What do you know about "bloat" or "Gastric Torsion"?

Question

I've heard that large dogs, with deep chests, can suffer from "bloat" or "Gastric Torsion".
Can someone tell me a little more about the causes of this and ways to avoid it please?

This might turn out to be as controversial as Colic is in horses (to allow a horse to roll or not, cause or relief for a twisted bowel), so, if anyone can point to some scientific evidence or web site, I'd appreciate it.

Are dogs fed purely on dried food, more likely to suffer than those fed either RAW or wet food

Answer 1

There is GREAT controversy about cause and prevention. One school of thought was to feed the dog in an elevated bowl stand, soak kibble, no exercise before eating, no exercise after, give simethicone twice daily, and do not let them gulp water.
Then they say feed on flat surface, don't soak kibble, no HEAVY exercise before or after eating, NO simethicone.

WHO KNOWS!!! There is a clear genetic predisposition to bloat. My breed club has done a lot of research on it and found that there is not a lot you can do to prevent bloat in a dog that is going to bloat!!!! People follow instructions to a T and the dog still bloats!!!!!

Many vets still do stomach tacking on dog at the time of spay or c-section. This helps. They can still bloat, but will not have a torsion.

It is something that most of us with deep chested dogs watch for all the time.

*THE CURRENT THOUGHT AND RESEARCH SAYS TO FEED ON A FLAT SURFACE>>>>NOT ELEVATED!!!!

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1571&articleid=402

http://www.michvet.com/library/surgery_gdv.asp

Perdue found that the VOLUME of food consumed at once was the largest factor in GDV. That is the reason dogs should be fed two to three smaller meals instead of one larger one.
http://www.jaaha.org/cgi/content/abstract/40/3/192
http://www.vet.purdue.edu/epi/bloat.htm

And it is not considered a RARE condition. It is sadly common. And not all bloat cases will have a torsion.

In one study..which I will look for, some dogs fed wet or raw food were MORE likely to bloat due to the increased speed at which they ate. Another study found little difference in wet, raw, and dry.
Of course preponants of a raw diet claim that feeding that way reduces the risk, but I cannot find concrete evidence of that either.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) is also known as "bloat," "stomach torsion," or "twisted stomach. GDV is an extremely serious condition, and should be considered a life-threatening emergency when it occurs. Dogs can die of bloat within several hours. Even with treatment, as many as 25-33% of dogs with GDV die.

What are the signs?

The most obvious signs are abdominal distention (swollen belly) and nonproductive vomiting (animal appears to be vomiting, but nothing comes up) and retching. Other signs include restlessness, abdominal pain, and rapid shallow breathing. Profuse salivation may indicate severe pain. If the dog's condition continues to deteriorate, especially if volvulus has occurred, the dog may go into shock and become pale, have a weak pulse, a rapid heart rate, and eventually collapse. A dog with gastric dilatation without volvulus can show all of these signs, but the more severe signs are likely to occur in dogs with both dilatation and volvulus.

How is gastric dilatation and volvulus prevented?

Despite adopting all of the recommendations listed below, a dog may still develop GDV. Because of the genetic link involved with this disease, prospective pet owners should question if there is a history of GDV in the lineage of any puppy that is from a breed listed as high risk. In addition, the following recommendations should be followed:

Large dogs should be fed two or three times daily, rather than once a day.

Owners of susceptible breeds should be aware of the early signs of bloat.

Owners of susceptible breeds should develop a good working relationship with a local veterinarian in case emergency care is needed.

Water should be available at all times, but should be limited immediately after feeding.

Vigorous exercise, excitement, and stress should be avoided one hour before and two hours after meals.

Diet changes should be made gradually over a period of three to five days.

Susceptible dogs should be fed individually and, if possible in a quiet location.

Dogs that have survived bloat are at an increased risk for future episodes; therefore prophylaxis in the form of preventive surgery or medical management should be discussed with the veterinarian.

Summary

Bloat is a life threatening condition that most commonly affects large-breed, deep-chested dogs over two years of age. Owners of susceptible breeds should be knowledgeable about the signs of the disease, since early and prompt treatment can greatly improve the outcome. By following the preventive measures recommended, pet owners can further reduce the likelihood of their pet developing this devastating problem.

Answer 4

My great dane had bloat and is very common in large breeds. Bloat is caused by too much swallowed air or fluid in the stomach. The stomach swells and twists trapping the air, food or fluid which leads to damged organs. You need to avoid putting the food and water bowl on the floor, avoid exercise after food. Also avoid the dog from getting stressed as this can also cause bloat. In some cases bloat can be treated but it is a very expensive op and in some cases cannot be treated.

