I'm looking for some first hand experiences with bloat. I have a GSD and
apparently they are susceptible to this condition.
I've done some research on the internet, but most of the articles are the
same or if they're different, they've been written for vets and I don't
understand what's being said. Most say that feeding dry food once a day and
exercising after is the cause, but then there was one article I read that
contradicted this entirely. I would like to know what to look for in case
(heaven forbid) it should ever happen. I feed my dog after her walks and she
is not a gulper. It takes her a long time to eat her meals. I'd like to get
some information from people who had this occur to their dogs. What symptoms
did you notice? What did your dogs eat and when? Were they in obvious
distress....were you able to know that they were suffering from bloat. I'm
under the assumption that there isn't much time to get this treated. How did
your dogs do? How soon did you get them to the vet? Any and all information
would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


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I lost a wonderful dog to bloat about 8 years ago. Unfortunately, RB
bloated during the night. We rushed him to the vet as soon as we woke up
and they got him into surgery immediately, however his stomach ruptured in
the operating room. It was a heartbreaker.



Here are a few websites you may not have already seen.

http://www.vet.purdue.edu/epi/bloat.htm

http://www.vet.purdue.edu/epi/GDV_abstract.doc

http://www.kifka.com//Elektrik/Bloat.htm


http://www.great-danes.org/danecare.shtml#bloat


--
Ruth, Greta, Woody & Thelma

I had a GSD survive bloat 3.5 years ago. His was a chronic condition for
him. He is the product of a very poor breeding, with many physiological
problems. His was stress related...plus tapeworm. He had been with me for
about 3.5 months and was infested with tapeworm. He'd been treated three
times in the previous three and a half months.

His symptoms were obvious to me even though I'd never seen bloat before. He
was so restless...and he would not lie down...he paced...then I noticed his
abdomen...it was bloating and rock hard to pressure. I rushed him to the
vet...a half hour drive...then it must have been an hour before they could
operate as they were already doing emergency surgery.

The vet opened him along the side and emptied him stomach, tacked the
opening edges back and kept him sedated overnight, on an IV. The next
morning, he performed the gastropexy. If given the opportunity, this
particular vet preferred to do the surgery in two steps. He found the
success rate was much higher.

Anyway, Dylan bloated on a Saturday afternoon, had his gastropexy on Sunday
morning and I brought him home on Monday. Other than feeding several small
meals a day, for about a month, he's never looked back. He runs after he
eats, if he wants to, but he's much healthier these days. He used to get
car sick every time I took him in the car...that no longer happens
either...which I suspect may have been stress related too.

I feed raw so it's not necessarily related to what is fed. Dylan had been
staying at a kennel for the previous day as I had to be away, so exercise
was not the issue. Physical and emotional stressors seem to be what I was
left with when I thought about the event.

I have three other GSDs and one is twelve and I really don't even think
about it with the others. Dylan had a history of it, which they told me
about when I adopted him.

It's not inevitable with GSDs, but it's good to be informed.

All the best and I hope you have a great holiday season.

I'm looking for some first hand experiences with bloat. I have a GSD and
apparently they are susceptible to this condition.

Most say that feeding dry food once a day and exercising after is the
cause, but then there was one article I read that contradicted this
entirely. I would like to know what to look for in case (heaven forbid) it
should ever happen.

Pam:

I've had two experiences with bloat. My first dog, at age 10 (she was a
Bernese Mountain Dog) bloated while we were on vacation. Luckily we
were near a very good teaching hospital and surgery performed. She lived
another 3 years. My 2nd experience, another 10 year old bernese,
bloated and torsioned. Her symptoms were very classic - huge tummy,
unproductive vomitting. Surgery was performed, however her kidneys
would not start up following the surgery and we euthanized her.

No one knows what causes bloat. There are many thoughts and Prudue
University has done some extensive studies, however, still nothing
concrete is known as to why and when some dogs will bloat.

All I can say to you is DO NOT live in fear. Just watch your dog, if
you suspect bloat get to a vet - better to spend the emergency fee than
to sit at home wondering if the dog is bloating. Time is of the essence
here and the sooner one seeks medical attention, the better the
prospects. Dogs can simply just bloat, but when they torsion, it is much
more serious. So, if you can get them to a vet before they torsion -
the better the outcome.

Enjoy your dog and don't dwell on something you have little control over.

DJ

Pam wrote:

I'm looking for some first hand experiences with bloat. I have a GSD and
apparently they are susceptible to this condition.
I've done some research on the internet, but most of the articles are the
same or if they're different, they've been written for vets and I don't
understand what's being said. Most say that feeding dry food once a day and
exercising after is the cause, but then there was one article I read that
contradicted this entirely. I would like to know what to look for in case
(heaven forbid) it should ever happen. I feed my dog after her walks and she
is not a gulper. It takes her a long time to eat her meals. I'd like to get
some information from people who had this occur to their dogs. What symptoms
did you notice? What did your dogs eat and when? Were they in obvious
distress....were you able to know that they were suffering from bloat. I'm
under the assumption that there isn't much time to get this treated. How did
your dogs do? How soon did you get them to the vet? Any and all information
would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

On Tue, 28 Dec 2004 15:09:26 -0600, Dee Jay wrote:

I've had two experiences with bloat...

No one knows what causes bloat. There are many thoughts and Prudue
University has done some extensive studies, however, still nothing
concrete is known as to why and when some dogs will bloat.

