Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum
BLOAT
Bloat is the number one cause of death for several large and giant breeds. It is a life-threatening disorder and, if left untreated, it results in death.
Is your dog at risk?
Dr. Larry Glickman, an epidemiologist at the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, conducted a study on canine bloat. His study followed more than 1,900 dogs to help identify risk factors for this disease. Here's what the study showed.
• Dogs with the greatest risk of developing bloat have deep, narrow chests.
• The risk of bloat is slightly higher in males than in females.
• Lean dogs were found to be at higher risk for developing bloat than overweight dogs.
• Older dogs are at a higher risk than younger dogs.
• Heredity is also an issue. If your dog's relatives have developed bloat, he also has a higher risk of developing the disease.
• Fast eaters are at higher risk for developing bloat. Many believe this is because the dog swallows more air when eating fast.
• Elevated food bowls have been shown to increase the risk of bloat.
• Dogs with nervous, fearful or aggressive personalities have a higher incidence of bloat.
• Stress, such as that which occurs during kenneling, is an important precipitating factor.
• Dogs who were fed only dry food and dogs who ate only one large daily meal were at a higher risk for bloat.
• Dogs who ate foods high in oil or fat (such as sunflower oil or animal fat) have a higher risk of developing the disease. (If the oil or fat is listed as one of the top four ingredients in the food, it is considered a high-fat food.)
• Most cases of bloat have been found to occur after 6 PM.
Most people don't think their dog will experience a problem like bloat. But most of those people are wrong. vets have seen hundreds if not thousands of dogs suffering with bloat and everyone is surprised.
If your dog shows any signs of bloat, consider it a true emergency and see your veterinarian immediately.
Another frustrating thing about this deadly condition is that it comes on quickly and is immediately life-threatening. Bloat commonly causes owners to quickly make life-altering decisions for their dogs.
SYMPTOMS OF BLOAT
Recognizing Symptoms of Bloat in Dogs -- powered by eHow.com "So how do you recognize the symptoms of bloat, some of the symptoms of bloat. There is a couple of different very typical standard symptoms that if you find in your dog, you want to make sure that you get your dog to the vet hospital as soon as possible. What I am going to talk about is not the only symptoms of bloat so you want to be careful if your dog is acting strangely and they are a breed that might be susceptible to bloat. You don't want to take a chance because it is something that could kill your dog very quickly. So one of the things you can look at is, right here Rave, is the distended belly. So in the area right here if the belly is swollen and tight when you are pushing in, one thing you want to do is make sure that you know how your dog feels normally when you know your dog is healthy and fine. Feel their belly see how it feels. Feel what a soft loose belly feels like so you know the difference. If your dog is pacing around and panting, if your dog tries to throw up, if your dog is circling and cannot get comfortable and is clearly in distress, go ahead and feel for the belly area. If it feels like that belly is swollen and tight, rush your dog immediately to the closest emergency facility for dogs. The beginning of bloat that the stomach is swelling up and is swelling up with gas, wait Honey, and you want to get your dog to the emergency room as soon as possible. "
HOW TO REDUCE THE RISK OF BLOAT
How to Reduce the Risk of Bloat in Dogs -- powered by eHow.com "There is a condition called bloat or torsion; gastric torsion which is common in some breeds of dogs. More common in some than others but certainly almost any breed dog is susceptible to it and what happens is the stomach fills up with gas and it bloats up. The stomach lining becomes very tight and the dog is in a lot of discomfort and torsion is when the stomach turns on its axis and twists. When that happens, there is a serious time limit before your dog eventually dies. You need to get to doctor or veterinarian as soon as possible. Bloat is most common in large breed barrel shaped dogs. There is a couple of things you can do to avoid bloat. One thing is to make sure after your dog has had a lot of exercise they don't eat or drink huge amounts of water. If it is very very hot out and your dog has been exercised, you want to monitor very closely the amount of water that the dog takes in and you certainly should not feed your dog before or after within about an hour of series of exercises. Another thing that can reduce the risk of bloat is eating whole foods, so real foods often recommended to feed raw meat or a cooked diet as opposed to a Kibble diet and although a number of years ago it was thought that by feeding in raised food bowls and water bowls that it would reduce the likelihood of bloat. There is a study that is put out by Cornell that demonstrate that in fact that can increase the risk of bloat. The Cornell study is very informative and I would suggest anyone with a breed of dog that may tend to bloat, read the study, inform themselves about what bloat is, find out what the symptoms are and read as much as you possibly can. This is a killer that hits people and their dogs and many many people never knew what it was until it was too late. "
Bloat in Dogs
Gastric dilatation, torsion and volvulus (GDV) are medical emergencies where time is of the essence
MetPet.com Staff Writer
Bloat is the common term for a two-part condition. In gastric dilatation (the GD in GDV), the stomach becomes engorged with gas, fluids and possibly food. Instead of being its normal sized and pliable self, the stomach becomes large and taut like a balloon or simply firm like a drum. This can be caused by a combination of air being swallowed and of gas produced from fermentation in the stomach. Along with gastric dilatation, the enlarged stomach may twist. This effect is called torsion or vovulus (the V in GDV) depending on how far the stomach twists.
