Another Bloat - Page 4

That is the frightening thing about it.  Normal food - 1.5 cups dry california naturals for Libby with a few tbls can mixed in.  She was fed at around 6:00 and her symptoms started to show around 10:30 at night.   No running around, etc.  She did have a few baby carrots while I was making stir fry, but other than that no treats, etc.  She was not overfed, over watered or over exercised.  The only thing that was going on that was the same as when Molly bloated  a few weeks back was that I had by brothers, sister in laws and kids over for a cook out., but that is not unusual.  Dogs were with me the entire time so no one gave them anything.  They all know how strict I am about it and always ask, etc.

Libby is very possessive of food and was sitting in the kitchen growling at the other dogs over the food that was being prepared and then while we were cleaing up.  It is something she does, and I correct her however she finds her way back to her spot in the kichen and then vocalizes that the food is hers.

Maybe that caused  her some stress that contributed to it.  I am not sure.

C

Should she eat in her crate? 

She was growling over the food in general that we were cooking.  Now that you bring this up, maybe she needs to be crated in another room while food is being prepared.

My dogs all eat together in the kitchen and all know which bowl is theirs.  They do not bother each other, but of course I am standing there to make sure to enforce the rule if oneof them decides to try. 

She does get a bit too interested in anything going on in the kitchen and will growl at the other dogs if they get to near the food, etc.  Maybe her advancing age and the stress of food guarding contributed. Plus all the action from my guests.  I will try crating her during the next cookout or putting her in my bedroom for some quiet time.

C

Dogs 10 of thousands of years or maybe even  hundred thousand  years ago wolf evolved from wolf to dog. The individuals less shy  came closer and closer to humans and scavenged left overs which was easier to do then to hunt . This was relatively fast process , same estimate that it could have taken only abaut 3 generations.
Ever since the dog lived on left overs of meat and vegetables.
HOWEVER!!!
Than came Purina and others and promoted "balanced"  granulated dead diet, that is diet  void of live enzymes.
People got brained washed like : "Do not feed your puppy people's food!!!" BS I say. That is exactly what they need. Or you will risk problems like bloat and bone developmental problems ( yes like HD) and so on.
FEED MEAT. That is the best suplemant!  Chunks of meat are going to get swallowed and stomach of a dog which is a muscle will have to work on it and thus exercise and thus be strong muscle thus not likely to flip.
I have recommended here  ad nauseum this recipe:Lightly cooked meat with gristle and some bones ( flat bones from chicken are great, chicken feet , innards lik ebeef heart, ( Liver are often cause of diarrhea so easy on liver) . Mix it with cooked pasta and 1/2 cop of  blended raw vegetable or fruit ( apple, carrot, pineapple, always with parsley) for vitamins and live enzymes  and ad pinch of sea salt for minerals. 
In Czech we have never had much bloat until we got there "balanced" but dead granulated dog food in shiny bags.
Prager Hans
http://www.alpinek9.com

Hans -- Question:   I use the Dry Kibble in the "Shiny Bag" (Orijen) supplemented with Wellness canned meat (95% meat) or Ground Beef -- either raw or lightly cooked.   Should I add Probiotics to this diet?  

The food which is natural has its own live enzymes. If the food is in the can and it is preserved then the meat is probably enzyme void or it would spoil. 
I would ad enzymes. I use live yogurt of kiefer. I make my own. You  must use organic milk and ad live yogurt or kiefer. Let it stay in room temperature until it starts to solidify.  Longer you let it in room temp stronger ( more sour) it will get. Then put it into refrigerator. Use glass ( rather then plastic ) containers. If you like yogurt yourself then you will love it too .  I give to pups about 1 table spoon and when they get used to it I'll give them more. If their digestive tract work properly they should not get diarrhea. 
Prager Hans
http://www.alpinek9.com 

Decades ago, before the cereal companies took over dog (and human) food, how many dogs bloated? Of course if they did bloat, there wasn't any medical help, so they died if it was severe. Diet was different, but dogs that were sick or dogs that weren't well-doers weren't bred. That is not the case today. If a dog bloats and recovers, it is still bred to.

Before xrays, bloodlines with dogs who were crippled by HD or sick with other ailments like bloat weren't bred. These were working dogs, protection, herding, etc. Whatever breed. Whatever the job.

There is a lot to be said for going back to using some of the old ways of feeding and management, and also couple that with our current science and technology.

Before xrays, bloodlines with dogs who were crippled by HD....weren't bred to


I have to disagree with this. In the old days, breeders checked for laxity by manipulating the joints. X-rays later showed this method was very innacurate, and resulted in many sound dogs being culled, and many dogs with poor hips but no obvious symptoms being bred..

I also know someone who was working on their Sch. 3 with a very nice German import. The dog had not been x-rayed as no one had expressed an interest in breeding to him yet. The dog was doing really well in the obedience portion of the training, including doing the scaling wall.

Thyen, someone wanted to breed to him, so the owner had him x-rayed.

He had the worst hips the vet had ever seen. They were completely out of the socket!

Of course, the owner had him neutered, and sold him to a pet home.... 

Some dogs just have a high pain tolerance, and x-rays are the ONLY sure way of knowing how good or bad the hips are!

Sunsilver, I'm referring to years way before most of us were born.  It was simply if the dog could not work, it was useless. I.e., your  livelihood depended upon dogs that could herd your flocks of sheep, as in the Border Collie, etc.

 And dogs dead from bloat were pretty useless as well.