I am so sorry to hear about Sugar Bear. It is a scary scary feeling.......
I have done bunches of research on bloat, both before and after I had a dane girl who got sick and we opted for surgery. It can go soooo fast, and I think that is the real scary part, that if the worst come to the worst you wont have time to do much at all.
We have spoke about bloat a few times on here, and it seems like one thing most people agree on, is that it is hard to keep up with the "new" studies that are being done. Some things they say today that are good to do to prevent bloat, they said the oposit about 10 years ago.
Things that matters, at least according to the studies are. exersise right before and after feeding. Eating from elevated dishes (thats a tricky one, some studies say have them, the newest say dont) give a little water in the kibble, so it doesnt take too much moisture from the body when digested. Not to feed too big meals, since that stretches out the muscles that "hang" the stomach up, and when the belly isnt that full anylonger, they get slack and thats when the belly can turn. stress supposedly can trigger bloat. And of course genetics.
I read a study not long ago that stated that as good as all dogs that come in for bloat has an empty stomach. So that I guess supports that it is good to either free feed or to feed more than once a day.
I hope Sugar Bear is feeling well soon, and please keep us updated, I dont think I understood what was wrong with him, did the vet tell you??
Marit