The stomach is cut off from its normal entry and exit, blood supply is shut off and a host of other conditions may develop including dehydration, shock, peritonitis, gastric perforation and, quite commonly, death. This is a medical emergency and requires immediate veterinary care! Time is extremely important in the treatment of this potentially fatal condition. This is a medical emergency and requires immediate care.
Predisposition to Bloat in Dogs
Although the causes of Bloat/GDV are not fully understood, studies do show increased risk factors in certain dogs.
Size, Breed, Body Shape
Large dogs with narrow, deep chests are more prone to bloat than medium-sized or small dogs. Briards, Collies, Dobermans, St. Bernards, Leonbergers, Weimaraners, Borzois, Great Danes, Standard Poodles, Setters, Great Pyrenees, Boxers, Old English Sheepdogs, Bloodhounds, Irish Setters, Wolfhounds, German Shepherds and Labradors are among the breeds most likely to bloat.
Even if your dog is not in the high-risk breed category, bloat can still occur. It is always important to keep bloat in mind when your dog is exhibiting unusual behavior.
Age, Family History, Personality
Middle-aged and senior dogs are more prone than younger dogs as are nervous, high-strung dogs versus calmer dogs. There also may be a family tendency towards bloat so knowing the experience of close relatives, siblings and parents, is very helpful.
Is your dog at risk?
Dr. Larry Glickman, an epidemiologist at the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, conducted a study on canine bloat. His study followed more than 1,900 dogs to help identify risk factors for this disease. Here's what the study showed.
• Dogs with the greatest risk of developing bloat have deep, narrow chests.
• The risk of bloat is slightly higher in males than in females.
• Lean dogs were found to be at higher risk for developing bloat than overweight dogs.
• Older dogs are at a higher risk than younger dogs.
• Heredity is also an issue. If your dog's relatives have developed bloat, he also has a higher risk of developing the disease.
• Fast eaters are at higher risk for developing bloat. Many believe this is because the dog swallows more air when eating fast.
• Elevated food bowls have been shown to increase the risk of bloat.
• Dogs with nervous, fearful or aggressive personalities have a higher incidence of bloat.
• Stress, such as that which occurs during kenneling, is an important precipitating factor.
• Dogs who were fed only dry food and dogs who ate only one large daily meal were at a higher risk for bloat.
• Dogs who ate foods high in oil or fat (such as sunflower oil or animal fat) have a higher risk of developing the disease. (If the oil or fat is listed as one of the top four ingredients in the food, it is considered a high-fat food.)
• Most cases of bloat have been found to occur after 6 PM.
Most people don't think their dog will experience a problem like bloat. But most of those people are wrong. vets have seen hundreds if not thousands of dogs suffering with bloat and everyone is surprised.
If your dog shows any signs of bloat, consider it a true emergency and see your veterinarian immediately.
Another frustrating thing about this deadly condition is that it comes on quickly and is immediately life-threatening. Bloat commonly causes owners to quickly make life-altering decisions for their dogs.
