Medical emergencies in dogs don't necessarily always involve
traumatic accidents, poison ingestion, or devastating chronic illnesses. Even
the routine act of consuming a meal can have serious consequences if your pet
develops a problem known as bloat. This acute digestive problem can cause death
without prompt treatment.
If you worry about the health and safety of your dog's
eating habits, you can benefit from understanding how bloat occurs, how you
should respond to it, and what you can do to safeguard your dog against it.
Take a look at these questions and answers concerning bloat in dogs.
What Causes Bloat?
Under normal circumstances, food, air, and water that enters
your dog's stomach passes easily into the small intestine for processing by the
rest of the digestive system. However, some dogs' stomachs may accumulate an
excessive amount of gas or fluids too rapidly. This overload causes the stomach
to swell up.
Your dog's physical structure may make it especially
vulnerable to bloat. The condition tends to affect large, deep-chested dog
breeds such as Great Danes, Irish Setters, Standard Poodles, Saint Bernards,
and Gordon Setters. However, it can also afflict smaller breeds such as
Yorkshire Terriers and Dachshunds.
Dogs that exercise right after eating or suffer from
emotional stress may develop bloat. Oversized portion sizes can also encourage
the development of the condition.
Why Does Bloat Pose Such Danger to Dogs?
If a bloat-afflicted stomach continues to produce gas, it
may expand until nothing can enter or exit the organ. This expansion can
interfere with breathing, inhibit blood flow to the heart, or even cause the
stomach wall to rupture.
A bloat-afflicted, gas-filled stomach may rotate, with the
twisting action cutting off the organs’ entry and exit passages. This
complication, known as volvulus, can cut off blood flow to the digestive
organs, allowing critical tissues to die and putting your dog into a state of
life-threatening shock.
Gastric dilatation and volvulus can cause death in minutes
without emergency intervention. Even if your dog does not have a twisted
stomach, the expansion from the bloat can endanger its life.
How Do Dogs Display Symptoms of Bloat?
A case of simple gastric dilatation may produce all the
classic symptoms of a stomachache. Your dog may pant, drool, pace restlessly,
and try to vomit without success. However, you will probably notice that your
dog's abdomen has also become distended, a sign that gas, food, and liquids
have become trapped.
As your pet's condition progresses to volvulus, the symptoms
may become even more alarming. Your pet may show signs of shock such as pale
gums, breathlessness, weakness, rapid heartbeat, and loss of consciousness.
How Do Veterinarians Treat Bloat?
Veterinarians can diagnose gastric dilatation and volvulus
quickly and easily, not only by observing the obvious physical symptoms but
also by taking X-ray images of the digestive organs. Your veterinarian may also
tap at the swollen abdomen, listening for a hollow sound that confirms the
presence of bloat.
In a case of bloat that doesn't involve a twisted stomach,
the first treatment priority involves relieving stomach pressure. The
veterinarian can often achieve this goal by placing a tube down the dog's
throat and into the stomach, permitting gases to ventilate.
If the stomach has enlarged to the point that the entrance
to it has become closed off, the veterinarian can relieve stomach pressure
through other means. For example, your veterinarian may insert a needle into
your pet's stomach to draw out accumulated gas or fluids.
If your dog has a twisted stomach, it will most likely need
emergency surgery to correct the problem. The veterinarian will enter the
abdominal cavity, undo the rotation, and check the surrounding tissues and
blood vessels for damage. A procedure called gastropexy then anchors the
stomach's position so it can't rotate.
What Can Dog Owners Do to Prevent Bloat?
Your dog doesn't have to undergo major surgery, endure
emergency treatment, or experience the agonies of bloat. You can take several
steps to prevent the condition and help your pet enjoy a safer, healthier
everyday life.
You may have heard that you should raise the level of your
dog's food bowl to discourage bloat. However, research indicates that this
strategy not only fails to prevent bloat but may even promote it
in
animals at risk for the condition.
Instead of elevating your dog's food bowl, focus on serving
the right kinds of food in a healthy manner. Serve a mix of dry and wet foods,
emphasizing proteins over carbohydrates and additives. Serve small portions
over multiple meals instead of one giant meal per day. Avoid yeast or other
gas-producing ingredients.
Another gas-reducing strategy involves feeding your dog a
probiotic diet or probiotic supplements, which aid in digestion. You might even
consider giving your dog an over-the-counter anti-gas medication. Ask your
veterinarian about specific products and dosages.
Control your dog's activity level at mealtimes. Don't let
your dog exercise or even play aggressively immediately after eating. These
actions could impede digestion, allowing gas to build up and the stomach to
twist.
Don't let bloat threaten your dog's life.
Contact
South Seattle Veterinary Hospital for instructions
and to arrange for emergency treatment.
