Blake is an eight-year old Lab x Golden Retriever and has just had to have major surgery to release a build up of gas in his stomach and intestines. This is the second time this has happened, the first being two years ago.
He has two meals a day of Chappie Complete as recommended by my vet and is not allowed to exercise before or after meals. He is a fit and active dog, weighing 32kgs and has no other health problems.
Can you suggest what might be causing this?
Is there anything I can do to prevent it happening again?
Is surgery the only option? In the latest operation the gas was removed with a stomach tube, did he need to be opened up for this procedure?
I would be grateful for any advice.
Helen Lane, by email
(Also posted on our feeding blog)
Hi Helen,
My James (StaffiexLurcher) is prone to bloat so I understand your feelings of frustration and worry.
The technical name for bloat is Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (GDV) and usually happens when there's an abnormal accumulation of air, fluid, and sometimes food in the stomach. As the stomach swells, it may rotate 90° to 360°, twisting between its fixed attachments at the esophagus and at the duodenum.This twisting traps air, food, and water in the stomach while the bloated stomach itself obstructs veins in the abdomen, leading to low blood pressure, shock, and damage to internal organs.
There are lots of reasons for the onset of bloat which may include some or all of the following:
1. Eating Habits: Eating too quickly, drinking too quickly, eating foods high in fat,eating dry food, eating gas producing foods such as those containing soya or brewer's yeast products - may all contribute.
2. Exercise: Even moderate exercise one hour before or two hours after a meal may trigger an episode.
3. Build/Physiology: Deep chested breeds, older dogs and male dogs are all prone to bloat more than others.
4. Stress: Anxiety, nerves or a change in circumstance can also be contributing factors.
5. Heredity: Unfortunately, some dogs regardless of breed are just more susceptible to bloat than others, especially those that have close relatives who also suffer from the same problem. If you haven't done so already, it would be a good idea to have Blake checked for Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI), which occurs when the part of the pancreas that produces digestive enzymes no longer functions properly. Although it's not a very common aliment, it would be worth exploring the possibility with your vet.
Managing bloat usually involves incorporating lots of small changes to diet and daily routine. One of which is moving from dry food to tinned or perhaps consider feeding Blake a Natural Diet. As your vet has recommend Chappie, let me just say that in my experience, Chappie has suited dogs with all manner of digestive complaints, so if your vet is happy with the move from dry to tinned I would go down that route first. Although there is nothing intrinsically wrong with dry kibble, it can swell in the stomach and is never normally advised for dog's prone to bloat.
Feeding Blake from a raised bowl may slow him down, but the jury is still out as to weather or not it will have an effect in preventing bloat. I work with several vets who feel that feeding from a raised bowl actually does more harm than good, but I also work with some who highly recommend them. Regardless of your decision, it's a good idea to split Blake's current two meals a day into three with that third being offered in a puzzle toy such as a Kong or similar. This will help to slow him down, as well as engage his mind. If you do switch to tins, try not to mash his food up in his bowl but leave it in largish chunks so that he needs to chew his food before swallowing. The very act of chewing triggers the production of digestion enzymes which in turn will help him digest his food properly.
Thinking outside the box, you may wish to look into Canine Massage Therapy if you feel stress may be playing a part in Blake's condition. My James has a bi-weekly session in order to help manage his back problem, but I've also found that since starting the regime he is much more relaxed and we haven't had any major issues with his digestion. If you do decide to give Massage Therapy a try, make sure you find someone who is properly qualified and is happy to work with your vet (ie provide professional reports etc).
If all of the above do not address Blake's issue, then you may need to consider surgery. Laparoscopic assisted gastropexy is an operation that fixes the stomach to the body wall permanently in order to prevent the twisting of the stomach. However, since no operation should be considered lightly, a full and frank discussion of the pros and cons for Blake should be had with your vet.
Claire Goyer
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Is Chappie Complete a dry food, if so, try wet meat Chappie with buscuits. This might go through his system easier. Perhaps dry food is too dry and staying in his system too long. Suggest also try another vet for second opinion.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Linda P. Case (http://www.autumngoldconsulting.com/), studies have shown that the amount of meals, and how fast the dogs eats are the major factors that owners can influence. So feeding more (ie more than two), smaller meals, and slowing the dogs rate of eating down help more than avoiding exercise.
ReplyDeleteFeed a grain free diet, one that does not swell when water is added.
ReplyDeleteSome fresh meat is also good and like the other comments I would feed 2 meals a day and no walks before or after feeding.
Is it really diet related? No vet has ever said this is the cause.
ReplyDeleteThe vet who saw him most recently was convinced he had caught a bug from my other dog. She had diarrhoea with blood in it.
Others suggest it could be something he has scavenged while out walking.
Or drunk too much water at one go?
I have put him on 3 meals a day but if it is not diet related this won't help.
I'd ditch all dried food permanently, & switch to a more natural diet. If possible something like the Natures's Menu frozen nuggets, if the raw feeding thing is too scary.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to stick with manufactured food, Natures's Menu natural cans & pouches, or those made by Naturediet, or Denes tinned, are good, even tinned Chappie (it doesn't need mixer) would be better than the dried.
If possible split into 3 or 4 meals a day.
In reply to your second post, drinking a lot of water is necessary if a dog is fed dried food, try putting some dried in a bowl & seeing just how much water it can absorb, & how much it swells up, because that is what happens inside your dog.
As karen has already mentioned a grain free diet might help. We have had a good response from our customers who have tried Orijen Dog food, and the Acana range. As it is a high protien food you feed less, thus less build up of food in the stomach. Another product to try is Burns Pork & potato. Again we have had a good response from customers with similar problems.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, indigestion is the root cause of bloat. Most dogs will get diarrhoea or vomiting but larger breeds may get bloat instead. The solution therefore is to improve the function of the digestive system by
ReplyDelete1) highly digestible food
2) Feed very sparingly i.e. probably less that the average recommended daily amount.
3) Divide the daily amount into 2 meals. (This is probaly less important than 1 and 2.)
It is not correct to say that grain-based foods are more likely to cause bloat. Burns foods are highly digestible and so should be suitable. That includes our brown rice and maize-based foods and our Pork and Potato. This allows you to feed a smaller volume of food which will be well digested. For example, the daily recommended amount of Burns for a 32 kg dog is 300-320 grammes per day but you should aim for 200 -250 grammammes per day. As with all health problems I recommend using our nutrition team for advice.
John Burns BVMS MRCVS
Burns Pet Nutrition