# Bloating? What? Why? How?



## 3 goldens (Sep 30, 2005)

*hey, At One Time Every Single One Of Us Had Never Heard Of Bloat In Dogs. I Have Owned Dogs For 52 Years And Had Never Heard Of It Yntil About B5 Years Ago------on Emergency Vets On Animal Planet. So Nnobody Bwill Think You A "noob" (whatever That Is) Because You Have Nit Heard Of It Or Don't Know Anything About It.*

*it Is Gas In Their Stomach And It Can Cause Their Stomach To "flip Over" When This Happens The Blood Supply Is Cut Off And The Intestine There Dies Unless Surgery Is Done Very Soon. I Saw A Couple Of Dogs On Er That Lost A Couple Of Feet Of Dead Intestine--was Already Black. One Made It, The Other Didn't. *

*there Is At Least One Poster Here Who Has Been Thru This And Can Tell You A Lot More. Oh, The University In Florida Has Done Research And Found It Some Times Runs In Families. One On One All Breed Forum I Belong To Raises...darn I Can Not Remember Off Hand If It Is St, Berbards Or Newfies...but She Lost A Dad, His Son, And Then The Dad's Dad To Bloat And She Does Believe It Be In The Genes. Certain Breeds Are More Prone To It, Ones With Deepc, But It Can Strike Any Breed.*


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

Here is a website that explains it http://www.globalspan.net/bloat.htm
My Beau was a victim of bloat but I was able to get him to the vet soon enough that he had no damage but did have to have the surgery to save his life. It is one of the most scariest times in my life.


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## blacktri99 (Sep 5, 2008)

Carol, What are the symptoms of bloat?

Jim


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

Well Beau had the hunching up like he was trying to throw up or poop and nothing coming out either end. His stomach started swelling and very hard. He was whining and pacing around. And seemed to be trying to suck in air like he couldnt catch his breath. Once you familiarize yourself with the symptoms you will recognise it easier. I knew exactly what it was from seeing it on tv from one of the vet shows on Animal Planet. Here are some of the symptoms that are from the link that I posted. 
*Typical symptoms often include some (but not necessarily all) of the following, according to the links below. Unfortunately, from the onset of the first symptoms you have very little time (sometimes minutes, sometimes hours) to get immediate medical attention for your dog. Know your dog and know when it's not acting right. *







*Attempts to vomit (usually unsuccessful); may occur every 5-30 minutes*







_This seems to be one of the most common symptoms & has been referred to as *the "hallmark symptom"*_







_"Unsuccessful vomiting" means either nothing comes up or possibly just foam and/or mucous comes up _ 







*Doesn't act like usual self*







_Perhaps the earliest warning sign and may be the only sign that almost always occurs_







_We've had several reports that dogs who bloated asked to go outside in the middle of the night. If this is combined with frequent attempts to vomit, and if your dog doesn't typically ask to go outside in the middle of the night, bloat is a very real possibility. _







*Significant anxiety and restlessness*
_One of the earliest warning signs and seems fairly typical_







*"Hunched up" or "roached up" appearance*
_This seems to occur fairly frequently_







*Lack of normal gurgling and digestive sounds in the tummy*







_Many dog owners report this after putting their ear to their dog's tummy._







_If your dog shows any bloat symptoms, you may want to try this immediately. _ 







*Bloated abdomen that may feel tight (like a drum)*
_*Despite the term "bloat," many times this symptom never occurs or is not apparent*_







Pale or off-color gums
_Dark red in early stages, white or blue in later stages_







Coughing







Unproductive gagging







Heavy salivating or drooling







Foamy mucous around the lips, or vomiting foamy mucous







Unproductive attempts to defecate







Whining







Pacing







Licking the air







Seeking a hiding place







Looking at their side or other evidence of abdominal pain or discomfort







May refuse to lie down or even sit down







May stand spread-legged







May curl up in a ball or go into a praying or crouched position







May attempt to eat small stones and twigs







Drinking excessively







Heavy or rapid panting







Shallow breathing







Cold mouth membranes







Apparent weakness; unable to stand or has a spread-legged stance
_Especially in advanced stage_







Accelerated heartbeat
_Heart rate increases as bloating progresses_







Weak pulse







Collapse


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## Abbydabbydo (Jan 31, 2007)

When Abby had it (and she has no predisposing attributes) she had come in from a walk, drank some water, and seemed to get it stuck in her throat. Then it was like she just couldn't cough it up (I later learned there was nothing to cough up). 

