Health Alert: Large Dogs & Bloat
Two weeks ago, we drove our Dogue de Bordeaux, Eli, to an emergency vet at 6 AM. Eli was bloating; as people with large breed dogs know, bloat is a serious medical concern and the number one killer of large breeds. He was x-rayed, given IV fluids, and in surgery by 7:30. However, it was too late: the majority of his stomach was dead due to lack of lack of blood flow, and chance of recovery from that is so low that we opted to (more humanely) euthanize him. He was 2, and in excellent health overall. So what happened?
Bloat is kind of what it sounds like- the stomach fills with gas caused by food that has absorbed moisture and expanded. The pressure can cause the stomach to flip on itself (known as torsion). Once that has happened, the stomach is cut off from the rest of the digestive system, and bloat can no longer be resolved by vomiting or any release of gas. More importantly, the stomach is cut off from blood supply and oxygen, which quickly leads to necrotic tissue (how much of the tissue dies is dependent on how quickly the dog is treated).
Among the warning signs of bloat: general unease and restless behavior (pacing around, not following normal habit); excessive salivating; increased heart rate; discomfort standing and/or lying down; retching without vomiting- white foamy stuff may come out, but nothing substantial. The earliest and most obvious sign is the last- if a dog is clearly nauseous and attempting to vomit, but cannot, one should then assume the dog is bloating. Visible bloating often follows- Eli’s abdomen, which was usually quite fit and lean, looked and felt like there was a basketball in his stomach. Those are signs we witnessed; there are a number of others.
Once a vet has identified a case of bloat (usually it is obvious or will be quickly determined by x-rays), treatment begins immediately: fluids will be given and the dog will be treated for shock, attempts to decompress the stomach are made, and surgery is often required. This surgery is officially called gastropexy- it involves untwisting the stomach and tacking (attaching) it to the abdominal wall to prevent a future episode of torsion. Note that while that procedure will not prevent bloat altogether, it will prevent the dangerous escalation from a bloated stomach to a contorted one.
The single most important thing we did not know before this event: gastropexy can be done as a preventive procedure for high risk dogs. All large (over 90 lbs. or so) dogs, especially those with deep-chested builds (noticeable difference between the width of the chest and of the stomach area) are susceptible to bloat, though some breeds are higher risk than others. This surgery is, of course, performed under anesthesia, but can be done at the same time as spaying/neutering so your dog doesn’t have to go under twice.
We’re now educating as many people as possible about the prophylactic gastropexy, because no one told us- no vet, no other large-breed dog owner, not even the breeders of our dog (who are reputable and do everything they can for their dogs’ health and happiness). So while this is a scary and pretty depressing (at least for us) topic, we wanted to present it here. Reading this could be a life-saver for your dog.
A couple links to good articles about bloat and most susceptible breeds:
good basic introduction and more medical discussion.
If you’re not familiar with the medical terms and jargon, it’s best to read the first before the second.
Eli, who weighed in around 145 lbs. Reef is curled up between his legs (she’s about 40 lbs., for comparison).
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February 28th, 2007 at 9:11 am
I’m so sorry about Eli. That just breaks my heart. It is important for people to be aware of health issues for whatever breed they choose. Good reminder.
February 28th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
Sorry to hear about Eli—how sad.
March 1st, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Eli is a beautiful big boy- so sorry you lost him.
March 29th, 2007 at 10:09 pm
I’m so sorry to hear about Eli. I just went through this, successfully, with my dog Rico. The reason I am posting here is because this is so often associated with only large breed dogs. My Rico is a Chow chow, 60 pounds, 8 years old. I had never ever heard about this before either!
April 15th, 2007 at 9:06 am
I’m sorry for your loss,and admire your courage to post the information about Eli. I will take the prevention method and while going thru neutering I’ll have the stomach attached. Thanks for the advice. I was shocked to know how common this problem is….I’ve just experienced it with my Std. Poodle & asked at the emergency clinic how often this surgery was preformed & she said ALMOST DAILY:~(
June 12th, 2007 at 10:49 am
thanks for posting this- we lost our 60 lb pit rot chow mix yesterday- I wish I had know the symptoms- I had no idea until it was too late. its terrible to read but also helps to know that we’re not alone with this.
