Bloat

This morning I want to discuss a very dangerous medical condition, bloat. Bloat is fairly common but unfortunately alot of people do not know about it. All of my clients have been educated about bloat and anyone I can tell I try to let know about it. Bloat can be deadly killing your dog in a matter of hours.

Some breeds are more prone to bloat, typically the large chested dogs like weimaraners, great danes and even my breed standard poodles, but any dog can be a victim. Bloat is when too much gas accumulates in the stomach which can cause the stomach to twist. This is called stomach Torsion and once it happens it is an extreme emergency.

The exact cause is not known but there seems to be a genetic factor and a link between the amount of dry dog food consumed. It is very important to know that you should never exercise your dog right before feeding them or feed your dog right after exercise. The problem lies in the amount of food in the stomach, when dogs exercise they drink alot of water which can turn a cup of food into double or more.

I am constantly aware of bloat with my own dogs and take the utmost of care to hopefully prevent it from ever happening. I never feed my dogs before exercise and do not feed them until at least an hour after exercise. All dogs should eat twice a day which divides a daily feeding into two. A huge meal once a day can be dangerous. The idea of more being better does not apply when feeding your dog. Keep your dog lean and never over feed.

I am not a vet but I do know of many dogs who have suffered from bloat, some have survived many have not. I have listed three very good resources to read up on the subject and please pass on what you learn about bloat.

http://www.thepetcenter.com/sur/bloat.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloat

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