BLOAT

[Texas Carol]

Glad to see your post on Facebook. I had first-hand experience with Winston at around the age of 2 or 3 around 10 years ago. This is something that I had never heard of until Winston was rushed to a pet ER after hours and was in the fight for his life.

No one knows what triggers this horrible event, so I am going to lay out the environmental factors and elements that might establish a pattern to the person that might document theses cases.

Winston was a healthy, intact 81 pound male who was brought to a specialist regarding a rear knee issue (ruptured ACL) and was sedated for x-rays. After the completion of this procedure, Winston was brought home after the sedation wore off.

Well after Winston was home, I left the house for dinner and came home, in which case Winston took a drink of water from his NON-elevated food and watering dish and I proceeded to let him outside into the backyard. Winston soon went into distress since he began repeatedly attempted to vomit. This was a vicious cycle that caused him to briefly pass-out and cause pain. My partner was instructed to call the specialist's office since I had noticed they had a 24 hour emergency service in the facility next to the specialist's office. We loaded Winston in the car and rushed him down the Interstate going over 100mph as Winston was in pain and deteriating QUICKLY. By the time we arrived at the ER, staff was standing by and we loaded him on a gurnee. At this time Winston's abdomen swelled and was tight to the touch!

The doctor put Winston under gas sedation and performed an x-ray and told me that he needs emergency surgery and that I should visit him before he goes fully under. They had to unravel Winston's intestines as his stomach gassed-up like a over fissing soda causing his stomach to float and rotate. This rotation cut off his esophagus and small intestines which prevented him from vomiting/burping and pass gass.

Winston, by the grace of God, survived the life saving surgery and beat the 50/50 chance of survival for the next 24 hours. He was a tough fighter and was so brave after the lengthy recooperation. For about a year, Winston would experience seizures that would suddenly come on him causing a sudden head bobbing symptom that would go away by distracting him with his favorite treat.

He miraculously lived 9 years, 22 days from his 10th birthday. His birthday would have been tomorrow (24th). He went to the otherside of the rainbow 2 years ago this month :-(

In summary, here are the signs and symptoms that I witnessed Winston with Bloat:
1. Constantly trying to vomit (aggressively dry heaving) with lots of foamy mucous.
2. Expanding abdomen and serious pain.
3. Blood expelling from the rectum (this was at the veterenarian's office.

My new kid Elliott, has an adjustable, elevated food and watering dish. He eats when I eat so as not to stir him up during feeding and after feeding. He is rambunctious after he eats, so I try and keep him from getting hyper after he eats or drinks. Again, no one conclusively knows what causes Bloat. So I try my best to not worry excessively about it and use caution around feeding time. I never thought how great to hear my bulldog burp and fart, as that is an immediate indication that all is well. Mike[/QUOTE]

Mike, thank you for an extremely educational & heartbreaking post from your personal experience.

My sincere condolences on your loss of brave Winston. GOD bless!

 

[Texas Carol]

I have experienced bloat or Gastric Dilation first hand with my bullie. He had just been neutered the same day that the bloat occurred. We got him home and everything was fine, he was still a little drowsy from the anesthesia used for the neuter, but all seemed find until that night. He didn't have much of an appetite after the surgery, so food was not even a factor. We gave him a little bit of water because he seemed to be very thirsty, let him outside to potty, after he came inside I noticed something was wrong immediately. He was panting very heavily (which I dismissed at first because as we know, all bullies pant after they have been outside) but he just seemed so restless. He tried to lay down, but just kept getting up and pacing all over the house. That is when I noticed his tummy got real big, and he started to dry heave. He kept trying to vomit, but nothing would come up. I knew right away that this was bloat. We rushed him to the Emergency clinic where they performed emergency surgery and saved his life. During the surgery they also did a gastropexy (tacked his stomach to his side, so that his stomach will never turn again). Also, as soon as we got to the vet, the first thing the assistant did was thump his tummy, when she did this it made a sound like a balloon would when you tap it-this is also something to check for if your worried that your bullie has bloat.

There is really no way to prevent bloat-unless a gastropexy is done. It can happen at any time, no matter if they are chowing down on their dinner (elevated bowls or not) or just playing around with their toys. The best thing that you can do for your bulllie is to be educated, and know what signs to look for, so that you can get them to the vet before it's too late. All of the signs and symptoms that I have read online and in books is identical to what our baby presented with. Thank the lord he was just way too stubborn to let it take him from us that night.

I give sincere thanks, Tanker Ram survived this, many thanks for your helpful post. GOD bless!

 

[Bruno and Gidget]

All great info guys, thank you! I'll be watching my babies like a hawk.

 

[alyw9876]

BLOAT

This is a condition that I have personal experience with.* When I was 16 we had a*German shepherd*that had to be euthanized because he developed bloat.* We had gotten him when I was three years old, so it was hard for me as that was my friend as I grew up.*

For those who aren't aware, let me describe what is commonly called "bloat" in dogs.* The proper medical name is gastric dilatation and volvulus, or GDV. In this condition the stomach twists, either rotating along it's axis or flipping 180 degrees.* In either case, the inflow and outflow of the stomach are closed off resulting in gasses building up inside the stomach.* This can cause difficulty breathing as the stomach balloons against the diaphragm, but more importantly pressure against the wall of the stomach can cut off the blood supply and lead to a rupture.* As can be imagined, this is a critical condition and dogs can die quickly once it begins.

