"After" Bloat Surgery - Medical/Food Question

[Traz, Karen & Dale]

On July 9th, 2013, Traz underwent emergency surgery for bloat and a twisted stomach.  The medical term is Gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV).  He was at his doggy daycare and the staff noticed that he wasn't acting normal.  They contacted us immediately and the owner was so concerned that she met us at the vet with Traz.  It was a lifesaving decision, on her part, for getting him to the vet as soon as possible.  We could have lost our boy that day.  He was in the hospital for 3 days.

Today, 7/19/13, Traz had his sutures and staples removed.  Unfortunately, his "cone" has to stay in place for another 4 days so additional healing can take place with a couple places on his incision.  We, Traz included, will all be happy when the "cone" is gone.  One good thing about the cone is that Traz can't get into any trouble.  His normal stealthiness is considerably hindered by this contraption on his head.

The vet said that he could resume his normal food (kibble) but to wet it down so it expands before he eats it to prevent the gas.  We have been doing this for about 4 days now and mixing it with some of the canned food that he ate after the surgery.  Has anyone experience this condition with their precious pup?  If so, what kind of food are you feeding them now?  How are they doing?

Thanks in advance for your help.  Happy to have our precious Traz with us and counting our blessings that we can complain about the annoying "cone" - lol :-)

 

 

[F, Calla & Luca]

I am sorry you went through this. We have discussions on bloat but I have no personal experience.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Sharing your joy in Traz's recovery. Fortunately, we've had no experience with bloat and hope that you never do again as well.

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

That was a really catch on the part of your daycare staff. I'm so glad you dog is getting well. I found this article which mentions different statistics with regard to different diets.

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/8_1/features/15682-1.html

[Kyoko]

Years back, My chow chow had bloat at age 12. After he recovered from everything, he was able to resume normal feeding patterns, food, activities, etc...I was told that during the surgery, they tack the stomach up, so it wont flip anymore...
I am so glad that the daycare responded quickly to change of his behavior and was able to notify you....Feel better, soon, Traz!!

[Sally, Ditzy Mitzi & Sgt. Pepper]

Glad your Traz is recuperating from a scarey episode with Bloat. 

I have just been learning, thanks to a very knowledgeable friend about Stomach Tacking, Prophylactic Gastropexy, which is a procedure to prevent bloat.  My daughter's new dog was just neutered and I also asked our vet about the procedure.  He was not able to do this at the same time because the neuter was not the same surgery as Tacking would be.  However, he did say that it was able to be done with spaying at the same time and did recommend the procedure.

He also recommend feeding Poodles twice a day  instead of one time a day.  As doodles are part poodle I can only

say it makes sense for them as well.

A good chart recommended was at http://www.bmdinfo.org/Health/Reference Guide Bloat  GDV.pdf  I just printed it off and will keep it in a visible place as long as I have dogs.

I also plan to and now do feed my fur kids twice a day.

Keep healthy, all of you.

[Christine & Camus]

I'm so glad to hear that Traz is okay!  I have not had any experience with bloat, but Camus did have a very serious bout of gastroenteritis. He is very deep chested so I have been very careful with feeding/exercise.  No eating before or directly after playing.  I have also started to add water to his dinner kibble because he often skips breakfast and is quite hungry by dinnertime, which leads to eating too fast. 

[Traz, Karen & Dale]

Thank you, everyone, for your posts.  This incident definitely took us by surprise.  We have learned so much about bloat in the past week and are making adjustments to Traz's feeding schedule, meal preparation, etc.  The vet says that he can't do any vigorous playing for another 2 weeks.  Easier said than done.  Traz wants to play with his doggy buddies so bad.  Thank goodness he is feeling well enough that he can take walks to get rid of some of this pent up energy.  And, for anyone that is wondering about pet insurance...it has been a blessing that we have it.  The insurance has definitely helped us, financially, through this difficult time.