ate that much food. Close the food bin do not give her ANYTHING else to eat tonight and I'm sure she will be fine.

Answer 9

I don't believe her stomach will burst. Just keep a close eye on her and check with the vet's office in the morning if you're still worried.

Answer 10

Just keep an eye on her, she should be fine. Its like when humans over eat, she'll just be uncomfortable for a while.