Salivation, retching, big drum like belly: OH MY!
I'm a big dog lover and it seems that this condition is something that all of big dog owners live in fear of. I just attended a conference and participated in a lab practicing the preventative surgical technique known as gastropexy. I am on call this week and have seen one case in which the dog was very close to being a surgical GDV patient. Luckily we were able to decompress the stomach without surgical intervention. The owners of this beautiful German Shepherd were very happy to hear some advise on how to prevent bloat and what symptoms of bloat to be aware of. I had another client come in on emergency because she and her husband had lost a dog to bloat because they weren't aware of the condition and delayed taking their dog in because they thought it was just a fleeting "stomach bug". I thought it would be nice to share these tips with our Facebook fans before it becomes an emergency in their beloved dogs.
So first off, what exactly IS bloat?
The stomach becomes filled with gas and fluid and can, as a complication, twist around. This is called Gastric Dilatation Volvulus (GDV).
It is only affecting canines and breeds at high risk are the deep chested, large - giant dogs. Mortality rate is high and in the range from 10 to 60 % despite of treatment. With surgery, the mortality rate is still reaching 15 to 33 %.
After a meal, the dog’s stomach can reach a volume of 3-4 l in a medium 15 kg dog, and can dilate up to 7 l in a large-breed dog. This aptitude for dilatation, associated with the fact that the stomach is relatively loose in the abdomen, is a predisposing factor for the the syndrome of gastric dilatation and torsion.
The causes of this pathological gastric dilatation are poorly known, but it could be related to an accumulation of:
gas: the eructation mechanism does not work properly and gas are not evacuated from the stomach. By the way it seems that it is mainly air which is breathed in when the dog eats too quickly…
fluids: secreted by the stomach;
food: the emptying of the stomach does not occur normally.
The often fatal issue of this syndrome is due to serious circulation disturbance: the venous circulation is disrupted, the blood pressure drops, and a shock state takes place, aggravated by the release of toxins produced in the necrotic areas of some abdominal viscera.
The large breed dogs are the most threatened: Great Dane, St Bernard, New Foundland, Weimeraner dog, German shepherd, Doberman, Old English sheep dog, Pointer… The most nervous dogs (often underweight) would be the most at risk, probably because they are the first to react to any change in their environment: new places, new people, new feeding rhythm, physical activity, etc… Any kind of stress can be effectively considered as a trigger for the dilatation/torsion syndrome.
What Are Signs of Dog Bloat?
Signs and symptoms of gastric bloat can become quite dramatic, but not always clearly recognizable. If you observe any combination of the below mentioned signs (two or more) you need to seek urgent veterinary help.
Restlessness, panting, whining.
Excessive salivation/ drooling
Enlarged and tense abdomen
Discomfort and distress
Dog is trying to throw up, but is only retching and can not vomit
The condition gets worse in a very short time
Signs of shock
WHAT CAN BE DONE FOR CANINE BLOAT PREVENTION ?
There is a surgery that anchors the stomach to the ribs in order to prevent it from being so mobile and able to twist. The surgery is most effective and safe if done PRIOR to a bloat emergency. Even dogs that have had the surgery can bloat and twist their stomachs, they just have to work A LOT harder to do so. I have one client with Mastiffs that never leaves the house with her gentle giants without arming herself with a large bottle of GAS-X. She lost a mastiff to bloat years ago even though the dog's stomach had been tacked as preventative.
She still has all of her Mastiff's stomachs tacked but she sticks to a strict feeding regimen to further decrease chances of a replay of the events that ended in the loss of one of her giant companions.
No study allows to associate a special diet with the development of a bloat syndrome. This accident occurs in dogs fed vary different types of diets: home-made food or industrial products, dry food or canned food. The statistical studies that point out a relationship between dry food and bloat are distorted by the fact that a majority of large breed dogs are actually fed dry food.
On the contrary, the WAY of feeding may have an influence:
Hydration of the food is in favor of a nearlier emptying of the stomach. Besides, 80% of dogs prefer consume dry food when it is slightly rehydrated.
Large breed dogs often have high energetic requirements, especially if they live outside. These requirements have to be satisfied by large volumes of food, but the ingestion of a single big meal in the day can be in favor of the dilatation. It would be better advised to split the daily diet in two or three meals a day.
In conclusion, the preventive measures aim at avoiding that the dog eats too hastily, and to make easier the stomach emptying.
Practical measures in favor of the prevention of the canine bloat syndrome
Feed the dog alone, in a quiet area.
Split the daily diet in two meals a day, in order to avoid the stomach to be too much dilated.
Choose a high digestible diet that will be distributed in smaller quantities compared to an ordinary food.
Choose a food presented in large croquettes, in order to slow down the ingestion. An object put in the middle of the plate can act the same way, because, it obliges the dog to turn around to be able to eat.
Slightly rehydrate the food before feeding.
Respect a 2 hour resting period after each meal. Physical activity when the stomach is full can make it move. Moreover, stress inhibits the emptying of the stomach.
I have to go now and feed my big dogs a their first of two rehydrated meals of the day.
Salivation, retching, big drum like belly: OH MY!