SYMPTOMS OF BLOAT
Recognizing Symptoms of Bloat in Dogs -- powered by eHow.com "So how do you recognize the symptoms of bloat, some of the symptoms of bloat. There is a couple of different very typical standard symptoms that if you find in your dog, you want to make sure that you get your dog to the vet hospital as soon as possible. What I am going to talk about is not the only symptoms of bloat so you want to be careful if your dog is acting strangely and they are a breed that might be susceptible to bloat. You don't want to take a chance because it is something that could kill your dog very quickly. So one of the things you can look at is, right here Rave, is the distended belly. So in the area right here if the belly is swollen and tight when you are pushing in, one thing you want to do is make sure that you know how your dog feels normally when you know your dog is healthy and fine. Feel their belly see how it feels. Feel what a soft loose belly feels like so you know the difference. If your dog is pacing around and panting, if your dog tries to throw up, if your dog is circling and cannot get comfortable and is clearly in distress, go ahead and feel for the belly area. If it feels like that belly is swollen and tight, rush your dog immediately to the closest emergency facility for dogs. The beginning of bloat that the stomach is swelling up and is swelling up with gas, wait Honey, and you want to get your dog to the emergency room as soon as possible. "
HOW TO REDUCE THE RISK OF BLOAT
How to Reduce the Risk of Bloat in Dogs -- powered by eHow.com "There is a condition called bloat or torsion; gastric torsion which is common in some breeds of dogs. More common in some than others but certainly almost any breed dog is susceptible to it and what happens is the stomach fills up with gas and it bloats up. The stomach lining becomes very tight and the dog is in a lot of discomfort and torsion is when the stomach turns on its axis and twists. When that happens, there is a serious time limit before your dog eventually dies. You need to get to doctor or veterinarian as soon as possible. Bloat is most common in large breed barrel shaped dogs. There is a couple of things you can do to avoid bloat. One thing is to make sure after your dog has had a lot of exercise they don't eat or drink huge amounts of water. If it is very very hot out and your dog has been exercised, you want to monitor very closely the amount of water that the dog takes in and you certainly should not feed your dog before or after within about an hour of series of exercises. Another thing that can reduce the risk of bloat is eating whole foods, so real foods often recommended to feed raw meat or a cooked diet as opposed to a Kibble diet and although a number of years ago it was thought that by feeding in raised food bowls and water bowls that it would reduce the likelihood of bloat. There is a study that is put out by Cornell that demonstrate that in fact that can increase the risk of bloat. The Cornell study is very informative and I would suggest anyone with a breed of dog that may tend to bloat, read the study, inform themselves about what bloat is, find out what the symptoms are and read as much as you possibly can. This is a killer that hits people and their dogs and many many people never knew what it was until it was too late. "
Bloat in Dogs
Gastric dilatation, torsion and volvulus (GDV) are medical emergencies where time is of the essence
MetPet.com Staff Writer
Bloat is the common term for a two-part condition. In gastric dilatation (the GD in GDV), the stomach becomes engorged with gas, fluids and possibly food. Instead of being its normal sized and pliable self, the stomach becomes large and taut like a balloon or simply firm like a drum. This can be caused by a combination of air being swallowed and of gas produced from fermentation in the stomach. Along with gastric dilatation, the enlarged stomach may twist. This effect is called torsion or vovulus (the V in GDV) depending on how far the stomach twists.
The stomach is cut off from its normal entry and exit, blood supply is shut off and a host of other conditions may develop including dehydration, shock, peritonitis, gastric perforation and, quite commonly, death. This is a medical emergency and requires immediate veterinary care! Time is extremely important in the treatment of this potentially fatal condition. This is a medical emergency and requires immediate care.
Predisposition to Bloat in Dogs
Although the causes of Bloat/GDV are not fully understood, studies do show increased risk factors in certain dogs.
Size, Breed, Body Shape
Large dogs with narrow, deep chests are more prone to bloat than medium-sized or small dogs. Briards, Collies, Dobermans, St. Bernards, Leonbergers, Weimaraners, Borzois, Great Danes, Standard Poodles, Setters, Great Pyrenees, Boxers, Old English Sheepdogs, Bloodhounds, Irish Setters, Wolfhounds, German Shepherds and Labradors are among the breeds most likely to bloat.
Even if your dog is not in the high-risk breed category, bloat can still occur. It is always important to keep bloat in mind when your dog is exhibiting unusual behavior.
Age, Family History, Personality
Middle-aged and senior dogs are more prone than younger dogs as are nervous, high-strung dogs versus calmer dogs. There also may be a family tendency towards bloat so knowing the experience of close relatives, siblings and parents, is very helpful.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Dianne Carter ~ Trinity Doodles on
-
Thank you so much for sharing this with us Lynne! Recently I have spoke with an alarming number of devastated pet owners who have lost the beloved fur kid to bloat ~ many had never even heard of it, most knew very little of it! The sad part of this is that with the knowledge most of these risk factors we have the ability to control. I am always sorry that many lessons come at other's expense but we can honor them most profoundly but taking note, learning and sharing.