September 22nd, 2007 at 6:32 am
Sorry to hear about Eli. I lost my boxer, Abby, in October last year with the same thing. It was horrible for her as it was for our family. She was in lots of pain and it was heartwrenching to hear her cry. She had surgery in the middle of the night and unfortunately it was too late, she developed DIC. She fought hard for 2 1/2 days but there was no hope; her organs started to shut down. I am here doing research to reassure myself that having the gastroplexy procedure we have scheduled for our 7 month old boxer puppy, Jodie is the right decision. After reading here, I think I have my answer. I have had mixed opinions about this, but I would hate to have any other dog experience this horrible painful thing.
September 22nd, 2007 at 10:33 pm
We feel your pain. We had 2 Great Pyrenese and 4 days after I put the female down for old age, our 5 year old male died of the bloat. Our vet conducted immediate surgery to no avail – we had waited the night thinking he was just sick. We were devasted – our 2 best friends were gone in less than a week. We had never known of the disorder and nobody had ever warned us either. Worse yet, it isn’t something all that obvious when it occurs and not everyone has access to ‘emergency’ pet hospitals with 24 hour service. That was 4 months ago and we have moved on to another giant breed, a St.Bernard, but we are MUCH more educated. Word of note – research and advice on this is conflicting. For example, everyone told us a raised food bowl helps prevent the bloat, but the studies from your links clearly show that raised food bowls significantly INCREASE the risk. God bless you.
October 1st, 2007 at 4:07 pm
I am so sorry for your loss, but I am grateful that you posted this information, albeit too late for me. My siberian Husky-rottweiler mix (my Huskweiler) Toby died from this (we believe) this weekend. I am so sad
He was fine one minute, began vomiting what he just ate, and then became distressed – I thought he was just freaking out from throwing up – I put him outside while I cleaned up what he threw up and then when I went to check on his about 20-30 minutues later, he was in shock and never even made it to the emergency vet. If I had known of this disease, I would have/should have…oh well, you know. My condolences on your loss.
October 16th, 2007 at 9:36 pm
I send my regards with you and your family and may Eli R.I.P. my baby girl Laila which was a boxer past away last night about 8:45 p.m 10-15-07 she just turned one ten days earlier. Boy was she a joy! she was in a bad enviroment for 10 months until I took her from my sister because it was breaking my heart on how she was mistreated. She gained weight played ran around the house 100 mph I mean she lit my life,she was spoiled by me and deserved every bit of it. I couldnt wait to wake up to her, see when I got home.Last night she was playing like always, my father took her to the yard to poppie then I went 1/2 hr later to bring her in and notice she wasnt coming in, as I went to look for her I found her dead in the yard she wasnt bleeding,no marks nothing also it was her 1st day in heat. Her vet told me it was probaly a heart attack! can this be true? my heart is shattered please someone help with some info
November 15th, 2007 at 2:40 am
I am so sorry for your loss. We are experiencing the same thing now. We lost our 6 year old English Mastiff to Bloat last night. She had been sick for the past week and actually refused to eat. Last night she started panting and her stomach was so swollen. We immediately took her to the Emergency Vet but she never made it past the car ride. We had no idea or even heard of Bloat. I just hate the thought of how painful this was for her. Now we have to tell our 4 year old.
January 15th, 2008 at 6:35 am
My Japanese Akita died of bloat, She had been running around being her normal self then her stomach swelled up + 2 hrs later she died. We were in total shock + had never heard of bloat.
January 21st, 2008 at 12:31 pm
I am so sad to read these stories. We lost our Samoyed from bloat one week ago today.
It was very sudden and we live 5 minutes away from our vet. The vet operated, but because the stomach flipped it tore away from the spleen which caused a bleed. The vet, God Bless him, stopped the bleeding, but there was more bleeding elsewhere. He was suffering and we loved him so…we chose to let him go rather than opening him again. His gums were pale and it was evident he was in shock. It was hard to let go.He had sugery earlier in the day on his eye for glaucoma and it would have been more trauma.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:58 am
This story has been so informative for me. My 10 year old Akita/Shepherd/Pitt mix, who had his gallbladder and spleen removed in October (5 months ago), was out on his walk last night, when he suddenly started to walk sideways and look drunk. Then, he laid in the grass and would not get up. I was petrified! I called my husband and he came with the SUV and took him home. That night, he was panting heavily, and his abdomen was heaving a lot. My husband had let him eat oil-laden onions from his plate just an hour ago and he isn’t supposed to eat high fat foods. At 1 am, I was searching for answers! I thought he might die of bloat.. but the next morning, he was fine. But, this episode had made me aware of this problem which I had no idea. My dog didn’t vomit… he just breathed heavily for awhile, and then, he was fine in the morning. I think it was indigestion in his case. Sorry to hear about Eli, but you have enlightened many of us!
