Bloat question. - Page 2

There is a Dr. Fletcher from Scriptts here in Florida that was advertising in the GSDCA magazines regarding a Bloat / Torsion research, I tried to email but it got kicked back.  Has any one been able to contact Dr. Fletcher to have their dog's DNA sent in for genetic research on this subject?  I am extremely interested in hearing from someone who may have gotten thru to him.  Also, my vet offered a laproscopic surgery for $850 to tac the stomach to the abdominal wall.  Has anyone has this done with their dogs?  She claims to have treated, some successfully and some not, lots of bloat cases

If you can't contact Fletcher via the Script's website, I don't know what else you can do. I think there s a phone number listed for him on that site too. I believe he was looking for cheek swabs from dogs that had bloated and survived.

I have not had Blitz tacked, but am wishing I did when he was neutered. $850 sounds to me like a lot for that surgery. Tacking will not prevent bloat, it will prevent the stomach from flipping on it's axis. Your dog can still bloat but it is generally more successful to treat a dog that has bloated and not torsed.  I recall one dog that came to the clinic with frank bloat and torsion. He was operated on successfully only to bloat and torse again the next morning less than 12 hours after his surgery. The vet did not tack him during the operation, so once again he torsed. His owners opted to have him put down. Some make it, some don't and those that do are likely to bloat again.

Yes, our vet told us that once a dog's stomach torques it will likely happen again if not tacked so they always tack the stomach if treating the condition. I am anal with my dogs about it also and feed smaller frequent meals along with monitoring water intake, exercise time, etc. I know that it is a real danger and watch my dogs closely.

I love these types of posts where real learning about my dogs and their issues is happening.  Thank you all.

Time to call it a night, Happy Labor Day to all....

P.S. Blitzen, everything costs alot of $$$ here in Palm Beach County Florida, paying for the sunshine and name I guess.....LOL 

Clewsk9s, the truly amazing part of seeing a bloated dog have surgery is the volume of food that is removed from its stomach. It usually fills a large stainless steel bucket; you have to wonder how that dog could have eaten so much food all at one time. I'll keep feeding small meals too, might not help, but it sure can't hurt either. One other thing I thought of, you might want to keep some Gas X on hand just in case your dog does bloat. If he's not twisted, it will help relieve the gas.  A friend gives her Rottie a Gas X with every meal, her dog bloated one time and since then she's used that medication and he's never bloated again. Maybe a coincidence, but there again, it can't hurt. At one time I had 14, 15 large dogs and was so paranoid about bloat after one died, I kept a bloat kit on hand - GasX, a  stomach tube and a large bore needle. Happily I never had to use any of it . Not sure how I'd have passed that tube all by myself, but I'd have tried I think.

Happy Labor Day to you as well..................

http://www.vet.purdue.edu/epi/bloat.htm

http://www.weimaraner-scotland.com/GenInt/Bloat.htm

 There is a strong familial link with bloat/GDV rather than being strictly hereditary.

Some of the old advice re raised eating bowls now is contra indicated.

Many of us switched to raw because we believe that there is link between the increased incidence of GDV with modern diets but no proof exists.

I can't open Perdue's attachments, so haven't read those links. However, a familial link would indicate a genetic/hereditary influence, wouldn't it?

Been off the 'puter, another fire broke out locally and have been dealing with getting equipment on.

I haven't had a chance to look thru the links provided above. I glanced at the one and it seems they think a pottasium deficiency? I think in the Great Dane ladies articles she said sulphur.

Blitzen it seems you worked as a vet tech, someone said sometimes dogs bloat with their stomach empty, have you seen that happen? I suppose if bile were present it could be irritating and cause gas?? I know sometimes my dogs get sick in the morning. I try to give them a little treat before bed because I feed around 5:30 pm. Long time until breakfast :)

Maybe following the precautions (for dogs) like drinking after exercise were somewhat adopted from triggers for horses and colic. My  very first BH, a guy had come from CA with his dogs.One was an old SchH3 male. I think he had just watered the dog in the back of the truck. When he jumped down off the tail gate he began to blow up like a balloon. It was scary. I told him to walk the dog  (cuz its what you do with a colicy horse) while people were running around trying to locate a vet on Saturday. The dog made it, he had to be operated on.

Trailrider, I've seen dogs bloat with an empty stomach, but never saw one that torsed unless the stomach was full of food and/or water. Not saying it can't happen, but I've never seen it in the maybe 12, 13 surgeries I've seen. Normally passing a tube will dissapate the gas if the stomach isn't twisted and that's generally the first line of treatment for a dog suspected of having a torsion.  You just can't tell by looking at them if it's bloat or torsion and time is lost if the dx is made with an xray or ultrasound. If the tube won't pass beyond the point where the abdomen would be twisted, then it's time to operate. The first thing the surgeon does is to open the abdominal cavity and remove the contents, usually dry dog food that is foamy and increased in volume several fold due to the dog's drinking water. This is why I do not feed just one big meal per day and I soak the food before Blitz gets it. 3, 4 cups of dry kibble can turn into  gallons of heavy, wet, foamy food.  Does it really matter if a dog is prone to bloat and torsion - beats me but it gives me a sense of comfort  . 

Happy Labor Day everyone!  Hope everyone has a relaxing, fun holiday!

Just some thoughts from me  and my life experiences....  my husband was hospitalized over 18 times in last 15 years for stomach issues, mother passed from digestive tract diseases, ditto my husbands grandfather, etc.  I am Celiac (wheat gluten intolerant) and I have really studied issues related to digestive health in humans (in no way an expert of anything).  Struggled with digestive orders until 4 years ago when someone finally ran a test which confirmed Celiac, which was at least 40 years of eating wheat gluten. 

The point is symptomatically, IBS, gas, bloating and many other more dramatic issues of the digestive system start from what we eat.  When I removed wheat gluten, which also resulted in me basically resorting to eating only food as God made it "whole" quasi organic all the gas/bloating/IBS symptoms went away.  When I cheat, I have to reach for the Nexium - when I don't the whole system works normal.  I also spent years restoring with friendly bacteria and enzymes and limiting antibiotic use to only absolutely necessary treating minor infections with Collodial Silver instead.

I add about 1/2 cup of yogurt (sometimes Activia) with my gsd's food  at least once per week.  I avoid grain based dry kibble and feed them 2-3 times per day using about 1 cup per dry serving 2 times a day and  1 cup of raw.  They also are not allowed full water bowls, but are given smaller bowls and filled more frequently.

I cannot imagine losing one of my babes from bloat, I would love to learn the first aid treatment protocol and equipment needed to provide emergency first aid if it ever comes up.  

Blitzen, if you have the time & desire could you elaborate a bit on the procedure you would use in an emergency? 

I have had two dogs suffer a GDV with NO food or water in the stomach.

Neither bloated nor were there any of the typical signs, I just knew something was wrong.