She was very frantic and I knew something was terribly wrong, even though I did not know what. I got her to the vet before her stomach twisted, and they inserted the tube to deflate her stomach. 

The next week she had major surgery to have her stomach tacked (gastropexy) and she recovered quickly.

As Carol says, it was a terrible time, I was very, very worried. I still watch her for bloat all the time and limit food and water around exercise time. I hope this never happens to you, but it is certainly good to be prepared.


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## Sivin (Nov 23, 2006)

Golden Girl,

There are no stupid questions around here and for every query posted there are many folks sitting at home just hoping it will get answered. So ask away! And if you like sun and surf get yourself to Pacific Beach!


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## blacktri99 (Sep 5, 2008)

Thanks for the info guy's just want to be prepared to spot something like this.

Jim


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## goldensmum (Oct 23, 2007)

My Ralph got bloat and it happened in the middle of the night - we still don't know how it happened, and it was only because Ginny barked and banged the door that i went downstairs to shut her up and found Ralph collapsed in the corner. At the time I suspected Bloat, but wasn't 100%. but just by the way he was , made the call to the emergency vet. His stomach had flipped, and the vet said that another 30 mins and he would have died in agony. I was lucky enough to watch the operation, and as the gas was released his stomach deflated like a balloon. Although we got him to the vet in time, sadly we lost him 10 days later when his kidneys suddenly failed.

If you ever suspect a dog has bloat get them to a vet immediately. Better to be told that it isn't, than to wait and it be too late.


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## ILoveMyGolden (Oct 19, 2006)

Bloat is not fun. After Bailey's bloat surgery just under a month ago now, we have been educating as many people as we can about it. He has healed well, but that was a long way from saying goodbye to him on the vet hospital's floor.

There was foam everywhere, it was all he could get "up" and his stomach swelled, and swelled HARD, he couldn't lay down/get comfortable at all and was wheezing. 

We still don't really know what triggered it, he had been in the water that day, but when he was found in the house he had bolted outside to try to get something out, but could not. 

It was a scary time trying to figure out where the emerg vet was (we were at our cottage) and the drive there could not go by quickly enough. He was flipped inside on 2 of 3 axes and the xray was just out of this world. The scar is now healing well (staples out nearly two weeks ago) and he has lost a lot of weight -down to about 90 lbs (usually around the 100lb mark, so between the shaved belly and lost weight, he looks much taller and more slender!)


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

This is terrifying. Bless every one of you who have experienced this. I hope you never face it again.

There are not stupid questions, and every answer educates us all.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

So right. We all should learn all we can about bloat and be prepared to act. Many think there is a dietary/gut health correlation. The great dane lady has some info on that aspect ..... www.greatdanelady.com , access articles and look for bloat. I use the dogzymes digestive enhancer daily on the crew's food to supply enzymes and probitotics and I've recently added the bloat buster to my doggy first aid kit. 
http://www.naturesfarmacy.com/store/results.php?category=9


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## TioMilo10 (Jul 14, 2011)

*Bloated stomach and very hard*

I have a Golden Retriever (7 years old) and he sometimes get a really hard stomach, but it seems to go away on its own; however, this time he has it and is extremely tired and non-responsive ... will engage, but has to be coaxed. He has no other symptoms - His nose is very dry and hot, tired and sleeping lots with an extremely hard stomach - very swollen. When he walks it looks like his hips are bothering him, but I think it's just because of his stomach. We are waiting for the Vet to call back, but was wondering if anyone might suggest anything. I am new to this site and hope I can get some advice. Thank you for the help!!


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

I would get to the vet as soon as possible. Has your vet called back yet?

