Bloat in Doodles?

[Sherri]

Has anyone else's Doodle experienced bloat? We got a call last Thursday from our kennel while we were out of town for Christmas that our labradoodle Jack was at the vet. After being xrayed, the vet called, said he had bloat, and Jack had immediate emergency surgery! We'd not heard of bloat being a problem for labradoodles. We got back to town yesterday, were able to pick him up from the vet, and he is home with us now. But I am curious to know if any of you have ever had this problem....
Thanks!
Sherri

[F, Calla & Luca]

I'm glad to her that Jack has recovered. I have not had this problem with my doodles but there is a discussion on it , and many other important topics, in the Danger group.

[Sherri]

Hi there! Do I need to join the Danger group to view the discussions there?
Thanks!
Sherri

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm so sorry poor Jack (and you!) had to go through this. That must have been so scary for you! I'm glad he's home & doing well now.
Bloat usually affects large, deep-chested breeds, which includes Labrador retrievers and to a lesser extent, Standard poodles. Deep-chested mixed breeds are known to be susceptible as well. There is a certain amount of heritability involved.
In addition to possibly being genetically predisposed, bloat can be caused by eating too rapidly, eating too much at one time, exercising too soon after eating, and diets that are high in animal fat. Studies at Cornell have shown that commercial dog foods which contain animal fat as one of the first five ingredients can contribute to bloat.
To avoid bloat, feed smaller amounts 2 to 3 times a day and discourage rapid eating; there are special dishes you can use to slow them down, or just put a circular object like a big can or bowl in the middle of their dish. There is also some controversy about whether or not raised feeding dishes contribute to bloat. Check the ingredients in the food you're using and make sure that animal fat is not listed, at least not in the top five ingredients. And don't let Jack exercise vigorously within 2 hours of eating.
I hope Jack will soon be well and have no more trouble.

[Sherri]

Thanks, Karen... Good information. I didn't know about the fat content of the food being a factor. I will look into that!
Sherri

[Kyoko]

Oh! I am so glad he is doing well!! Bloat is really scary!!

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/healthandmedicalissues/forum/topi...
Check out this old discussion from the Health and Medical issue group.

[Sherri]

Thanks for the link to the other discussion from earlier this year. I did read about your chow-chow there... There is some good information there....

[Sherri]

Yep, he's lucky all right!!! We are so grateful to everyone who took care of him, and that they caught it so quickly!!!! We do feel very lucky and blessed. It sure would have been a miserable Christmas if things had turned out differently...
Happy New Year!

[Dianne Carter ~ Trinity Doodles]

Just today on the radio I heard that bloat is exceeded only by cancer for causing the most canine deaths. Extremely scary, especially given how many people do not have knowledge about bloat, allowing even less time to react. Gosh, so glad your dood is okay!

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Bloat is definitly one of those things that scare the begejez out of me as it can happen so suddenly and can be fatal if not caught quickly. Good for you that the kennel was familiar with the symptoms and acted quickly. Karen's information is right up to date with what I had recently read regarding bloat and it's prevention. Take heed from who I call "The Wise Ones".
Good luck with his recovery and Happy Bloat-free New Year.

[Sherri]

Thanks, Jenel! I brought them a "thank you" today with a little somethin-somethin today that I hope they'll enjoy, and had Jack with me to say hello. They all came outside to the car to see him and said he looked great. But you are right; I should offer to write up something a little more formal. They were so wonderful with him. I didn't realize it could happen to our doodles, and hope this helps everyone be a little more aware of it...

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Sherri, How old is Jack? Does he normally inhale his food? Does he play right after eating? BTW, what does he eat? Just looking for any help with prevention for our 2. Our eat so fast I think they have a race going on. We make them settle down after eating for an hour or so too. They are both on Wellness and Muprhy still gets Orijen for puppys. We home cook about half their meals too. SO we know what fat content is going into them.

Good subject to be aware of, but sorry it had to happen to Jack to bring it to everyones attention.

[Sherri]

Hi Sue -
Jack is 5, and does not inhale his food like he did when he was a puppy. And he doesn't normally play after eating. In the morning after eating, we are getting showered & dressed & all that, and he rides to the office with us and is there with us all day. He eats again in the evening, but again, isn't playing after. We often go to the dog park BEFORE supper, but not after. So, he's been eating twice a day, not super-fast in my opinion (not like his half-brother who stays with us sometimes, who seems to be racing, like you said!) He's been eatin Nutro, the lamb & rice version (I think that's what it is) for quite some time... I don't cook for him, and don't give him people food (my husband slips him some meat scraps sometimes, or cheese)... What is weird is that he had been at the kennel since Monday morning, and had his problem Wednesday afternoon. They said they do NOT feed them and them let them out to play... So I really don't know what happened...
See helpful comments from Karen above about slowing down their eating:
"To avoid bloat, feed smaller amounts 2 to 3 times a day and discourage rapid eating; there are special dishes you can use to slow them down, or just put a circular object like a big can or bowl in the middle of their dish."
Take care! And thanks for your note!
Sherri