Bloat/Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV)

[AussieGirl]

Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV)
also known as bloat, stomach torsion, or twisted stomach

Bloat is a serious condition that can be life-threatening, any dog can bloat but it is more common in certain breeds.

What is bloat?
Bloat occurs when the stomach rapidly expands, due to the stomach filling with gas and fluid, this is called “gastric dilatation”. When the stomach swells it may then rotate (twist), twisting 180° or less is called a “torsion” a twist greater than 180° is called a “volvulus”. It does not always occur with twisting.

Some of the symptoms and signs to look for:
Tries to vomit or pass stool (though usually unsuccessful)
Excessive drooling and salivation
Restlessness
Hard or enlarged abdomen
Abdominal pain
Rapid shallow breathing
Cold and pale mouth membranes
Whining
Pacing
Acting out of character
Collapse

Bloat needs immediate treatment from a veterinarian, if you suspect your dog has bloat rush them to the vet immediately. Phone your vet and let them know you are on your way and you suspect bloat, fast treatment is very important and phoning while you are on your way will enable them to prepare for your arrival and save precious time.

What can increase the risk of bloat?
Raised feeding dishes double the risk of bloat
Eating fast increases the risk by 38%
Age- the risk increases with age
Having a first-degree relative with a history of GDV
Feeding a large volume of food per meal
Dry foods that have fat in the top 4 ingredients
Pre-moistening foods that are preserved with citric acid
Some of these risks can be reduced e.g. place a large rock in the bowl of a fast eater (or you can purchase special bowls designed to slow them down), feeding a high quality food so you are feeding less per meal, choose a food that doesn’t have fat in the top 4 ingredients and not wetting foods that contain citric acid.

Some links on bloat
Perdue University
BLOAT: The life threatening canine emergency
BLOAT: THE MOTHER OF ALL EMERGENCIES

The University of Purdue calculated a ratio of the likelihood particular breeds had in developing GDV compared to mixed breed dogs. While our beloved Boxer is not at the top of the list it is placed at 16 so being aware of bloat would be wise.

So a Great Dane is 41.4 times more likely to develop GDV than a mixed breed dog.
Breed _____________ GDV Risk Ratio________ Risk Rank
Great Dane .........................41.4 ...........................1

Saint Bernard ......................21.8 ...........................2

Weimaraner .........................19.3 ..........................3

Irish Setter ..........................14.2 ..........................4

Gordon Setter ......................12.3 ..........................5

Standard Poodle .................... 8.8 ..........................6

Basset Hound ........................ 5.9.......................... 7

Doberman Pinscher ..................5.5 ..........................8

Old English Sheepdog ...............4.8 ..........................9

German Shorthaired Pointer .......4.6 .........................10

Newfoundland .........................4.4 .........................11

German Shepherd ....................4.2 .........................12

Airedale Terrier .......................4.1 .........................13

Alaskan Malamute ....................4.1 ........................14

Chesapeake Bay Retriever .........3.7 ........................15

Boxer ....................................3.7 ........................16

Collie .....................................2.8 ........................17

Labrador Retriever ...................2 ...........................18

English Springer Spaniel ............2 ...........................19

Samoyed ...............................1.6 .........................20

Dachshund .............................1.6 .........................21

Golden Retriever ......................1.2 .........................22

Rottweiler ...............................1.1 .........................23

Mixed .....................................1.0 .........................24

Miniature Poodle .......................0.3 .........................25

[Boxer100]

Is that your article? If it is, can we use it on our dog blog? We will include a link to your website if you have one and say who wrote it.

Also, you say "Raised feeding dishes double the risk of bloat". Isn't it the other way around? I thought that raised dishes prevented bloating from occurring?

[AussieGirl]

Originally Posted by Boxer100

Also, you say "Raised feeding dishes double the risk of bloat". Isn't it the other way around? I thought that raised dishes prevented bloating from occurring?

No, the old myth used to be that raised dishes reduced the incidence of bloat but it is just that - an old myth. Recent studies show they drastically increase the risk of bloat You can check out the studies done by Purdue for yourself, there is a link to their site.

From one of the Purdue University Research Updates
Increasing age, increasing thorax depth/width ratio, having a first degree relative with a history of GDV, a faster speed of eating, and using a raised feed bowl, were associated with an increased incidence of GDV.

The thread was put together for BoxerHub , you can link to the thread on the hub if you like

[Boxer100]

Originally Posted by AussieGirl

No, the old myth used to be that raised dishes reduced the incidence of bloat but it is just that - an old myth. Recent studies show they drastically increase the risk of bloat You can check out the studies done by Purdue for yourself, there is a link to their site.

That was put together for BoxerHub , you can link to the thread on the hub if you like

OK, now I'm confused. Why would not raising the bowl prevent bloating? They say it does prevent it, but they don't say why and many other sources online say that a raised bowl is better. Only Purdue's research shows the opposite. Where can I read the explanation as to why?

[AussieGirl]

I have actually read more articles and opinions pointing towards them increasing the risk, really when you think about it their digestive systems are set up to eat off the ground, some say eating off the ground slows them down while eating from a raised dish enables them to eat faster and also swallow more air. IMO unless there is a medical problem like Megaesophagus there is no real need for a raised dish anyway .


Oh should add I don't think anything can prevent bloat 100%, but owners can take steps to reduce the risks

[Boxer100]

Thanks for the information. I posted it on my blog with a link to this thread.

[Ruby Red]

Originally Posted by AussieGirl

.............and not wetting foods that contain citric acid.

Can anyone please explain why this is?

[AussieGirl]

Originally Posted by Ruby Red

Can anyone please explain why this is?

The studies done by Purdue were more statistical so the how's and why's were not addressed. I did find this little snippet:

The diets that were associated with increased risk of bloat were those that contained citric acid and were PRE-MOISTENED by owners before they were fed to their dogs. Whether the citric acid or the pre-moistening of the food was responsible was not studied. It has long been suspected that wetting the food is an increased risk factor for bloat. *note: no study was done with diets containing citric acid that were NOT pre-moistened to determine the real risk factor of citric acid*

Full piece here

Hopefully at some stage there will be new research with more info, there are alot of people who "brush it off" because there is at this point no info explaining the how's and why's (I certainly haven't found any when looking - opinions yeah plenty of those lol)

[KeeperBoy]

The wetting the food has something to do with the expansion in and out of the body. Some foods get simply HUGE when you soak them.

I've also read that the raised dish increases bloat.

A lot of bloat is unexplained. I think the best thing we can do is know the symptoms and know how to act (Mylanta Gas) and getting to the E-vet ASAP.

[Ruby Red]

Thanks for that – very interesting I have ALWAYS pre-moistened kibble [although mine doesn’t contain citric acid] – the vets here actually recommend it for 2 reasons:

[1] dry kibble draws water in from other parts of the body causing dehydration in dogs that don’t drink enough and

[2] in rehydrating the kibble through wetting it, it stops the ballooning effect in the stomach and is therefore less likely to cause bloat

It’s all very confusing, and as you say Keeperboy, the best we can do is know what signs and symptoms to act on, so thanks Aussiegirl for writing it up for us!