Keep him very still, let him rest. Until he gets in to the vet, that's what he needs to do ... just rest. 

There is a pressure point in the knee area that you can massage, this can relieve gas. I've done it for my dog and it really does work. Don't worry about not knowing the exact area, just follow the picture and the directions as best you can and you'll get it. 

Don't wait too long, bloat is very serious. 

Acupressure Bloat Point - Newf Haven


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## KatieBlue'sMidnightSky (Feb 22, 2011)

I had never heard of bloat until I joined this forum. Now it scares the heck out of me, especially because no one REALLY knows why a dog gets it. Scary stuff that I hope I never, never have to face!

I wonder how common this is statistically. If you read the forum, it seems really common, but I wonder. 

Regardless, thanks to all that posted their personal stories and/or tragedies, as well as information that could save the life of my dog some day!


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## vcm5 (Apr 20, 2011)

I know that elevated eating bowls are associated with bloat, but what about hand feeding? I hand feed Riley all of his meals during training so in some ways that is "elevated" - he eats from my hand by his head instead of from the ground. What do you think?


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## KaMu (May 17, 2010)

Question. If you have your dog out for a walk or a short run and hes visibly warm, panting..... and he comes in and wants to drink water...is it best to wait until hes cooled down first before giving water? I think yes, but just asking....


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## BeckyB (Jan 21, 2008)

I train my dogs for Field and always offer them water after there run and they always drink some. I do not feed them right before training or a test but i also feed raw and my dogs don`t drink nearly the amount of water as a kibble fed dog.


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## BeckyB (Jan 21, 2008)

This was pulled from another forum. Unfortunately links to the Purdue and Tufts studies seem to be no longer active.

This excerpt from a recent article summarizes the current thinking on the
> causes of bloat in dogs. As you can see, it is a condition in which
several
> factors combine to create the problem:
>
> FROM: Risk Factors for Canine Bloat Tufts' Canine and Feline Breeding and
> Genetics Conference, 2003 Jerold S. Bell, DVM Tufts University School of
> Veterinary Medicine
> North Grafton, MA, USA
>
>
> "The breed with the highest average lifetime likelihood of a bloat episode
> is the Great Dane, at 42.4%. Other breeds at higher-than average risk
> include the Bloodhound, Irish Wolfhound, Irish Setter, Akita, standard
> Poodle, German Shepherd Dog, and Boxer. Other deep-chested breeds and
> deep-chested mixed-breed dogs are also at higher risk.
>
> Dr. Larry Glickman, an epidemiologist at the Purdue University School of
> Veterinary Medicine, conducted a controlled study on canine bloat,
beginning
> in 1994. He followed 1,914 dogs who did not have a prior history of bloat.
> Eleven large and giant breeds were represented in the study.
>
> Several risk factors were identified. The dogs with the greatest risk of
> developing bloat have chests that are deep and narrow. This can be
evaluated
> by measuring the depth and the width of the chest. Then the depth is
divided
> by the width. The depth-to-width ratio reflects the amount of room there
is
> for stomach movement in the abdomen, behind the ribcage. The higher the
> result, the more room there is for movement. Dogs with more room have a
> greater risk of developing bloat.
>
> Lean dogs were found to be at higher risk than overweight dogs. It is
> hypothesized that this is because fat takes up space in the abdomen. The
> lack of fat in the abdomen of a lean dog creates a basic situation similar
> to that of a dog with a deep and narrow chest: A lean dog has much more
room
> in the abdomen for the stomach to move around than a fat dog. This does
not
> mean, of course, that overweight dogs are generally healthier than lean
> dogs.
>
> Risk is also higher for older dogs. For large breeds, the risk of
developing
> bloat goes up 20 percent each year after the age of 5. For giant breeds,
it
> goes up 20 percent each year after the age of 3. First degree relatives of
> dogs that have had bloat have a 63 percent greater risk of developing
bloat
> themselves. Dogs that eat quickly have a 15 percent higher risk of
> developing bloat. This may be related to increased swallowing of air.
>
>* One traditional preventative has been to raise the height of food and*
*water*
*> bowls, but this was found to actually increase risk by 110 percent. This*
*> correlation of risk was verifiable; the dogs of the breeders in this study*
*> did not have close relatives that had experienced bloat.*
>
> The study also found that fearful, nervous, or aggressive dogs had a much
> higher incidence of bloat than did dogs perceived by their owners as
having
> happy temperaments. Stress can also be a precipitating factor, and many
dogs
> bloat after recent kenneling, or a recent long car ride. A slightly higher
> percentage of males than females developed bloat.
>
> Several diet-related factors were associated with a higher incidence of
> bloat. These include feeding only dry food, or feeding a single large
daily
> meal. Dogs fed dry foods containing fat among the first four ingredients
had
> a 170 percent higher risk for developing bloat. *Dogs fed dry foods*
*> containing citric acid and were moistened prior to feeding had a 320*
*percent*
*> higher risk for developing bloat.*
>
> Conversely, feeding a dry food containing a rendered meat-and-bone meal
> decreased risk by 53 percent in comparison with the overall risk for the
> dogs in the study. Mixing table food or canned food into dry food also
> decreased the risk of bloat.
>
> During the past 30 years there has been a 1,500 percent increase in the
> incidence of bloat, and this has coincided with the increased feeding of
dry
> dog foods. There is a much lower incidence of bloat in susceptible breeds
in
> Australia and New Zealand. Feeding practices in these countries have been
> found to be less dependent on dry foods.
>
> As for feeding one large meal a day, this can weigh down the stomach and
> stretch the hepatogastric ligament, which usually maintains the stomach's
> normal position in the abdomen. Dogs that have bloated were found to have
a
> much longer hepatogastric ligament; it is thought that this is due to
> chronic stretching. This could also explain why bloat risk increases with
> age.
>
>* Several popular theories regarding bloat were not substantiated during the*
*> study. There was no correlation of bloat risk to exercise before or after*
*> eating, as most dogs bloated in the middle of the night with an empty,*
*> gas-filled stomach. There was also no correlation to vaccinations, to the*
*> brand of dog food consumed, or to the timing or volume of water intake*
*> before or after eating.*

