dog with bloat?

jordan · #1 07/03/10, 10:54 PM

I hope someone here can help. I have a mastiff that appears to be bloating. He has done this before and had his stomach stapled 3 years ago when he bloated for the second time. There has been no reoccurance until now.
He is fed a diet of raw beef and chicken quarters since the surgery, but I read somewhere recently that raw chicken with bone can actually cause bloat. Does anyone know if this is correct?
He lives with my goats and I have noticed lately he has been eating the droppings (yuck). Could this be causing the problem again?
Please do not condemn me but I simply do not have the money to take him to the vet and I have no way to come up with it. Is there anything I can do to help him?
Thank you.
Lois

Ravenlost · #2 07/04/10, 12:00 AM

I'm sorry, but with his history this should be considered an emergency. You really need to take him to an ER vet facility NOW. If there is none, call the SPCA.

Oregon Julie · #3 07/04/10, 12:30 AM

http://www.dachshund.org/bloat_instructions.html

I have used Digel in a Standard Poodle who bloated and he had very fast relief, however I agree that this is an emergency and it won't help if he actually has a torsion. As to a raw diet being a negative for a dog that has bloated, I think it is actually the reverse. Raw food does not swell like kibble. Many people who feed a raw diet to their large or deep chested dogs do so because of the better results of raw vs. kibble with the bloat factor of those breeds.

Oakshire_Farm · #4 07/04/10, 02:07 AM

I have a client with a dog that has bloated before and had the surgery. She has occasional episodes of bloat now and then, they give her malox (sp?) or something like tums if she starts acting like she is going to bloat again. It is worth a try, good luck

Willowynd · #5 07/04/10, 06:04 AM

I hope you ahve gotten the dog to the vet by now. Gas-X will help releive gas IF the stomach has not torsioned yet. If that does not work, you should have a long piece of tubing on hand to pass into the stomach. You can ask your vet for a stomach tube to keep on hand for this purpose and ask him to show you how to mark and pass the tube. You should also keep a large gauge needle on hand in case you are unable to pass the tube because the stomach has already torsioned. In this case you will insert the needle into the stomach (have your vet show you where) to release the gas. This can be the difference between life and death especially if you are far from a vet.
Bloat...it is genetic propensity. Nothing you do will reduce or increase the chances of bloat. Studies have been done and it was found that feeding in raised dishes actually seemed to increase the risk slightly and all other things people do to try to prevent it did not make a difference. If the dog is going to bloat, it will bloat. Many people blame stress, giving water too close to a meal, letting the dog exercise after a meal, etc. Honestly, it does not matter. I have had a dog consume 15 lbs of kibble when it got out of his kennel inside, opened a sealed tub of feed-the dog had free access to water and was runnning around in the aisle of the kennel building causing a ruckus (which is when I went out to see what was going on and discovered what he had done)...he did not bloat though I fully expected him to under those conditions and watched him all night waiting.
Also I have fed raw for 6 yrs now and never had a case of bloat - either on kibble or raw in the 15 yrs I have raised collies (also a bloat breed). I have always had a bloat kit on hand just in case, but never had to use it.
I do know once they bloat, they are likely to bloat again- with or without surgery. The hope is with a tacked stomach that the dog will not torsion before help can be reached.