Recognizing the Signs of Bloat - Page 1

This video could save your dog's life:  http://thebark.com/content/recognizing-signs-bloat-video

It's also educational to read the comments below it. One vet mucked around for THREE DAYS, not realizing the dog was bloating. (Okay, it must have been an unusual case. Most dogs bload and die very quickly.)

We all hope this never happens to our dogs. But when it does, early recognition is vital to the dog's survival. When this topic was being discussed in another forum, one poster said it's not a bad idea to have your vet on speed dial for an emergency like this.

Reference guide you might consider printing and putting on your fridge.  Be sure to add vet's emergency phone number.

When it's happening you don't have much time to think or look for things.

Thanks.  I posted on my fridge.

An additional caution, if I may:  When my older male bloated & torsioned earlier this year, the expansion was nearly ALL in his rib cage area--he's very barrel-chested, with a short loin area, and his rib cage was so tight you could have bounced quarters off it...but his abdominal area looked fairly normal, though it was tense and hard on palpation. 

Do NOT overlook ANY evidence of expansion of the dog's RIB CAGE, in addition to the belly, even if the abdominal area behind the rib cage doesn't appear to have enlarged. A good rule of thumb is that if the dog seems to be fuller or 'tighter' anywhere from the shoulders on back to the hips, he or she may be bloating and needs to be checked out by a vet.  Yeah, it's possible you could run the dog into the vet's office, only to have the dog belch heartily while in transit and decompress themselves--something I've had happen @ 2 AM on a Saturday morning--but better that, and pay a modest emergency exam fee, than risk losing the dog because you DIDN'T act when you thought the dog's ribs looked a bit more 'sprung' than normal. 

Thank You for posting such an important issue that i think the majority of dog(especially German Shepherds) owners know nothing about. I wish all breeders would talk to their buyers and give out imformation to them about Bloat. It is such an important issue to be aware of. A month ago, our 2 year old male Shepherd was showing a couple signs of Bloat (of course at 8:00 at night on a Sunday), so off to the emergency vet we flew(luckily, its only 5 min away), and we were told his "roached" back was due to some shoulder pain he was having and that everything else checked out fine(thank god). As i was standing at the counter paying, the nurse looked over at me and said "ya know, your dog is very fortunate to have you as an owner because you knew the signs of Bloat and rushed him here, even though he didnt have it, you were still cautious and not many people know what Bloat is". I also think Bloat reference guides should be posted up at vets offices for customers to read. Maybe they are in some, but, i know they are not in mine. So, i will print the reference guide that Wildbill7145 so kindly posted and take it to my vet and ask them to post it, because it is a very important issue.