*Also:*
*Non-dietary risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in large and giant breed dogs.*

Glickman LT, Glickman NW, Schellenberg DB, Raghavan M, Lee T.

Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1243, USA.

OBJECTIVE: To identify non-dietary risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) in large breed and giant breed dogs. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. ANIMALS: 1,637 dogs > or = 6 months old of the following breeds: Akita, Bloodhound, Collie, Great Dane, Irish Setter, Irish Wolfhound, Newfoundland, Rottweiler, Saint Bernard, Standard Poodle, and Weimaraner. PROCEDURE: Owners of dogs that did not have a history of GDV were recruited at dog shows, and the dog's length and height and the depth and width of its thorax and abdomen were measured. Information concerning the dog's medical history, genetic background, personality, and diet was obtained from the owners, and owners were contacted by mail and telephone at approximately 1-year intervals to determine whether dogs had developed GDV or died. Incidence of GDV, calculated on the basis of dog-years at risk for dogs that were or were not exposed to potential risk factors, was used to calculate the relative risk of GDV. RESULTS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Cumulative incidence of GDV during the study was 6% for large breed and giant breed dogs. Factors significantly associated with an increased risk of GDV were increasing age, having a first-degree relative with a history of GDV, having a faster speed of eating, and having a raised feeding bowl.* Approximately 20 and 52% of cases of GDV among the large breed and giant breed dogs, respectively, were attributed to having a raised feed bowl.*

*Diet-related risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in dogs of high-risk breeds.*

Raghavan M, Glickman N, McCabe G, Lantz G, Glickman LT.

Departments of Veterinary Pathobiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2027.

