our little godsend Posted April 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 Thanks for all your replies The first time I heard of bloat was the other day at Redditchlady's and then someone mentioned it on RMF I think Both times I heard that bloat is caused through bolting food, so I got a little concerned Panic over now, but very useful information to have Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houndwoman Posted April 13, 2006 Report Share Posted April 13, 2006 Very common in Bloodhounds. The one very great concern to Bloodhound owners. I lost my Bloodhound, Ruby to a torsion and it is the most horrendous way for them to die. Bloat is the gassing up of the stomach which if not dealt with promptly will become a torsion. You need veterinary help asap or they will die and if they are in the torsion stage they may be beyond help anyway. Surgical intervention is required for torsion but sometimes the shock is so great to the body they will die anyway. If they survive surgery there is a great possibility they will 'blow' again. There are many theories on bloat/torsion but nobody seems to have found the real answer yet. There are certain situations that may induce it although I took all the recommended precautions with Ruby and still lost her Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fee Posted April 22, 2006 Report Share Posted April 22, 2006 I knew someone who's greyhound had a preventative operation (I think part of their stomach was literally stapled in place), as they had several episodes of bloat and were felt to be at high risk of torsion. I don't know if anyone else has come across this? I also wonder if (following on from another thread) free feeding might be beneficial for dogs at risk who tend to bolt their food? It would be interesting to know if there has been any research on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houndwoman Posted April 22, 2006 Report Share Posted April 22, 2006 Yes, I have known of Bloodhounds being stapled, which helps, but I have known them to still blow afterwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ingrid Posted April 23, 2006 Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 The stapling is done to prevent the stomach twisting, which blocks the escape route for the build up of gases, this is the more serious condition. It won't totally stop stop the dog bloating, which is just as fatal. The build up causes pressure on vitial organs, causing them to fail. If you even suspect your dog has a problem, ring a vet immediately, time is important to the dogs survival. With the Dane even after the vet had initially treated her, we were given a direct number to contact him over the next 48 hours in case she started again, thus avoiding major surgery and huge vet bills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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