-
-
Permalink Reply by Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles on
-
As always, at your service! This is an important topic and if 1 dog is saved, the better.
-
-
Permalink Reply by Sally, Ditzy Mitzi & Sgt. Pepper on
-
What are the signs of bloat?
-
-
Permalink Reply by Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*() on
-
Do they see it much in doodles? As in are some breeds more prone to it than others? Poodles? Golden Retrievers? Labs?
-
-
Permalink Reply by Cindy and Mandy on
-
I think Mandy has a narrow chest and even though she is only 4 months old I have been feeding her 3 small meals a day just as a precaution. Her breeder explained bloat when I received her which I thought was great since I had never heard of it before looking at labradoodles.
Thank you for posting this information, I had wondered if elevated food bowls were better, obviously not! -
-
Permalink Reply by Bev and WILLY on
-
Thanks Lynne. My friend just went through this with her large dog. Fortunately they acted quickly and got him to the vet in time, but she knows it can re-occur. I will forward her this info.
-
-
Permalink Reply by cocoincanada on
-
We found out about bloat / twisted stomach when our dog was about 3 months old. Since then, we have been SUPER STRICT about preventing it. We watch him extremely carefully, and don't let him exercise/jump around/run around after he's eaten or drank lots of water...and we don't exercise him until 2 hours after eating. Especially after seeing Marley & Me, I do not want to be a dog owner sitting with my dog at the vet as he gets put to sleep, because of something I could have prevented! It's terrifying to think of how many dog owners know nothing about this.....So important!! Thanks for posting this! The more people who are aware, the better!
-
-
-
My sentiments exactly.
-
-
Permalink Reply by AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner on
-
See also the discussion in the health and medical issues group.
http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/healthandmedicalissues/forum/topi... -
-
Permalink Reply by Debbie, Brianna and Duncan on
-
My experience with Bloat was 7 years ago. My handsome, happy, energetic, GSD Tiger suffered Bloat. We where feeding a regular store bought dog food on a recommendation from our vet. because Tiger suffered skin breakouts on his belly, muzzle and feet. I listened and followed his instructions. He loved his food and was always a very 'happy' eater, gobbled it up and ran to go outside (yes I know hindsight is 20/20) and I learned a ton after this! He ran out and proceeded to play with his GSD mom. I was taking care and feeding my newborn daughter of 4 months old. I heard them at the door and let in my Tiger and Brandy and they would always be right at my side for a treat. This outside time was all of about 10 min. roughly. He avoided the treat and jumped on the couch, I brought over his treat and he did not take it....very unusual and caused me to bring him his treat, he refused his treat and looked aweful.I was petting him and talking to him and that is when I notice his belly was ROCK hard on the side just below the rib cage. I called on the way with him and my newborn to the Evet, which is a 20 min drive and they rushed him into surgery removed his spleen and corrected the bloat......I wrote to the rescue group about Tigers exp, we always where in communication, and they recommended putting him on Cal. Naturals food which at this time not available in our Midwest location, but I ordered it anyway; taken from their site regarding blaot:
Bloat is a potentially life-threatening condition where the stomach rapidly fills with gas from fermenting food.
Meat protein does not ferment, but grains and beans do. Because XX formulas do not use grains or beans as a main protein source, there has not been a problem with bloat associated with our products.
Hope sharing my exp. helps others. -
-
Permalink Reply by Michele Barton on
-
Our yellow lab mix Artie died from bloat at 5 years old. We didn't know what it was, but he was clearly in agony and pacing and flicking his tongue (very odd), so we took him to an emergency vet in the middle of a very bad snowstorm. He died on the operating table, his stomach was literally coming apart in the vet's hands. If it hadn't been for that storm, he may still be alive today. We had recently switched to elevated food dishes, thinking it was the healthiest thing we could do for him. DoodleKisses is where I first heard about the food dishes as a possible cause. Please everyone, do not use elevated dishes. Artie had an artificial hip and a bad knee, so we know it was not caused by exercise. Lynne, thank you for posting this. It's been 5 years and I still grieve for Artie, he was a great dog.
-
-
-
Here is a picture of Artie.
-
© 2025 Created by Adina P.
Powered by
