German Shepherd FOOD BLOAT - Page 1

Hi Vom Brunhaus:  Do you mean where the dog experiences the gas build up, but stomach does not flip?  I have had 2 dogs that this has happend too.  I rushed each to the er vet and they were able to relieve the gas before the stomach flipped.  Dogs stayed overnight 1 night and went home in the morning.  I was told that dogs that bloated but stomach had not flipped were very likely to have the stomach flip within the next 2 weeks following an incident, however neither one of mine did.

Hi Reno, Vet did not say it was gas build up but food buildup? Recomended pepcid ac 20 mg. VB

Suggestion: buy a better quality food.....split the meals...raise the dishes....wet the food so it will expand before feeding.
there are new dishes for sale that force the dogs to eat slower, have a round "dome" in the middle, or just get like a plastic tray and spread the food on it, forcing him to eat one or two kibbles at a time

Have a liquid anti-Gas handy, and put it down his throat at first sign.....get a clear1/3 of an inch hose and have vet measure distance from stomach to outside of his mouth, which you can use to relieve the gas...these two things will work IF you are there, but most times,people just find them.....and is too late, so is better to follow the steps on top, and be prepared

Good Luck

I agree regarding the food.  Does the current kibble you use have citric acid in it?  I was feeding California Naturals and had two incidence of bloat (without stomach flipping this summer) and one where the stomach did flip.  I switched to a food that does not contain citric acid, feed mostly a wet food for dinner and feed smaller more frequent meals.  I have noticed the dogs that had bloated (but not flipped) have less gut sounds after eating and have had no issues since switching foods.  This all happened from July 4th thru September.  I switched the food in early September and all seems better with them.

Cheryl

FEED RAW.   Best of luck  Nan

 This happened to my dog.  She is and always has been on a raw diet.  she has EPI (exocrine pancreatic insuficieny)  Not that had anything to do with the bloat not sure.  But the bone meat mix may haave contributed it was a course grind,  I now feed a fine grind and no more than 30% bone.  She has not had a problem since.  They treated with pepcid.  

Lyn

This happened to a WGSL that I used to petsit for a few years ago.  The owners left the laundry room door open and the dog got into the plastic bin where they kept the food.  He ate about 5-6 lbs of food.  The vet x-rayed and the stomach was full of food.  From what I was told, the stomach can't flip in this situation but it's extremely uncomfortable for the dog and you have to keep a close eye on the dog during recovery because it could lead to regular gastric torsion bloat since the stomach was stretched out.

 Do NOT raise food dishes; that has been disproven many times, and in fact, has been shown to  lead to a HIGHER risk of bloat. Dogs are not designed to eat at a table. 

I also have read recently that wetting food may do more harm than good as well. I'll see if I can find that study.

I think structure may have more to do with it than we think; I know breeders who have never had even one case in 50 years...and people who have it frequently. Hereditary? Maybe, but not sure it's that simple. There are theories that looser ligaments, as often seen in stretched Am. Showlines, especially (though it can occur in any GSD), are partially to blame. The shorter-coupled, more efficiently built (for work) dogs don't seem to experience bloat as often.