All I can say to you is DO NOT live in fear. Just watch your dog, if
you suspect bloat get to a vet - better to spend the emergency fee than
to sit at home wondering if the dog is bloating. Time is of the essence
here and the sooner one seeks medical attention, the better the
prospects. Dogs can simply just bloat, but when they torsion, it is much
more serious. So, if you can get them to a vet before they torsion -
the better the outcome.

Enjoy your dog and don't dwell on something you have little control over.

DJ
The cause of "bloat" *Is* known.
From:
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/in...500.htm&hide=1
Diagnosis: A history of ingestion of a large meal followed by exercise
and repeated attempts to vomit is common. Dogs not in a state of shock
may appear anxious. Hypersalivation and abdominal distention with gas
are noted on physical examination. end-end-end

Many sources say that the cause of "mesenteric torsion" [in pigs] is not
known. In dogs, the cause seems to be reasonably well understood.

Among dogs, Bloat, Torsion, Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) refer to
the same problem. Oddly enough the differentiating factor is on which
axis the gut is twisted. The third URL seems to have the most sensible
explanation.
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/bloat.html
http://www.angelfire.com/nb/opalguard/bloat.html

It occurs to me, we have considerable control over this problem. As an
example, it is an invitation to tragedy to give a large meal to a deep
chested dog, and then allow the dog participate in vigorous activity.

You're right: we "should not live in fear...", but in enlightenment.

Michael

Zildjian: world class cymbal of excellence.

"Michael A. Ball" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 28 Dec 2004 15:09:26 -0600, Dee Jay wrote:

The cause of "bloat" *Is* known.
From:
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/in...500.htm&hide=1
Diagnosis: A history of ingestion of a large meal followed by exercise
and repeated attempts to vomit is common. Dogs not in a state of shock
may appear anxious. Hypersalivation and abdominal distention with gas
are noted on physical examination. end-end-end

Unfortunately that is actually a quite old text. While that does cause
bloat--dogs can and frequently DO bloat without these causes. That is the
original thought on bloat--but there are MANY other reasons and causes
beyond that.

Also, there is no known "cause" for gastric torsion. Bloat and torsion are
similar to epilepsy in many cases--a symptom, not a cause.


--
Emily Carroll
http://www.fluttervale.com/kennel - Fluttervale Labradors
http://www.fluttervale.com/biography - Canine Biography

On Wed, 29 Dec 2004 03:03:08 GMT, "Emily Carroll/Fluttervale"
wrote:


"Michael A. Ball" wrote in message
The cause of "bloat" *Is* known.
From:
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/in...500.htm&hide=1

Unfortunately that is actually a quite old text. While that does cause
bloat--dogs can and frequently DO bloat without these causes. That is the
original thought on bloat--but there are MANY other reasons and causes
beyond that.

Also, there is no known "cause" for gastric torsion. Bloat and torsion are
similar to epilepsy in many cases--a symptom, not a cause.

Yes, that paragraph is from the eighth edition of the Merck Veterinary
Manual, and I see the ninth edition is available now. The text of the
newer edition is not available online.

Are you saying the twisted organs are due to a sort of neuron storm,
rather than physical exercise on a full stomach? (I've heard the term
"nervous stomach" in reference to a human malady. Any connection?)

Wow, there are many scores of web sites propagating the
traditional/erroneous explanation of GDV.

It seems Dee Jay and you are on the cutting edge of this topic. Can you
direct me to an enlightening web site?

I love large dogs; so, this is definitely something I need to get
up-to-date on.

Thank you.
Michael
Zildjian: world class cymbal of excellence.

"Michael A. Ball" wrote in message
...

Are you saying the twisted organs are due to a sort of neuron storm,
rather than physical exercise on a full stomach?

I'm saying that no one knows. It can happen for many reasons. As with
horses, some have gastric torsion without ever going down, others develop
the torsion after rolling. It happens with and without a full stomach. It
doesn't happen every time a dog has a full stomach--even a dog that has
previously torsioned. Some dogs torsion without the exercise, some only
with the exercise. Yes--dogs that are exercised after a full meal, of
certain breeds, may be more prone to torsion. But it is not unheard of or
even "rare" for none of the traditional triggers to occur yet the dog still
bloats and torsions.

Bloat and torsion are a symptom of a problem, not a singular disease.
Otherwise all dogs that bloat will always bloat every time they eat a full
meal.

Wow, there are many scores of web sites propagating the
traditional/erroneous explanation of GDV.

There are also many scores of websites propogating that the mode of
inheritance for brindle is located on the same allele as that for yellow,
that doesn't make it correct.

--
Emily Carroll
http://www.fluttervale.com/kennel - Fluttervale Labradors
http://www.fluttervale.com/biography - Canine Biography

This is how I lost my last girl (75lb shepard/collie mix), and as with
a previous poster, I also awoke to find her bloated, and too late to do
anything about it. She did awake me with vomiting early in the morning,
and I should have gotten her to the vet right then. I didn't know
anything about bloat, had never heard of it, and disregarded the
vomiting as something that dogs just do from time to time.

Trust me, finding your best friend dying on the floor, severly bloated,
and in obvious misery - is not the way you want to part.

I agree with the previous poster - pay the emergency fee and get the
dog checked out as soon as you suspect something is wrong.

Michael A. Ball wrote:

The cause of "bloat" *Is* known.

Not exactly. There are many factors that contribute to it, and the
consensus among Dane people (a breed that is *highly* prone to bloat,
and where proactive gastropexy is recommended) is that stress may be the
single biggest contributor.

The most UTD information on bloat can be found he

http://www.vet.purdue.edu/epi/bloat.htm

Suja