Wet Food- Bloat

[Marie + Marshall]

This might be a question for the health group. But figured I would post here first. Just heard of a horrible situation with a young Goldendoodle and bloat. I have searched bloat on here and other places. We are already using Fiesta bowls on the ground and trying as hard as possible to rest after/before eating and drinking. But we are only using dry kibble with an occasional mashed sweet potatoes AFTER eating the kibble and the provable DC everyday and occasional dry treats also.  But, I was told that this dogs specialist said ONLY getting dry food is bad for the chances of bloat. On here I have read over and over the recommendation to only feed dry as they will get picky. But I can't help but wonder (after seeing the heart break and expense of this ordeal) if I should increase his odds of not getting by sometimes feeding wet? Knowing that I would most likely have to commit to every meal with the added wet- once he gets it:) Just curious how much stock do you all put into this theory? Thanks!

[Kate, Mel, Tenley & Harper]

I dont know the answer to this but have an associated question.... Has anyone ever heard of the size of the pieces of kibble effecting bloat? When an irish wolfhound in our family bloated, the vet said to feed kibble where the pieces are as small as possible because they don't "inflate" as large when they mix with the fluids in the stomach.

We feed Orijen and I love how small the pieces are compared to some food I have seen. Wondered if there was any merit to his comment.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's consuming large volumes of food at once that increase risk of bloat, I don't believe the size of the pieces themselves have anything to do with it. But I'm going to review the study findings again.

[Kate, Mel, Tenley & Harper]

Thanks! Logically, it makes sense. Similar to how bread inflates in water, the kibble would inflate in their stomachs and even a small quantity of food could become a large quantity of food then. And the larger the piece of kibble, the bigger it will inflate. Most of the premium kibbles seem to have smaller pieces. 

And, if that is all true, there is even one more reason to feed a high quality kibble that you feed less of, quantity-wise. When you factor in the "inflation" due to water, the fewer pieces of kibble you feed the less space they take up and the actual capacity in the stomach is much less, which would in turn probably reduce the risk of bloat.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Quantity is a huge factor; the smaller the volume of food at each meal, the less risk, which makes a calorie dense food like Orijen a great choice if you are worried about bloat.

Lower volume meals are beneficial for dogs with digestive disease, too. Those of us with IBD dogs are advised to feed smaller meals more frequently. JD eats 4 times a day. :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think perhaps this dog's owner either misunderstood what the specialist said, or didn't explain it properly to you. There is no increased risk of a dog's developing bloat from eating only dry food. The Purdue study on bloat found that dogs who ate dry food that contained citric acid and was moistened were at increased risk for bloat. That's very different from there being an inherent risk in a diet of only dry foods. :) 

[Marie + Marshall]

OK possibly with the food they were using? Or it is possible one of us misunderstood. I will not worry.. as I am using one of the foods suggested here. Of course bloat is SO scary.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Another risk factor connected with eating dry food is to avoid kibbles that have animal fat in the first four ingredients. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Keep in mind that many of the factors that strongly affect a dog's risk of bloat are physical characteristics that you can't really control, i.e. their size and their build. The number one breed affected by bloat are Great Danes, by a huge margin.

The most important thing you can do is read and memorize the symptoms and learn what to do to buy your dog time until you can get him to the ER. There's a discussion on this in the Health Group. 

[Marie + Marshall]

Yes. I have read the symptoms and watched the youtube video. I pray I never experience it in real life!!

[Cathy, Fozzie & Shaggy]

Karen, that is exactly what my groomer said.! She is also my vet's wife, breeds and shows poodles of all sizes and has dealt with bloat in their own standard poodles.  She said there is such a short span of time to save a dog that has bloated and most people just think their dog is not feeling well and they'll wait to see if their dog improves in a little bit.  By the time they realize how serious it is it's often too late.

 I'm not sure where I heard this or how accurate it is, but seems like I remember hearing that a dog burping after a meal is a good thing, that it releases built up gasses.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I hope that burping part is true, because JD is a champion burper, lol! 

[BG and Gavin]

Me too! Gavin comes and burps at the closest human after every meal. We say "compliments to the chef!" Lol.