Author Topic: Info on Bloat!  (Read 4816 times)

Offline specialkdanemom

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Info on Bloat!
« on: October 08, 2006, 05:12:23 am »
Wondering if anyone has any views on "Bloat".  This is how we lost our beloved Appollos and want to keep it from happening again.  We have always feed our dogs w/elevated food dishes... we know all about the risk factors, narrow  & deep chests, etc., but now they say it is a contributer to bloat.  This is the first I've heard of this study.  Has anyone changed the way they feed their BD?

The link to the article below...very long, so I snipped a few sections...
http://http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_4426856

Canine bloat serious threat to some breeds
Article Last Updated:10/01/2006 08:20:59 AM PDT
 
CANINE bloat, or gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), is the No. 1 cause of death for several large and giant dog breeds.

The breed with the highest average lifetime likelihood of a bloat episode is the great Dane, at 42.4 percent.

Other breeds at higher-than average risk include the bloodhound, Irish wolfhound, Irish setter, Akita, standard poodle, German shepherd, and boxer. Other deep-chested breeds and deep-chested mixed-breed dogs are also at higher risk.

In a study of more than 1,900 dogs representing 11 different breeds at the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, several risk factors were identified.


One traditional preventative has been to raise the height of food and water bowls, but this was found to actually increase risk by 110 percent

Big Dogs...got to love'em!!

Karen, mom to:
Mika (GD)
Sera (GD/Greyhound X)
Shasta (Lab/Newf X)

Appollos (GD) RIP 2001-2005

Offline shangrila

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Re: Info on Bloat!
« Reply #1 on: October 08, 2006, 05:40:36 am »
Bloat is one of the trickiest medical issues big dogs face. When I first got zoey I spent days reading bloat articles and research, but couldn't come up with a conclusion about what exactly caused it (besides running after eating, that everyone can agree on). For every article I found saying raised bowls help, I found another that said it hurt, etc. (for the record, I feed from raised bowls because zoey has HD and she is much more comfortable standing up straight to eat than trying to bend down)

My official position on bloat became, on the advice of my vet at tufts, to do a preventative tack so I don't always have it hanging over my head. I know that it's not for everyone, but by doing a tack while zoey was spayed, I only added a few days to her recovery time, and yes it was expensive ( a couple hundred dollars extra), but at least now I am not living in fear that we will loose her to bloat.
RIP former BPO

Luvmydanes

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Re: Info on Bloat!
« Reply #2 on: October 08, 2006, 05:55:57 am »
Wondering if anyone has any views on "Bloat".  This is how we lost our beloved Appollos and want to keep it from happening again.  We have always feed our dogs w/elevated food dishes... we know all about the risk factors, narrow  & deep chests, etc., but now they say it is a contributer to bloat.  This is the first I've heard of this study.  Has anyone changed the way they feed their BD?

The link to the article below...very long, so I snipped a few sections...
http://http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_4426856

Canine bloat serious threat to some breeds
Article Last Updated:10/01/2006 08:20:59 AM PDT
 
CANINE bloat, or gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), is the No. 1 cause of death for several large and giant dog breeds.

The breed with the highest average lifetime likelihood of a bloat episode is the great Dane, at 42.4 percent.

Other breeds at higher-than average risk include the bloodhound, Irish wolfhound, Irish setter, Akita, standard poodle, German shepherd, and boxer. Other deep-chested breeds and deep-chested mixed-breed dogs are also at higher risk.

In a study of more than 1,900 dogs representing 11 different breeds at the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, several risk factors were identified.


One traditional preventative has been to raise the height of food and water bowls, but this was found to actually increase risk by 110 percent



So raising their food and water INCREASES the risk of bloat?

Offline shangrila

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Re: Info on Bloat!
« Reply #3 on: October 08, 2006, 06:04:37 am »
So raising their food and water INCREASES the risk of bloat?

According to that study. But it really depends on who you ask - different studies have had different conclusions about food bowl height
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Luvmydanes

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Re: Info on Bloat!
« Reply #4 on: October 08, 2006, 06:19:21 am »
That is kind of scary!

Offline newflvr

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Re: Info on Bloat!
« Reply #5 on: October 09, 2006, 03:13:15 am »
Go with your gut, make an educated decision and try not to obsess about it.  You'll drive yourself crazy.


Got to agree with Tina.  The studies will only confuse you.  Ask your vet, take as many precautions as possible, and just be aware of your dog's condition.  Most of all, love them and enjoy every second with them...it's just too hard to predict!

Offline Saintgirl

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Re: Info on Bloat!
« Reply #6 on: October 09, 2006, 08:40:05 am »
The Perdue study on bloat is the LARGEST study to date that has been conducted on Bloat and gastric torsion. 1920 dogs were used and 86 of them bloated. 110% higher incedence for bloat from raised feeders is too high of a correlation for me. Maybe the study can't determine why bloat occured in 110% more dogs with raised feeders than those who didn't, but they did determine a correlation. Even now I find it hard to find a newer study that contradicts Perdue's findings. It is one of those things, you have to do what you feel is best for your dog. For us, we go for the old fashion bowl on the floor method.
Leah, Hutch, and Abbey

Offline bluskygirl

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Re: Info on Bloat!
« Reply #7 on: October 09, 2006, 12:36:08 pm »
As you all have said here, there are a ton of articles that say one thing or another about the causes of bloat.  One thing that I did read almost as often as I read about physical activity was stress.  My vet and I talked about it too- the idea that a happy dog is far less prone to bloat. They cannot explain the correlation with anything tangible; but they all agree that it exists.  I worry about bloat too. I try to to the best I can to control the speed of her eating... she then gets a 45-60 min nap in her crate, etc. Everyone has to make the right choice for them, and even IF you do everything "right", that's never a guarantee. newflvr is exactly right- treat everyday as a blessing and love them as much as you can while they're yours. There is no such thing as a "sure thing"  :)
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Offline Gevaudan_Jo

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Re: Info on Bloat!
« Reply #8 on: October 09, 2006, 12:51:15 pm »
Our boy zeus died from bloat last year.. and it killed us to find out the only vet in town (who we waited for...*long story*) Refused to do surgery!!! and by the time she told us she wouldnt do it... we had no choice but to let him out of his pain... we could have driven an hr south to a vet who would do it, but givin we had a small 2 door car, and he was REALLY bad by this time. we just said our good byes... a very hard thing to go thru, and we watch memphis very carefully... i guess thats the most u can do...
Jodi & Darcy
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Zero-Bull Terrier
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Repo- Jigsaw's baby Bull Terrier
Reba-Chinese Crested
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~ waiting at the bridge, Zeus and Memphis, great danes ~

Offline marinafb

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Re: Info on Bloat!
« Reply #9 on: October 09, 2006, 01:30:04 pm »
 ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???
When i took Bryce to the vet this week she told me that he should have no rough exercise after he eats for at least 45min. He eats first and then my other 2 eat together. Of course after they eat they want to romp so i have to seperate them. I always worry because after he eats he always drinks alot of water! Marina[/
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Milo-6 years Pitt Bull
Bryce-3 years English Mastiff
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