A nested case-control study was conducted among 1634 dogs with complete diet information in a 5-year prospective study to determine diet-related risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV). Cases included 106 dogs that developed GDV; controls included 212 dogs without GDV that were frequency matched to cases by year of GDV onset. Proportionate energy consumed from major food types and from carbohydrates was determined. Dogs were categorized as consuming either a low volume or high volume of food based on the median number of cups of food fed per kg of body weight per meal. Dogs fed a larger volume of food per meal were at a significantly (P<0.05) increased risk of GDV, regardless of the number of meals fed daily. For both large- and giant-breed dogs, *the risk of GDV was highest for dogs fed a larger volume of food once daily.*


 
​


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Becky*

Becky

Thank you so much for posting this. I think BLOAT is caused by so many factors.
We have had two male Samoyeds, that got Bloat around the age of 10. Luckily we were home at the time it happened, knew something was terribly wrong and RUSHED THEM TO THE EMERGENCY VET. Both Gizmo and Snobear had emergency surgery and had their stomach tacked so they could not bloat again and both survived the surgery.


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## BeckyB (Jan 21, 2008)

Your Welcome, How awful for you to have 2 dogs bloat.....Glad they both made it .

Though the tacking surgery won`t prevent bloat from happening again, It should help prevent Torsion which greatly increases the chances of surviving an episode of bloat.


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## AlliGirl (Sep 4, 2012)

*Bloat*

For the last 4.5 years our Golden will have an attack maybe every 4-5 months that we can not diagnose or understand. When reading your post, it sounds almost like what is happening to our golden. She becomes very anxious, pacing, salavating, desperate to go outside and eat bark, grass, weeds, anything she can get in her mouth. We have to bring her in, try to calm her down, give her a sedative, etc etc the attack as we call them can last from 2 hrs up to 8/10 hours. We've never noticed swelling or even thought it could be bloat, because sometimes she just wakes in the middle of the night and starts so it would be hours and hours after she has eaten. But, your comments below really hit home so I'm wondering if our alli may have some issues that are not actually creating the flipping of her stomach, correcting itself before that happens. Not sure, but now that I have read your post I will get with out vet. If you have any other thoughts, I would love to hear from you. Thanks so much.






BeauShel said:


> Well Beau had the hunching up like he was trying to throw up or poop and nothing coming out either end. His stomach started swelling and very hard. He was whining and pacing around. And seemed to be trying to suck in air like he couldnt catch his breath. Once you familiarize yourself with the symptoms you will recognise it easier. I knew exactly what it was from seeing it on tv from one of the vet shows on Animal Planet. Here are some of the symptoms that are from the link that I posted.
> *Typical symptoms often include some (but not necessarily all) of the following, according to the links below. Unfortunately, from the onset of the first symptoms you have very little time (sometimes minutes, sometimes hours) to get immediate medical attention for your dog. Know your dog and know when it's not acting right. *
> 
> 
> ...


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## AlliGirl (Sep 4, 2012)

For the last 4.5 years our Golden will have an attack maybe every 4-5 months that we can not diagnose or understand. When reading your post, it sounds almost like what is happening to our golden. She becomes very anxious, pacing, salavating, desperate to go outside and eat bark, grass, weeds, anything she can get in her mouth. We have to bring her in, try to calm her down, give her a sedative, etc etc the attack as we call them can last from 2 hrs up to 8/10 hours. We've never noticed swelling or even thought it could be bloat, because sometimes she just wakes in the middle of the night and starts so it would be hours and hours after she has eaten. But, your comments below really hit home so I'm wondering if our alli may have some issues that are not actually creating the flipping of her stomach, correcting itself before that happens. Not sure, but now that I have read your post I will get with out vet. If you have any other thoughts, I would love to hear from you. Thanks so much.


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

FYI, this is a very old thread. You might want to send a private message to Beau Shel. I think you're supposed to have a certain number of posts on here before the PM function kicks in... Not sure how that works. But I think you're right to check in with your vet. I had a close call with an almost bloat episode, and it scared me a lot. You might also ask your vet about irritable bowel syndrome, which dogs get also.


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

I got a pm and responded. I dont think it is bloat as usually bloat is fatal if not treated right away. But I recommend going to a vet college to find out what is going on with her. Wonder if it could be seizure related. I pray they can find out what is going on.


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