BLOAT - Page 1

I have just read almost all the posts regarding this issue. I would like a little clarification if possible. If you feed high quality kibble and let it sit in water for about 20 minutes are you saying that your dog will not get bloat? I have a very active shepherd, male who never sits still he is west german/czech. I am always so worried about feeding him - paranoid I assume about him getting to excited and bloat occurring. I do feed him twice a day. If this is true about letting the kibble sit in water do you still with hold any kind of exercising or excitement and would you still allow water after or would you still wait.
I would love any feedback.
Kim

Don't be paranoid! Feeding moist kibble is thought as a way to prevent bloat. The kibble volume is more consistent going in and during digestion. Also, you can mix moist canned food with kibble if you are still concerned. It is better to feed more often with smaller amounts. So twice a day is typical. Otherwise, a starved stomach starts to produce bile and a starved dog who bolts his food might just upchuck it, just as quickly.

Always take into account extremes in temperatures and give the food some time to digest in the dog before very strenuous exercise. No one can predict what dogs will or won't bloat but there are certain genetics, and observations that make a theory on why some dogs do bloat, and others don't.

Supposedly a dog who burps, is a good sign against a dog prone to bloat, too.

Gas-x and/or enzymes are useful (to be put in each meal)

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High quality kibble does not absorb much water, but I still put some warm water in the dish with the food just so the dog has some water with his kibble.

Latest research shows moistening kibble has no effect on bloat, and may in some cases, actually ingrease the risk. Most dogs bloat on an empty stomach: http://www.vin.com/apputil/content/defaultadv1.aspx?meta=Generic&pId=11165&id=3848657

 

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. This correlation of risk was verifiable; the dogs of the breeders in this study did not have close relatives that had experienced bloat.

The study also found that fearful, nervous, or aggressive dogs had a much higher incidence of bloat than did dogs perceived by their owners as having happy temperaments. Stress can also be a precipitating factor, and many dogs bloat after recent kenneling, or a recent long car ride. A slightly higher percentage of males than females developed bloat.

Several diet-related factors were associated with a higher incidence of bloat. These include feeding only dry food, or feeding a single large daily meal. Dogs fed dry foods containing fat among the first four ingredients had a 170 percent higher risk for developing bloat. Dogs fed dry foods containing citric acid and were moistened prior to feeding had a 320 percent higher risk for developing bloat.

Conversely, feeding a dry food containing a rendered meat-and-bone meal decreased risk by 53 percent in comparison with the overall risk for the dogs in the study. Mixing table food or canned food into dry food also decreased the risk of bloat.

During the past 30 years there has been a 1,500 percent increase in the incidence of bloat, and this has coincided with the increased feeding of dry dog foods. There is a much lower incidence of bloat in susceptible breeds in Australia and New Zealand. Feeding practices in these countries have been found to be less dependent on dry foods.

As for feeding one large meal a day, this can weigh down the stomach and stretch the hepatogastric ligament, which usually maintains the stomach's normal position in the abdomen. Dogs that have bloated were found to have a much longer hepatogastric ligament; it is thought that this is due to chronic stretching. This could also explain why bloat risk increases with age.

Several popular theories regarding bloat were not substantiated during the study. There was no correlation of bloat risk to exercise before or after eating, as most dogs bloated in the middle of the night with an empty, gas-filled stomach. There was also no correlation to vaccinations, to the brand of dog food consumed, or to the timing or volume of water intake before or after eating.

From the research performed to date, we can list several factors that, added together, can characterize the typical dog that develops bloat: a deep and narrow chest; leanness; a relative that has had a bloat episode; eating quickly; a dry-food diet; a single, large daily meal; stress; and a fearful, nervous, or aggressive temperament.

I just realized the link to the article isn't working. Here it is again:

 

http://www.vin.com/apputil/content/defaultadv1.aspx?meta=Generic&pId=11165&id=3848657

I was told...years ago...To just cover your dog's kibble with water...I have done this now for over 30 years without incident...
The rule to follow is also NOT to feed after any exercise and DON'T exercise after eating...To me it's the same type rules as I was told about going swimming or exercising after eating (rules from my Mom) Would have to sit out for about an hour after eating...
You can have your dog's stomach "tacked" if you so wish...

~Bob~

Preventive measures encouraged:

Gastroplexy

Restricted activity(hard work out)an hour prior and one/two after feeding

Daily rations divided into 2 or 3 feedings

Quality feed & fresh water-(limit the amount around feeding times)

Keep Gas-X on hand

KNOW the signs.

I experienced GDV in a 4 year old male in 2003-the dog bloated within 30 minutes of eating-kibble with the fluid from a boiled chicken added.  Fortunately I 'm within 20 miles of a veterinary teaching hospital -my dog survived both GDV and surgery without damage-whereas a Great Dane brought in with GDV that same night did not.

 

Q-Man, YEARS AGO no longer applies. PLEASE READ THE ARTICLE - IT IS FAIRLY RECENT!!

Several popular theories regarding bloat were not substantiated during the study. There was no correlation of bloat risk to exercise before or after eating, as most dogs bloated in the middle of the night with an empty, gas-filled stomach. There was also no correlation to vaccinations, to the brand of dog food consumed, or to the timing or volume of water intake before or after eating.

 

In some cases, moistening the kibble actually INCREASED the number of dogs that bloated, as did raising the food bowls off the floor!

A lot of what we thought 'YEARS AGO" has been proven WRONG!

All of my dogs, and cats, are fed a prey model raw diet. And you know what I have found? It is the proper diet that their bodies are designed for and food doesn't take anymore than a few hours to completely pass through. With this said, I do have rules that I observe for all medium to large breed dogs. 1. Feeding must be 60 - 90 minutes before/after any exercise. This includes brisk running, playing frisbee, etc. 2. No travel within 60-90 minutes of feeding. This is basically the same rule above. If you take a trip, such as camping, the dog doesn't get fed any food until 60-90 minutes post or pre travel. I say 60-90 minutes because I found that when I was feeding my dogs kibble the 90 minute rule seemed to apply. However, when I began feeding my dogs a diet that Dr. Tom Lonsdale, DVM recommends, the time decreased to 60 minutes. And this all comes back to what I said initially about feeding dogs a food that is meant for them. Look up the history of kibble. The grain free is better than nothing but kibble, in general, is nasty stuff. And no matter how high a price tag you put on it, it is still a lot of food that is heated at high temperatures and has all sorts of filler which is then compressed into tiny, dry chunks of food that our dogs were never intended to consume. And dogs fed kibble are feel dehydrated regularly. This is because this dry food mixes with their saliva and it expands but it's got a lot of filler crap, and the dog must drink a lot just to flush it out of his system. Here's a link to Dr. Lonsdale's website. There's another called preymodelraw, which has a forum and loads of information.

http://rawmeatybones.com/