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Bloat question

5K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  MadLab 
#1 ·
Any one have stories or experience or comments or ideas on my issue here, with bloat.

My female dog is a Bullmastiff cross Labrador age 7. She has a really large chest like a barrel. She never had any issues like this but thinking back sometimes she'd get her self into a lot of food and i just didn't really notice or realize there was a problem with over eating in general or being stuffed or bloating. ( I realize there is a difference between being stuffed and bloating due to gas) That being said i do try to limit her food as she's the kind of dog that puts on weight rather than burns it off everyday. Kind of lazy but when she goes she is fast and agile. Weird kind of mix is faster than many slimmer dogs and can jump and spin around backwards, just doesn't be too bothered showing off.

Last night i noticed her a bit bloated and acting a bit funny like staying out in the garden lying in the one spot for ages.

I fed her kibble yesterday around 10 in the evening. And I had a lot of chicken stock and gave her and other dog a good bit each after the food. It was pretty watery semi warm. I'm thinking this was a mistake, giving fluid straight after food. Prob was 2 pints of stock. Plus she prob had water too.

She seemed stiff and full/bloated on her sides below her rib cage a few hours later.

I reckon it was bloat and researched a bit and obviously seen the danger associated with bloat and gastric torsion.

I noticed her pretty late and where i life is very rural and I couldn't find an emergency vet on the net which was open close by and on some level thought it wasn't a too bad of a case yet.

So any ways i just stayed up with her and monitored her gums to make sure there was good circulation in them and her breathing was ok and she could move around and didn't seem to be in much bother except the obvious bloat on her sides below her ribs. She had good color in the gums, was not drooling, was not agitated or pacing, no crying or whimpering.

She is the kind of dog that sometimes people ask is she fat or is she pregnant as she is barrel shaped. I'm thinking maybe she was/is always a bit bloated looking in this area the last few years and i just didn't notice it. Or it is a totally new phenomena. She kind of has this dopey look with her head hanging down when she walks that makes her look fatter imo. When she goes hunting or is alert on something she lifts her head and looks altogether a different dog. Looks sleeker and muscular.

Any ways today she was less bloated and seemed much less tight in the abdominal area. I just gave her a small amount of food this evening and no water yet until an hour after the food. Also just gave her light regular walks today to hopefully aid the movement of gas or what ever was going on yesterday.

Do dogs just bloat for 6 - 12 hours and then be fine after.

Was it bloat due to gas or was it due to being stuffed with the fluid plus some food last night? She seemed to be waddling when she walked and stiff and protruding below the ribs.

Would getting an x ray tomorrow show anything if the dog is acting totally normal, and the signs of bloat have finished stopped /eased?

Pretty much i think if the stomack did twist due to the bloat than she'd have shown more serious signs and other possible complications already as now it's 24 hours later.

This could have happened before but i didn't notice it as i said she could eat anything, as she likes eating if given the chance. She has gorged her self before.

My take so far is i and she was lucky this time.

I have been feeding her kibble and raw and left over pasta potatoes and rice for last 4-5 years. I usually put sunflower oil on her kibble/pasta/rice. Raw is fed on it's own, depending on where i am and whats available, i generally give it 3 times a week, either or chicken carcasses/pork bones/liver/heart. I might try to simply start feeding raw all the time.
 
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#2 ·
MY male GSD has bloated twice. You will see a distention on the side. They make Gas X strips that dissolve on the tongue. Both times a hall of fame burp came out and the distention came down. Gas X is great to have in a well known place at all times. It is not a cure for bloat we got lucky. Its a quick thing to give as you drive to the E vet since its only gonna happen between Fri at 8pm and Monday morning at 8am
 
#9 ·
I can't find the Gas X strips at the two stores I usually get them from, I try to keep them in the house at all times. I mentioned to my sister that I can't find them, she went to buy some and sure enough, she could not find the strips either. She lives half way across the county from me. I was thinking of calling the company to see if they have discontinued these, as those dissolve so fast the dog doesn't even have a change to spit it out, don't give with wet hands, haha, didn't make it to the dogs mouth, dissolved in my hand. I would hate to try giving a pill to a very sick, bloating dog. I now have chewable Gas X in the house, they may dissolve in the mouth but not like those strips, those are great. Has anyone purchased Gas X strips recently, they don't seem to be available in CA or Kansas.........
 
#3 ·
since its only gonna happen between Fri at 8pm and Monday morning at 8am
Lol yep, but hey it is not funny if any one out there lost a dog due to this. As i read all the horror stories i couldn't really believe it was so bad, but yet story after story of it being so bad.

