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This article was originally posted to the AcmePet
Dog House on January 10, 1999.
A few of us have been talking this evening about the
tragic death of Buddha. It came as a great shock to
all of us, hitting very close to home. Some of us have
lost dogs to bloat, and each of us who has a large dog
knows well that it can happen to any of us, at any time.
"But for the grace of God..." Each time we
know a dog who dies of bloat, we know again how very
fragile these giant lives can be, and how quickly they
can be taken from us.
Nak's Mom, we want you to know that our deepest sympathies
are with you. You gave Buddha love and a home, and you
saved him from having to die in great pain by having
the vet do what needed to be done. You have done just
what we, as their guardians, are supposed to do. There
is NO WAY to predict which dogs will bloat, and no guaranteed
way to prevent it. You did nothing wrong, and in fact
responded quickly to the first symptoms, and got Buddha
to a vet very quickly. Bloat can happen to any dog.
It's a horrible, deadly, and swift thing.
While we in no way want to cause Nak's Mom any greater
pain by discussing this subject, we do feel that this--a
time when we're all thinking about it, and have been
reminded of how very swift and deadly bloat can be--that
this might be a good time to remind each other of what
we do know about bloat, what we don't know, and what
we can do to perhaps try to prevent it, or to treat
it if it ever occurs in one of our dogs. Any newbies/lurkers
who might not have heard of bloat before might be curious
what this mysterious thing is that took Buddha so quickly.
Nak's Mom, please please forgive any pain the following
editorial might cause. That is not our intent.
We're enclosing below some of the links we have on
the subject of bloat, but would like to go over the
basics quickly before sending you on your way to read
up on it. Bloat is something that all owners of large
dogs should discuss with their veterinarian. Know the
symptoms, and know what you can and can't do if your
dog bloats, while you contact your emergency vet.
From Canine
Connections' site: "Veterinarians call the
ailment gastric dilation-volvulus or GDV...The first
part of the name refers to a rapid accumulation of gas
in the stomach. For some unknown reason the stomach
doesn't empty normally. No food passes into the intestine,
and no food passes in the other direction as vomit,
either.
"The second part of the name refers to what
can happen to the stomach with this condition. Sometimes
the stomach flips over or twists clockwise on its long
axis. When this happens, the spleen turns with the stomach.
This turning compresses the caudal vena cava, one of
the major veins carrying blood to the heart. The blood
supply is cut off [from] the stomach, spleen, and some
other organs. The dog goes into shock, and death is
imminent."
From the Dog
Owner's Guide's site on bloat: "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."
Symptoms of bloat include restlessness, salivation,
and unsuccessful attempts to vomit. The stomach swells,
and you can see and feel the distention in the
abdomen.
IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO SEEK VETERINARY CARE
IMMEDIATELY IF YOU SUSPECT BLOAT! Prompt veterinary
care is vital.
There are a few things that an experienced and properly
prepared person can do while contacting a vet in order
to increase the chances of survival for the dog. If
you do not have immediate and guaranteed access to an
emergency vet at all times, then this is extremely important
information. The first is to attempt to pass a stomach
tube into the dog, allowing the gases and material in
the stomach to pass out, relieving the pressure. The
second is to use a syringe inserted into the stomach
just behind the last rib to do the same. Neither of
these should be attempted unless you're sure you know
what you're doing. Owners of large breed dogs should
familiarize themselves with these procedures, and keep
a bloat kit--containing the necessary items--available
at all times. Instructions for these procedures are
available on some of the links below, and should be
discussed with your vet. In fact, the process of putting
together a bloat kit, and learning the emergency procedures,
is a good time to talk with your vet, making sure you
have all the supplies and knowledge you might need.
The items to be included in a bloat kit are (from the
Bloat
Book site):
1) Instructions for use
2) Stethoscope
3) Rolls of tape (3 rolls, 1 in. x 10 yd)
4) Stomach tube (2) (different diameters). 5 ft. length
beveled at one end, with two holes drilled in tube 2
& 3 inches up from the beveled end. Pre-measured
and marked for each [dog] in household (see page 4,
NOTE 1)
5) 14 gauge or larger needles (2) (1 1/2" to 3"
length)
6) K. Y. jelly
7) Gas absorbent (Digel, GasEase, etc)
There are also homeopathic remedies for bloat, including
Nux Mocheta 30c every few minutes, administered on the
way to the vet. As with the bloat kit, you might want
to consult your veterinarian and learn about it before
using it.
There are no "for sure" causes of bloat,
but there are quite a few suspected contributors. These
include gulping of food, swallowing air while eating,
drinking a lot of water after eating dry kibble, and
exercise immediately before or after eating. Eliminating
or working to eliminate these factors do not guarantee
that a dog will not bloat, unfortunately, but may reduce
the risk. Also, there seems to be increased occurrences
of bloat in some lines of dogs, so it is something to
discuss with breeders when acquiring a dog.
There are a few things you can do to try to reduce
the risk factors for your dog. Large dogs should be
fed from raised dishes, so that they don't have to bend
so far over to reach food. Large dogs should be fed
at approximately chest height. This helps reduce the
amount of air they gulp while eating. Dogs that eat
their food very rapidly can sometimes be slowed down
by placing tennis balls or something similar into their
dishes, so that they have to nose around the balls to
get the food, thus slowing them down. Dogs prone to
gulping a lot of water right after eating should have
their water restricted to a small amount right after
meals. Large dogs should be fed two or three smaller
meals a day, instead of one large meal. Many people
soak dry kibble in warm water before feeding so that
it doesn't swell so much in the stomach, or feed wet
food in combination with or instead of kibble, since
wet food doesn't swell like dry kibble does. Kibble
can be tested to see how much it will swell in the stomach.
Take the amount of food you feed your dog, put it in
a bowl, and add warm water--try to add approximately
the amount that the dog seems to drink after eating.
How much is that kibble swelling up, and does it seem
like too much for the dog's stomach to handle? Some
kibbles swell more than others, and some hardly swell
at all, but become more the consistency of a good quality
wet food. More "crumbly" then swollen. Some
people use homecooked, raw or natural diets to reduce
the risk, for the same reasons. (Dr. Pitcairn has a
section in his book Natural Health for Dogs and Cats
for natural treatments.) Also, adding yogurt to a meal
can usually reduce the amount of gas produced during
digestion (this is handy for reasons other than preventing
bloat!). Dogs should not be allowed strenuous exercise
or excitement for about an hour prior to, and two hours
after a meal, but walking is good after a meal, because
it helps stimulate the digestive system, and helps "move
things along" as it were.
Finally, you know your dog better than anyone else,
including your vet. Some dogs are very stoic about the
pain or distress they feel. If this is the case with
your dog, be sure to tell your vet. Make sure your vet
listens to you (this is, of course, good advice for
all situations with a vet--make sure you have one that
listens to you). If the vet misjudges how much pain
or distress your dog is in, she may misjudge the condition,
and not take appropriate action.
Again, these are just the first things that come to
mind that one needs to know about bloat. We strongly
suggest that you read up on it, and discuss it with
your vet. There are many contributing or suspected contributing
factors, and there are many theories on why dogs bloat
and how to prevent it. As with so many other things
in life, the more you know, there more there is to learn.
But we feel that these are some of the basics that are
the most important to be aware of. NOTHING that
we do can GUARANTEE that a dog will never bloat. But
there is strong evidence that we can reduce the risks
in certain ways.
Would that we never need see this subject arise again
on these boards.
Copyright © 1999, 2001 by The Sunshine
Band and OffLead Productions. Reprinted with permission
of the author.
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