Post by Dobereich on Apr 3, 2014 19:22:13 GMT -5
I was asked by a client if there were ways to help prevent our Dobies from developing Bloat... gastric torsion. I wanted to share my response with you all in hopes that it can help you and your dog as well.
In addition to discussing torsion (bloat) I also want to address the topic of demand feeding (leaving food available all the time). The problem with demand feeding is that your dog becomes accustomed to having their food available to them any time they feel like eating. Besides lowering the drive to eat, this becomes an issue if you need to board them, fast them, medicate them with food, or bring a second dog into the house that has a higher food drive. I strongly recommend giving 2 meals a day to an adult dog throughout its life. If on raw I would give meat twice a day, veggie/fruit mix in the middle.
The other issue with demand feeding is that I find dogs almost always go for a drink of water after they eat. Here is where problems can occur, the water expands the kibble, but also creates a heaviness in the stomach. A dog can bloat from just water, so I can say that where there is a dietary component to bloat, there are a lot of other factors as well.
I’ve only ever had one dog bloat. He had a habit of sleeping on his back upside down on the couch, where he slept at night as well. Once and awhile something would wake him suddenly and he would flip over like a jet to his feet on the floor. One night this happened and he flipped his stomach a full turn (true torsion). Thankfully we caught this right away and my vet was able to perform surgery fairly quickly, and with full recovery.
There has been talk that there can be a hereditary component to torsion as well. However I think its more of a predisposition then anything else. Deep chested large breed dogs are the most susceptible to torsion. As for diet, well, I do believe that there could be some foods in combination that could cause issues.... like gassy foods, feeding high amounts of citrus with meat, etc. But I still believe that there can be a predisposition that makes one dog more susceptible then another, and this would be the same as people... some get reflux, some don’t, some have a PH that is alkaline, others acidic, etc, etc.
So here’s my suggestion to minimize the risks of accidental torsion.
1 – always exercise your dog on an empty stomach, preferably before they eat.
2 – withhold water for a min of 2 hours after eating.
3 – Your dog should rest/sleep on a full belly.
4 – Feed twice a day.
A healthy routine might look something like this. In the morning exercise your dog, give a drink, rest. About an hour later let your dog out for a pee and then feed them. After eating its quiet time, crate rest or just chill time at home. Wait a min of 2 hours before putting water down again, or if your going to work your dog should be OK to wait till you get home before leaving the water down for the rest of the day. If you have a walker coming in, arrange for them to offer a modest drink after their walk about 3-4 hours after you’ve left them. Two hours before bed exercise your dog and let them take a drink before you take up the water for the night. Either directly before, or an hour before bed, let your dog out for last potty break, feed, bedtime.
A heavy solid stomach is a sign that your dog took in too much food or water. Crate rest, bathroom every 30 mins on leash, and monitor the size of the stomach. If its getting larger, or if you tap the side of the stomach it feels tight and makes a drum sound (gas)... get to the vet right away! Every minute matters when dealing with torsion. The enlarged stomach cuts off blood by way of major artery and the dog can go into cardiac arrest. But while the stomach is twisted its being restricted of blood flow, besides the painful enlargement, the tissue starts to become necrotic very quickly. Even if a dog survives surgery they end up with permanent damage and need to be put to sleep if the stomach is necrotic. The dead tissue spreads and the stomach is unable to function.
Some things that can trigger torsion in an otherwise normal dog are;
In addition to discussing torsion (bloat) I also want to address the topic of demand feeding (leaving food available all the time). The problem with demand feeding is that your dog becomes accustomed to having their food available to them any time they feel like eating. Besides lowering the drive to eat, this becomes an issue if you need to board them, fast them, medicate them with food, or bring a second dog into the house that has a higher food drive. I strongly recommend giving 2 meals a day to an adult dog throughout its life. If on raw I would give meat twice a day, veggie/fruit mix in the middle.
The other issue with demand feeding is that I find dogs almost always go for a drink of water after they eat. Here is where problems can occur, the water expands the kibble, but also creates a heaviness in the stomach. A dog can bloat from just water, so I can say that where there is a dietary component to bloat, there are a lot of other factors as well.
I’ve only ever had one dog bloat. He had a habit of sleeping on his back upside down on the couch, where he slept at night as well. Once and awhile something would wake him suddenly and he would flip over like a jet to his feet on the floor. One night this happened and he flipped his stomach a full turn (true torsion). Thankfully we caught this right away and my vet was able to perform surgery fairly quickly, and with full recovery.
There has been talk that there can be a hereditary component to torsion as well. However I think its more of a predisposition then anything else. Deep chested large breed dogs are the most susceptible to torsion. As for diet, well, I do believe that there could be some foods in combination that could cause issues.... like gassy foods, feeding high amounts of citrus with meat, etc. But I still believe that there can be a predisposition that makes one dog more susceptible then another, and this would be the same as people... some get reflux, some don’t, some have a PH that is alkaline, others acidic, etc, etc.
So here’s my suggestion to minimize the risks of accidental torsion.
1 – always exercise your dog on an empty stomach, preferably before they eat.
2 – withhold water for a min of 2 hours after eating.
3 – Your dog should rest/sleep on a full belly.
4 – Feed twice a day.
A healthy routine might look something like this. In the morning exercise your dog, give a drink, rest. About an hour later let your dog out for a pee and then feed them. After eating its quiet time, crate rest or just chill time at home. Wait a min of 2 hours before putting water down again, or if your going to work your dog should be OK to wait till you get home before leaving the water down for the rest of the day. If you have a walker coming in, arrange for them to offer a modest drink after their walk about 3-4 hours after you’ve left them. Two hours before bed exercise your dog and let them take a drink before you take up the water for the night. Either directly before, or an hour before bed, let your dog out for last potty break, feed, bedtime.
A heavy solid stomach is a sign that your dog took in too much food or water. Crate rest, bathroom every 30 mins on leash, and monitor the size of the stomach. If its getting larger, or if you tap the side of the stomach it feels tight and makes a drum sound (gas)... get to the vet right away! Every minute matters when dealing with torsion. The enlarged stomach cuts off blood by way of major artery and the dog can go into cardiac arrest. But while the stomach is twisted its being restricted of blood flow, besides the painful enlargement, the tissue starts to become necrotic very quickly. Even if a dog survives surgery they end up with permanent damage and need to be put to sleep if the stomach is necrotic. The dead tissue spreads and the stomach is unable to function.
Some things that can trigger torsion in an otherwise normal dog are;
- eating dry kibble followed by drinking a large quantity of water.
- eats too fast(gulping air).
- gulping air through excessive barking.
- taking in water and air during swimming and water play.
- eating large quantities of ice/snow after meals.
- fermentation in the gut.
- exercise on a full stomach.