So Gas x is a human treatment for bloat, so generally any human relieve for bloat could help until vet help is sought.

I was also thinking dog first aid would be good to know like putting tube into dogs stomach to relieve gas/fluid if necessary. I would be pretty freaked doing that. I didn't fancy it last night anyways. Just had to accept it was out of my hands.
 
#5 ·
Our older German shepherd died a few years ago from bloat. My father wouldn't believe me until it was too late. The dogs usually act odd, laying down and not moving around, they can look 'hunched up' and their belly distends. It is very obvious if you know what you are looking for. And there are 2 different types of bloat, although they overlap a little.
 
#6 ·
Sorry to hear about your dog Kazel.

If you could explain the circumstances that'd be helpful but i'd understand if you don't feel like it. Was it out of the blue or food related? How long did it go on? hours or days?

Luckily my dog is grand today and back to normal i think. It was a minor scare. Wouldn't like to loose her.

Still advice and ideas would be welcome.
 
#7 ·
Well it certainly wasn't expected. I believe it was because he decided he wanted to eat straw from the outside kennel. I think it blocked him up and he bloated. He was acting weird in the morning and I voiced my concerns to my dad. He wouldn't believe me until later than night when his stomach had ballooned up and was obviously bloated. I don't know if it started sometime in the night but I'd say from the time we noticed about 12 hours and it was horrible.

I don't like how it was handled and I will definitely take any dogs of mine to the vet now that I'm old enough that I can. If you have major concerns the earlier you can get to the vet is better. I think there are a couple of videos online so you can see what it looks like. I'd be doing a school project on it so that's how I knew about it.

I'm so happy you're dog is feeling better, and hopefully you never have to deal with it.
 
#8 · (Edited)
MadLab, I would have a serious conversation with your vet about stomach tacking if the dog has bloated once, and you aren't able to get to an emergency vet if it were to happen again. Torsion is what makes this so deadly. A dog that bloats once is supposed to be at much greater statistical risk of doing it again -- the numbers in this little article are sobering:
http://www.theveterinaryexpert.com/surgery/what-is-tummy-tacking/

The thing with bloat is that you CANNOT know if there's torsion or just bloat alone from looking at the dog. That takes an xray. If there's torsion, the dog will be dead in hours without surgery. Worse, torsion can involve other organs too -- splenic torsion is a thing that can happen in connection with GDV.

My friends' saved their GSD when he bloated in the middle of the night. One of them happened to have been working a night shift and came home and spotted it, and rushed the dog to the emergency vet. A $3,000 surgery saved the dog, but the dog probably wouldn't have lasted until morning when everyone else woke up.
 
#10 ·
Simethicone is the generic name for GasX. When my girl Lena started with her issues, she got a Simethicone tablet in every meal. You can buy generic on Amazon for cheap.
 
#14 ·
Cheers for the responses relevant to my issue and interesting to hear peoples opinions.

I think the main thing i took from research is bloat occurs usually after a feed generally kibble and after too much liquid is taking too soon after the food or during.

Basically the water waters down the stomach acid so it looses the strength to break down the food and instead the food ferments in the stomach causing gas to be created and bloat the dog.

It is also imo a problem of the ratio of carbs and protein in the food which is confusing the dogs system. The dogs system is designed to digest more protein and less carbs yet most dog food will be higher proportion of carbs especially cheaper ones.

Pavlov was studying saliva production and digestion and found the following.

Pavlov's experiments with dogs showed that starches are digested in about two hours, proteins are digested in about four hours but a protein - starch mixture can still be digesting 13 hours later, food taken on top can lead to fermentation and toxic by-products putting strain on the system.
Note This is someones interpretation of Pavlovs studies, I haven't found the actual studies.
Separation Hay Diet

So basically a dog has difficulty digesting a mix of carbs and proteins anyways regardless of having a lot of fluid added.

So I think the combination of poor food plus liquid is the reason i see for my dogs bloat. I started to modify the diet and stop allowing liquids around food time and for a time after food. Looks to me like a raw meat/bone/organ diet is the way to go plus control of fluids around food time.

Any one with any info on the topic would be interesting. No proof is available and no known cause is stated by any vet into the reason for bloat. Here's some links i found useful. Other info i gathered on bloat was from vet questions or forum questions with people with bloated dogs, what to do etc. Trip to the emergency vet is first advice given due to the possible danger of bloat.

The physiology of digestion
Salivary Glands and Saliva
https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/canine-nutrition/dog-food-carbohydrates/
Food Combining
Why Your Dog Needs More Meat (and fewer carbohydrates) - Dogs Naturally Magazine
UCSB Science Line
 
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