Dogs that bloat most commonly act and look like they swallowed a large beach ball.* Their abdomen becomes large and tense, their gums can become pale, they will become suddenly lethargic, and will usually act like they are gagging or retching. * If you see your dog act like this with a bloated belly, consider this a life-or-death emergency and see a vet immediately.

Though this can theoretically happen in any dog, there are definitely certain breeds that are more prone to GDV. These breeds include English bulldogs, Weimaraners, Rottweilers,German shepherds, Great Danes, and any other large, deep-chested breed.* Though it seems like it's a genetic breed tendency, it's really more a factor of the anatomy of these breeds based on their size and shape.* Studies have looked at how to prevent it, and there is really only one thing that has been shown to significantly increase the risk--exercise after filling the stomach with food or water.* So take a dog of the right size and breed, fill their stomach with food or water, then let them run around a lot.* That's a formula for bloat.

Here are precautions to take to help prevent this deadly condition:
** Wait at least one hour after eating or drinking before allowing exercise.* This is the main factor shown to prevent bloat.
** Don't encourage your dog to roll over.* Though a low risk, the twisting action has been shown to lead to bloat.* In fact, some veterinarians do not rotate a dog over their back while anesthetized due to this risk.
** Feed 2-3 meals during the day rather than one large meal.* However, be sure that you're taking the measured amount of daily food and dividing it into the meals rather than giving the once daily amount two or three times.
** Don't allow excessive water drinking immediately before or after a meal.* Abnormal amounts of water have the potential to delay breakdown of food and lead to gas production.
** DO NOT raise the food bowl.* While this was at one time thought to prevent bloat, a study in 2000 showed that this can actually increase the risk.
* Dogs who have had episodes of GDV are at risk for further occurrences.* A surgery can be performed to attach the outside lining of the stomach to the body wall (gastropexy).* While this doesn't completely prevent the stomach from rotating, it does lower the risk.* Some advocate having this surgery performed routinely on high-risk breeds, but personally I disagree.* Even in breeds that are prone to bloat most will never have this happen, and I don't think the benefits of the procedure (since it's not a guarantee that it will never happen) outweigh the risks.* Remember, this is only in cases of preventative surgery.* I certainly do think that it should be done in a dog who has bloated once since they show a personal tendency.


i got this off a site and has a bit extra info

 

[airmike1]

Glad to see your post on Facebook. I had first-hand experience with Winston at around the age of 2 or 3 around 10 years ago. This is something that I had never heard of until Winston was rushed to a pet ER after hours and was in the fight for his life.

No one knows what triggers this horrible event, so I am going to lay out the environmental factors and elements that might establish a pattern to the person that might document theses cases.

Winston was a healthy, intact 81 pound male who was brought to a specialist regarding a rear knee issue (ruptured ACL) and was sedated for x-rays. After the completion of this procedure, Winston was brought home after the sedation wore off.

Well after Winston was home, I left the house for dinner and came home, in which case Winston took a drink of water from his NON-elevated food and watering dish and I proceeded to let him outside into the backyard. Winston soon went into distress since he began repeatedly attempted to vomit. This was a vicious cycle that caused him to briefly pass-out and cause pain. My partner was instructed to call the specialist's office since I had noticed they had a 24 hour emergency service in the facility next to the specialist's office. We loaded Winston in the car and rushed him down the Interstate going over 100mph as Winston was in pain and deteriating QUICKLY. By the time we arrived at the ER, staff was standing by and we loaded him on a gurnee. At this time Winston's abdomen swelled and was tight to the touch!

The doctor put Winston under gas sedation and performed an x-ray and told me that he needs emergency surgery and that I should visit him before he goes fully under. They had to unravel Winston's intestines as his stomach gassed-up like a over fissing soda causing his stomach to float and rotate. This rotation cut off his esophagus and small intestines which prevented him from vomiting/burping and pass gass.

Winston, by the grace of God, survived the life saving surgery and beat the 50/50 chance of survival for the next 24 hours. He was a tough fighter and was so brave after the lengthy recooperation. For about a year, Winston would experience seizures that would suddenly come on him causing a sudden head bobbing symptom that would go away by distracting him with his favorite treat.

He miraculously lived 9 years, 22 days from his 10th birthday. His birthday would have been tomorrow (24th). He went to the otherside of the rainbow 2 years ago this month :-(

In summary, here are the signs and symptoms that I witnessed Winston with Bloat:
1. Constantly trying to vomit (aggressively dry heaving) with lots of foamy mucous.
2. Expanding abdomen and serious pain.
3. Blood expelling from the rectum (this was at the veterenarian's office.

My new kid Elliott, has an adjustable, elevated food and watering dish. He eats when I eat so as not to stir him up during feeding and after feeding. He is rambunctious after he eats, so I try and keep him from getting hyper after he eats or drinks. Again, no one conclusively knows what causes Bloat. So I try my best to not worry excessively about it and use caution around feeding time. I never thought how great to hear my bulldog burp and fart, as that is an immediate indication that all is well. Mike

Mike, thank you for an extremely educational & heartbreaking post from your personal experience.

My sincere condolences on your loss of brave Winston. GOD bless![/QUOTE]
Thank you, Texas Carol :-)

 

[christyjulene]

Great information and very touching stories. Thanks everyone.