Answer 5

I am Fed up with All you Shallow People. If People need a Gasteric Band Or Gastric ByPass You should Be allowed it on the NHS if you cant Afford to go private. I Am just about to have the opperation and it will save my life and reduce my risk of Cancer and Diabetes. The NHS pay for people that aint even British Citizens to Have Treatment in the UK and they fund Housing its like saying " If That Person wants a house the state wont pay out so let them get of there bum and get work to pay a mortgage"!!!!!! I am not ashamed of having the operation on the NHS i am a normal UK citizen that never ever ponces of the state i pay my own way and i own my own house, so now its time for me to get help and use the resources of the NHS that weve paid into for long enough. IVF isnt an illness so why should that be funded, think about it, its the same thing if anything it costs more.

Answer 6

bloat is caused when your dog say a great Dane (Very prone to bloat) eats a large amount of food. then you take the dog and let it run and jump and play real hard right after eating that large amount of food. this causes the stomach to sway back and forth (Side to Side) in the abdominal cavity. while doing this it is done hard enough the stomach flips over the esophagus and the Jejunum. When it does this it is like taking a hose and twisting it in your hands . It causes the digesting food to sty in the stomach and the blood flow to the stomach to be cut off. This can cause to stomach to die from lack of blood flow. The digesting food produced gas the gas has no where to go out so it swells the stomach (Hence the name bloat) causing the dog to look bloated. This is a life threatening emergency and it not corrected as soon as possible will kill your dog.

If your dog does get this and you do get him to the vet in time they will open him up and turn the stomach back to the right place. Then they will take non dissolving suture and sew the stomach to the side of the abdominal wall. over time the skin will grow together offering a sort of anchor for the stomach.

All large breed dogs can get this It is best to limit physical activity for at least 30 minutes after feeding with theses dogs.

Answer 7

Large deep chested dogs are more prone to bloat.

I free feed my Weimaraners (a breed on the 'at risk' list of bloat), in that the dry food is down all the time which prevents them bolting their food and taking in a lot of air.

Free feeding the dogs means that they never run around on an excessivly full stomach, also reducing the risks of bloat.

Although bloat is something to be aware of it is rare so not something to constantly be worrying about.

All you can do is reduce the risks if possible, and hope your dog isn't one of the unlucky ones.

Answer 8

Hi stripey,
My old goldie got a gastric torsion at the grand age of 17.75 yrs. She ate her dinner as usual, and in ten minutes her sides blew up like a ballon and she seemed uncomfortable and couldnt settle. I took her along to the vet and she was put down because of her immense age. I know you are a horse person, a gastric torsion is the canine equivalent of twisted gut in a horse. The mesenteric membrane becomes torn allowing the intestine to loop around and often the loop of intestine dies. Immediate vet help is imperative and in a younger healthy dog it is often operable with good results. It isnt restricted to big dogs and I cant imagine why a deep chest would have any bearing on a predisposition to torsion, BUT I can say in 25yrs of having and breeding dogs that it is uncommon. Rare, unusual, there is no reason to worry about it. I would say prevention would be not allowing your dog to bolt large amounts of food. Like large horses are more prone to colic, large dogs tend to be more likely to gorge than itty bitty ones. Hope that helps.

Answer 9

I haven't studied this one, but did experience it personally years ago. A friend owned a Rotty champ. b**** that was 2 weeks from whelping. She ate breakfast that morning, did not 'romp' and run after wards, and was fine when he left for work.My role was checking her during the day while he was away. I went around noon (4 hours after he left) and she was fine, I let her out to the bathroom, and sat around with her maybe 30 minutes then left. I went back by around 4:00 and she was laying around as if she felt bad. I called him at work, and called the vet to say we were bringing her in, then left to gas up the car for the trip. She was dead when I got back, lying in the same spot in a huge puddle of blood. We took her on to the vet for a post mortam and were told that her stomach had twisted and tore a main artery in the intestines. That there would have been no time for surgery had it happened while she was in their office. She had no food in her stomach, breakfast had already digested, so in this case, food gulping etc wasn't the cause. They also said that the big chest coupled with pregnancy causes the ribs to spread enough to give room for the stomach to flip, and that it was a freak thing. It was hearbreaking as she was a wonderful example of the breed, with the typical affectionate personality.

Answer 10

They have actually conducted a new study saying the opposite about the raised dishes and are now saying that having the bowls on the floor is best.
Bloat is still kind of one of those things they are still in the dark about. They know a fair amount but are still not sure of other factors.
The best thing to do is just to make sure your dogs eat slowly and limit excercise directly before and after meal times.