I had a dog with a very sensitive tummy. I never thought there was a connection with this and bloat. I was told the sensitivity to food was due to pancreatic enzymes. I put her on a mix of Wellness and Nutro Max and no table food and a piece of whole grain bread every morning as a snack. Mid day snacks were little pieces of cooked carrots or string beans or pea pods or a little bit of fruit. I think you have to keep a diary of what bothers the pup and you will find your diet through trial and error. My dog could take grains well but not alot of uncooked veggies nor much in the way of meat. I really believe this is individual to each dog and each owner must experiment with the food. Try reading the ingredients on the food and get to a mix of fruit and veggies and some protein. I really believe my old girl was bothered by too much fat or protein so the Wellness was good since it has alot of what didn't bother her.
what food is best for bloat avoidance
bearla has been on science diet perscription for the past 2 yrs due to a sensitive tummy and the vets assured us it would avoid bloat problems. Unfortunately it did not help. bearla is pretty sick. i was wondering if any of you know of a specific diet that avoids or lessens the chance of bloat or torsion. i read today that barf diet does it but the vet says it doesnt. you are all experienced with this at one time or other in the years taht you have had gsd. im sure that some of you must know of a diet that will guarantee it. any advice as to what is best. i dont ever want to see her like this again
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thank you luv
i will try just about anything right now.
i will try just about anything right now.
According to one of the studies, one diet that was helpful for avoiding bloat was feeding moist food (aka canned stuff). (That was one of the few things that they felt had a correlation) There may be something about dry kibble that triggers bloat episodes.
After my eldest bloated, I fed Science Diet I/D(?) canned for a while and gradually moved her over to dry with canned and then back to her regular food.
After my eldest bloated, I fed Science Diet I/D(?) canned for a while and gradually moved her over to dry with canned and then back to her regular food.
There is no food that will definitely avoid bloat but, if you want my best suggestion it would be a high quality (highly digestible) canned formula or homemade diet.
Cherri
Cherri
I agree with Cherri (can you believe that???) but I would add raw in there. Dogs can bloat on raw but I think less frequently bloat on raw. Science Diet would be at the bottom of my list though. And as I said in Bearla's post, stress is the only factor that has been identified as common in cases of Bloat.Originally Posted By: EastGSDThere is no food that will definitely avoid bloat but, if you want my best suggestion it would be a high quality (highly digestible) canned formula or homemade diet.
Cherri
I second everything above enthusiastically.Originally Posted By: BowWowMeow
I agree with Cherri (can you believe that???) but I would add raw in there. Dogs can bloat on raw but I think less frequently bloat on raw. Science Diet would be at the bottom of my list though. And as I said in Bearla's post, stress is the only factor that has been identified as common in cases of Bloat.
well then i have to ensure that she has no more stress in her life. i think part of her stress has been my going to work and leaving her here. for the first years of her life, up until this oct i had been working at home. then i moved and my duaghter and grandbaby moved in there but we left the office there. i have been leaving her home with the pit and i think her smelling misty her baby sis on me plus HER BABY (my grandbaby). im going to have to start taking ehr with me or at least staying and working from this home.
I'm not a big S/D fan but it is processed to the max & the perscription stuff is carefully formulated AND the dog's been bloat free for five years now. Kinda changed my ranking system. Maybe another canned food would have done it but maybe not. From later experience with quality kibble and digestive tract issues, I can tell you (and the anti S/D fans will hate hearing it) that mixing in a bit of W/D (I think) S/D keeps the poop texture "nice." (aka not pudding.) What I think would be helpful is for those people who have had bloat survivors to weigh in with what worked for them after the incident. In many years of dog feeding, (and the first dogs were fed what was on sale at the grocery store!) this is my only incident of bloat. Up until this happened I could have recommended any of my feeding regimes (and some of them were much better than supermarket kibble) as successful in avoiding bloat. However, since it is a condition that tends to fatally recur, I think the post bloat experience carries more weight.
Perhaps those of you down on S/D are speaking from post-bloat experience with feed but that hasn't been clear in your posts.
Hey I gotta go. The weather gods are throwing lightening bolts about & I shouldn't be tempting them by using my computer!
Perhaps those of you down on S/D are speaking from post-bloat experience with feed but that hasn't been clear in your posts.
Hey I gotta go. The weather gods are throwing lightening bolts about & I shouldn't be tempting them by using my computer!
ThanksOriginally Posted By: BowWowMeowI agree with Cherri (can you believe that???) but I would add raw in there. Dogs can bloat on raw but I think less frequently bloat on raw. Science Diet would be at the bottom of my list though. And as I said in Bearla's post, stress is the only factor that has been identified as common in cases of Bloat.Originally Posted By: EastGSDThere is no food that will definitely avoid bloat but, if you want my best suggestion it would be a high quality (highly digestible) canned formula or homemade diet.
Cherri
Cherri
2
I would also add digestive enzymes to the food. I think it is a combo of genetic and environmental factors. I don't think stress can cause bloat but it can be the trigger.
Hey, I do too!!Originally Posted By: BowWowMeowI agree with Cherri (can you believe that???) .....Originally Posted By: EastGSDThere is no food that will definitely avoid bloat but, if you want my best suggestion it would be a high quality (highly digestible) canned formula or homemade diet.
Cherri
I think it was the Purdue studies that identified that dogs that eat more canned and more "table scraps" seemed to bloat less.
BUT, I think there is a lot about bloat that we don't yet know.
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