How worried are you about bloat?

KeeperBoy · 02-23-2009, 06:34 PM

We met a dog owner at an agility event who had lost one dog to bloat and had another bloat last year. I've researched bloat since before I got Keepers and try to do what I can to limit his risk (no elevated feeder, we pre soak kibble when we feed that, he doesn't drink water after he eats, we feed premium foods). The hardest part is limiting his activity after he eats. Feeding always energizes both dogs and they always want to play after dinner. I try to keep them calm but lately they have gone nuts after dinner. I'm thinking I should just crate them after they eat, but I'm not sure how extreme that is? What do you do to limit your boxer's bloat risk?

bruinsBoxers · 02-24-2009, 07:42 AM

Bloat can happen in any dog but is mainly a cause in barrel chested breeds , (G shephards , danes ) .

Normal playing after eating will not cause bloat , it would have to be very rigerous exercise . That should be avoided for about 30 -60 minutes before and after eating . Normal walks should not be a problem.

As far as wetting kibble , you need to be careful with that . I had read somewhere that kibble with acsorbic acid ( if I remember correctly) as a preservative should not be wetted down , as that was one of the common things of dogs who bloated .

Also serving several small meals instead of 1 large meal & making sure a dog eats slowly both help to reduce chance bloat .

Xena-Warrior Princess · 02-24-2009, 07:43 AM

I also worry about bloat. Its funny because a girl I work with also has a boxer (Duke, fawn male 72 lbs) and we were just talking about this same topic yesterday. I agree its hard to keep them still after they eat. The water after eating is an issue for us too, because Xena seems to ALWAYS be thirsty.

KeeperBoy · 02-24-2009, 08:05 AM

We talked on the phone with a vet from Purdue a while back, he said when you wet the kibble and it doesn't expand much than it is a good kibble to be wetted. He said to avoid the kibbles that get huge after soaking. I guess the research is somewhat conflicting because you want to feed something other than just dry, but it isn't a good idea to feed some kibbles with water. I wish he wasn't such a weirdo about raw, he just won't touch the bones, but that type of diet would take some worry off.

The playing worries me because Keepers is the submissive one (believe it or not) in our home and when they play he rolls on his back all the time. It seems like all that twisting and rolling would be bad. They also play HARD, running all over, jumping around, etc. I try to avoid them getting too crazy but it is so hard! Especially in the winter when he isn't getting as much activity.

He is also a very deep chested man. The one thing I guess he has in his favor is that he's pretty small, only 47 pounds.

Ron · 02-24-2009, 08:23 AM

i doni't worry too much about stuff like that. I do my best to keep him safe and healthy, but i don't "worry" too much after that

Xena-Warrior Princess · 02-24-2009, 08:28 AM

This is what i found yesterday:

Bloat or Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) is a very serious condition that occurs when the stomach becomes distended with air, and then twists on itself while dilated. This interferes with the blood supply digestive organs, blocks the passage of food, thus leading to worse bloat. The distended stomach impedes the normal return of blood to the heart, causing a decrease in blood pressure and drastically reduced cardiac output. Blood/oxygen-deprived tissues start to die, releasing toxins into the blood stream which among other adverse effects, cause serious disturbances in heart rhythms (cardiac arrhythmias). Dogs affected by bloat can die within hours.

Dogs most susceptible to bloat are the large, deep-chested breeds, in whom the stomach appears to be more mobile within the abdomen. Risk factors are: hereditary predisposition, over-eating (large meals), rapid eating, raised feeders, pre-moistening of dry food preserved with citric acid, feeding dry food with a fat in the top four ingredients. The risk of bloat increases with age. Feeding a food with a rendered meat ingredient, inclusive of bone, in the first four ingredients decreases the risk of bloat.

The Purdue veterinary research team, who conducted a research study in 2000 into the risk factors associated with bloat concluded these are the things you can do to help prevent bloat:

a.. The strongest recommendation to prevent GVD (bloat) should be to not breed a dog that has a first degree relative that has had bloat. This places a special responsibility on an owner to inform the breeder should their dog bloat.
b.. Do not raise the feeding dish.
c.. SLOW the dog's speed of eating.

bruinsBoxers · 02-24-2009, 09:03 AM

That's it citric acid not ascorbic acid .