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About Canine Bloat
There are few ailments in
veterinary medicine that rival the seriousness and immediacy of canine
“bloat”, also known as “Gastric Dilitation-Volvulus” (GDV). For once the
bloat occurs, it is the speed at which treatment is administered that
determines whether or not your dog will live or die.
What is
Bloat?
Bloat occurs when something goes
wrong during digestion of food. Something causes gases to build up in the
stomach so fast, that the stomach blows up like a balloon, stretching the
organ so much that normal circulation of blood to and from the heart is
cutoff. The stretching itself and the lack of blood to the stomach’s cells
can cause cell death, or necrosis. What makes it even worse and more
immediately serious is when the stomach actually “twists and turns” (known
as Volvulus) at the top near the esophagus and at the bottom of the stomach
at the pyloric valve. Picture a tootsie roll candy that’s got a wrapper
twisted at both ends keeping the candy lodged inside the paper. That is
exactly what happens to the stomach during bloat with volvulus. Gas is
trapped and can’t escape as a burp or the other end as “passing gas”. The
gas builds and builds as it becomes trapped within the stomach. The stomach
grows so large it cuts-off circulation, as mentioned above and irreversible
damage is done to the cells. The dog goes into shock and then cardiac
arrest. This can happen within several hours after the start of bloat.
That is why if you suspect your dog is experiencing this problem, you must
RUSH THE DOG IMMEDIATELY, to the vet or animal hospital.
What
Causes Bloat?
It is not really known what
exactly triggers bloat to occur. Scientists can only make guesses due to
the data taken from dogs that have experienced it. When they’ve tried to
recreate the bloating conditions in a lab with test dogs, they were always
unsuccessful at causing the bloat to occur intentionally.
A few examples of what
scientists believe to be contributing factors to the causes of bloat are
listed below:
1. Large meals eaten at one
time. They recommend serving your dog two smaller meals a day, rather than
just one big one.
2. Rigorous exercise done
either right before a meal or right after one. You should wait one hour
before feeding after exercise and one hour after eating before you let your
dog run around.
3. Dry food given that is high
in grain, which causes fermentation during digestion which causes gas. Dry
food should have meat, meat meal and bone meal listed within the first few
ingredients, not grain. In other words, dry food should have more meat than
grain in it’s ingredients. [some texts claim this is not true, but most do
agree with it.]
4. If only dry food is given, some people moisten it with water if it is a high end dog food. However, with lesser quality foods, less meat-based dog food, the ones that are mostly grains, it is better to NOT wet the food, since water mixed with grain will start fermentation, a process that has by-products of gas. But if the food is mostly meat, it's ok, and can actually help with digestion.
5. Mix dry food with canned
food if possible.
6. Gulping large amounts of
water at one time during meals. Keep water within the dogs reach at all
times, except during meals.
7. Be careful of snacks and
biscuits that are high in carbohydrates. Grains are carbohydrates.
8. Avoid dog food high in
citric acid used as a preservative or high in fat.
Other
Factors which Increase Risk of Bloat
1. Dog’s Breed - Large breed
dogs are most susceptible, although on occasion, small dogs may bloat too.
2. Dog’s that are “deep-chested”.
This means the length of the chest from backbone to sternum is long and the
width of the chest is more narrow.
3. Dog’s that have
ancestor-history of bloating. It’s thought to be hereditary.
4. Underweight, or thin dogs.
5. Anxious or fearful
temperament. These dogs should always eat in an environment made as
peaceful as possible for them.
6. Aggressive dogs. #’s five
and six indicate that “nerves” or emotions can play a role in triggering a
bloat episode.
7. Males dogs get it more than
female.
8. Older dogs are more at risk
than young. (older than 7 yrs.)
Signs and
Symptoms
Know your dog. Most of the
symptoms are behavioral, at least in the very beginning, so your dog will
start to act differently. The abdomen is stretched to many times its normal
size due to an increase of gas. It will blow up like a balloon and is one of
the first most obvious signs. In some cases, this part of the bloat event,
can’t been seen. But, usually you can see the distended abdomen which will
also feel very hard to the touch, like a ball that has been pumped-up with
too much air.
This event causes SEVERE
abdominal pain. So, you may see that your dog is acting
uncomfortable, pacing the floor, not being about to find a comfortable
position to lay down or may make sounds like he is in pain.
The biggest, most obvious
symptom is the that the dog appears to be nauseated. He will
unsuccessfully attempt to vomit and will retch and gag,
but nothing comes up, or very little if any. He will also attempt to
have a bowel movement, assume the position, but again, nothing comes
out. Excessive drooling is also a common symptom.
IF ANY OF THESE THINGS HAPPEN,
CALL YOUR VETERINARIAN OR RUSH YOUR DOG TO THE NEAREST ANIMAL HOSPITAL. It
is better to be safe than sorry. As mentioned earlier, there are only a few
hours available to handle this problem, so time is everything in a case of
bloat. Your vet will put everything else aside to address your dog’s
condition.
Yellow Lab with bloat after he has been sedated. Before his sedation he was crying in pain. Notice how is stomach is bloated and full looking.
How do
They Treat Bloat
There are only two basic things
that are done to the dog in the case of bloat. The first thing a vet may
try is to insert a tube down the throat making a passage for the gas to
escape. But if the stomach has twisted, volvulus, surgery is the only
solution. The vet will have to make an incision into the stomach and
relieve the gas that way. While in there, he may decide to perform what is
called gastropexy. This is where the stomach is actually stapled
into its normal position, or anchored into place, so that it can not blowup
should there be another episode of bloat.
Even if the dog has been
relieved of the bloat with just a tube and not surgery, he should be
surgically examined regardless, so that the vet may assess the damage done
by the episode. Damaged parts of the stomach may need to be removed, or the
patient’s owner may decide to allow gastroplexy since many dogs that
experience bloat, often go through it again at a later date. Sometimes only
a day or two later, they may bloat again.
It is a good idea to have on
hand at home, an over the counter drug such as, Phazyme, Mylanta Gas (not
regular Mylanta) or Gas-X. They contain simethicone which helps
reduce gas. This may buy you a little more time to get to a vet.
BREEDS
MOST AT RISK FOR BLOAT
Canine Bloat Diary
Written by Laurie Maguire
© Dog Breed Info Center® All Rights Reserved
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