Bloat in GSDs - Page 1

Hi.  I'm after some advice on how common bloat/twisted stomach etc is with GSDs, and any practical advice on how to prevent it happening. 

My beautiful 9 month GSD pup was rushed to the vet very lethargic two Tuesday's ago and after an x-ray it was discovered that his stomach had twisted.  There were no real symptoms other than lethargy and a slight tension in his belly that only I could recognise.  He hadn't eaten since the night before.  (This pup is so energetic that the lethargy was a real concern.)

After emergency surgery and a big vet bill my boy came home and was taking it easy, when last Tuesday morning I found him almost lifeless, stomach completely extended and blood pressure so low his gums were grey and there were no red veins in his eyes.  An even faster dash to the vet this time and after initial tubing etc to get the stomach down to size (as his blood pressure was to low to sedate and operate) they did another x-ray and found his stomach was ok (it had been stapled to his abdomen the previous week) however his spleen had twisted around his stomach. 

More emergency surgery followed and he's again back at home and feeling a bit sorry for himself.  He's on three small meals a day, currently quite bland boiled chicken and rice and Hills i/d canned food (to hide his tablets).  He'd just had his first bit of dry food the night before his last bloat - but only a small handful along with this bland recovery food.

He doesn't tend to gulp his feed and he's now not allowed to eat until he's been calm and relaxed for at least an hour (both before and after food). I've also got him inside most of the time and not allowed loose until his stitches come out.  But I'm also completely paranoid that it might happen again.  I've even arranged shorter working hours this week so I'm home to keep an eye on him!

Any suggestions or advice would be much appreciated.  I've had large dogs before (Rottweilers, Labs) but I've never come across this condition.

9 months is extremely young for bloat. I'd be inclined to think there is something else/additional wrong with this dog that this is happening. What's his history? Any other problems? 

This is my favorite bloat study.
http://www.goldenrescuestlouis.org/Bloat.asp

Hi Jenni78

No other problems other than being told off by his breeder for continuing to feed him puppy food beyond 3 months of age - he's a very tall dog, I'm 5ft 10 and I don't need to bend over at all to pat his back when he stands next to me.  He's quite lean (even more so now) and before the first round of bloat he was about 77lb.    Beau has an amazing energy and spends all his time running around chasing frisbees or just running for fun (I live on a property so there's lots of room to move).

He was de-sexed at 6months and his vaccinations are all up to date.  The breeder has a good rep for breeding strong, healthy pups (won awards locally) so it's a puzzle.

I'll check out the website link now.

Thanks :-)

Jenni78, just checked out that article - very useful info!  Beau was on dry kibble as his main food item which could be a contributing factor - no more dry food for him.  He also loves his marrow bones but the article didn't mention these as a potential trigger....

It was also interesting re the wetting of dry food as this is what my vet has now recommended (once the stitches are out).  I'll show this article to her as well - I'm going there tonight to collect my diabetic cat who's in for a blood glucose curve.  Who said pets were less expensive than children?? LOL 

Wow, I would not neuter a pup that young. That is a likely contributor to why he's so tall, and also, the narrow deep chest, which is another risk factor for bloat. Underweight dogs are at higher risk as well. I keep my dogs very very thin, but now that my male is getting older (8) I am starting to try to keep a tad more weight on him.

I still think 9mos. is very odd to have this happen. Is your vet looking deeper into an underlying cause? Some kind of digestive thing maybe that is causing these symptoms? 

Wow. 9 months IS extremely young, especially for it to have happened twice, and to implicate the spleen when the stomach couldn't move. I'd really be paranoid about this pup myself, if he were mine...I'd fear that the risk of it being a mesenteric torsion the next time was horrifically real. In all honesty, this is a dog that I don't think I would EVER leave unattended for any length of time--this is one that would go to 'doggie day care' when I had to leave for work, and would have to be with an in-home sitter if I had to travel, because it would be very, very long time before I could bring myself to have him be without direct observation save for when we were sleeping (and even then he'd be in the same room with me). I think perhaps you need to video tape him during the course of a normal day, and see if he is doing anything that causes him to swallow air more than most dogs usually do, since that's what the stomach fills with in these instances: plain old room air. Some dogs will swallow air by playing with water, biting at it in a pool, tub or large bowl, or even a lake/ocean/river, etc.... Perhaps if you can identify activities that might be contributing to these recent episodes, you might be able to make some changes that will increase odds that he (and you...and your bankbook!) don't ever go through this again.

They may have missed the spleen abnormality the first time.  Your boy is a walking 2x miracle and you must be a very vigilant owner.  If your vet suggested a neuter at that age, um...well...it flies in the face of current research and increased your dog's chances for bone cancer.  There are threads on here with research about the adverse health effects of neutering, esp early.  I am saying that because before you listen to your vet about food and wet food if it has a citric acid content, which actually increases, according the article Jenn cited, the risk of bloat...think about changing to Raw.  That diet or even a properly balanced cooked at home diet will greatly decrease the risk.  Good news, after tacking, much less risk now.  I hope all is smooth sailing from now on as you two have gone through hell and Thank God your boy is ok and has you as his guardian.    

The OP has enough to think about since his dog has already had 2 surgeries for torsion. The dog is neutered; it's done. 

I agree with Hexe's recommendations. I would also consider giving him a Gas X tablet after every meal.

Good luck.



 

Mezandbeau,

Did they tack his stomach? 

I haven't read the link Jen posted yet.  But here are a few things that I do with my dogs:  I never feed for a couple of hours before or after anything stressful, ie vet visit or exercise.  I never feed for 2 hours before or after exercising my dogs.  I do not feed dry dog, but when I did I with held water for a 1/2 or so prior and after feeding.  If you have seen a piece of kibble drop into a water dish and expand, that can happen in the stomach as well.  Even feeding raw, I do not give water with meals. 

I also always have GAS-X on hand.  I have it at home, in the car and my gear bags for work.  If I notice any dry heaving I immediately give the GAS-X, or mylanta and then if needed head to the vet quickly.  Gas-X is safe for dogs and can alleviate the gas before the bloat.  When exercising my dogs hard, I also limit water.  If I have just finished working my dog even in the heat he will get a small amount of water, less than a cup.  I wait 10 to 15  minutes and then give more water.  Dogs can "tank" drinking large amounts of water after exercising, especially in the heat.  I do not give my dogs ice water in the heat, just cool clean water.  I also do not use elevated food bowls.

The biggest things I do for bloat are not feeding before or after exercise or stress.  No water with meals.  I always have GAS-X and watch my dogs for signs of dry heaving, uncomfortable look on their face and stomach swelling.  I lost a GSD to bloat in 1993 and never want it to happen again.  If I knew these things now she wouldn't have bloated.  Bloat is a serious medical emergency, about the only thing that will kill a dog faster is getting hit by a car. 

When feeding dry food there is a link between ingredients and increased risk of bloat.  I have fed raw for years, so I haven't kept up on the dry food studies. 

Good luck with your dog, 9 months is very young.  I really hope he is ok.


Jim

That's why that study is so great; it highlights what actually did make a difference and all the headaches we've all been going through for things that made no difference whatsoever! 

Is anyone else considering a phyiscal abnormality that would be causing this to happen at this age, twice, with this severity? That's why I wondered if the vet had thoroughly looked into this or just chalked it up to "GSDS bloat." Luckily, (knock on wood) I have zero personal experience with bloat but of course have done a ton of research on it to keep it that way. I just have never heard of a totally normal 9 month old suddenly having these severe incidences. I would be terrified if he were mine.