April 16th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
My beautiful Akita “Jada” just passed away this morning from bloating. I have never heard of this before. I keep thinking if I had, maybe I could have saved her. She seemed fine one moment, a few hours later she was panting heavily, restless and stomach seemed swollen. I called the emergency vet and explained what was happening and they told me to bring her in immediately. I drove her there in 6 minutes called the vet to meet me in the parking lot to help me bring her in, and she was already gone. They asked me if I wanted them to do CPR and I said Yes anything you can do to save her. They tried but there was nothing more that they could do. I am so hurt and devastasted. I hope that this website can help someone to recognize the signs so they will be able to react before the worse happens. I found this site because I wanted to know more about this condition, unfortunately I found it too late.
April 16th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
My apologies, in my telling my story I forgot to say that I’m sorry for the loss of everyone that has had to go through this. I feel your pain, literally. I have a lot of wonderful memories of Jada and that’s something that can never be erased. I hope you all can find comfort in the good memories that you have with your loved ones.
May 4th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
My heart aches after reading all of these sad stories. My dog had surgery 5 days ago. We were lucky that we got him to the emergency vet so fast. Charlie is a healthy 2 yr old standard poodle.The night of his surgery we gave him table scraps and then he picked at his own food. I let him out in the back for a pee and 5 minutes later he was acting strange. He was dry heaving and whining. I thought that he was constipated so I took him for a walk and he began walking funny almost as if his back legs were semi paralized. He was panting and then lied down. I called my vet and was told to take him directly to the emergency clinic. Within 1 hour of the first symptom we were at the clinic. Within 1 1/2 hours he was in surgery due to his stomach flipping. Surgery was 3 hours and luckily he is doing fine.
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:35 pm
I’m sorry for everyone who has lost a pet due to bloat. My Great Dane, Winston, died from it a few years ago and it was an incredible loss. We opted to do the gastropexy when we got a new Dane, and so far we haven’t had any problem.
Also, after reading one of the postings, I felt compelled to reply since most people aren’t aware that there’s a lot of “people” food that can be toxic to your pet – including onions. Onions, garlic, chocolate, raisons, grapes are just a few foods that given even in small amounts can be deadly to your pet. A quick internet search can provide a pretty comprehensive list of the foods you should avoid feeding your pet – http://www.entirelypets.com/toxicfoods.html
May 31st, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Our American Bulldog, Petey, died from the bloat just three days ago. He was in perfect health and only four years old. He was like one of our children. We loved him so. The night before I fell down our garage steps and spent most of the night at the emergancy room. I am four months pregnante. I heard Petey crying at my bedside and thought he wanted outside. I could not get out of bed due to the pain and a knee injury. In the morning he was barely moving and we rushed him to the vet. He died on the way. I blamed myself for not listening to my boy and unable to help him. I have found comfort in the websites on dog bloat to understand I am not alone in my pain.
His mate Darla, had 13 puppies in March and we had sold all but one the night before he died. The little girl puppy none seemed to take to, who is so much like him, is lightening our loss and pain. I thank God for the three years we were blessed with such love and devoation from Petey.
July 10th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
This happened to my dog a couple of days ago. My dog was 14 years old but only weighed 55 pounds. I wouldn’t consider him large breed. I have been around animals my entire life as I grew up on a farm and still had never heard of this. I am so sorry for the loss of your dog, I know how painful it is.
August 28th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
I did not know about bloat. Last Tuesday 08/26/2008, my Chow Chow Bella Bear was going in and out of the dog door and made a little whinning noise. I knew immediately that something was amiss. I went to her and I usually give her a belly rub and to my surprise, her abdomen was hard as a blown up balloon and Bella cried again. I called my Vet right away and they told me not to bring her in, but to take her to the Emergency Animal Hospital immediately plus adding that this is life threatening. I immediately drove Bella to the hospital and they were waiting for my arrival due to a call from my Vet and within a half hour, Bella was in emergency surgery. I was lucky and Bella even luckier as the surgery was a success and she is home with me now. I was fortunate enough to have noticed the symptoms and reacted quickly. It saved her life! Her stomach turned 90 degrees and her spleen was moved, but because this was corrected right away, there was no damage to any organs. Her stomach was repositioned and spleen put back with no ill effects. Bella is in recovery and in the healing process that will take about 3 weeks. We are grateful to have terrific Vets and owe them our eternal graditude. Everyone that has a dog should be armed with the knowledge required to look out for bloat. I can kill within hours!
August 29th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
I’M SO SORRY ABOUT YOUR DOG!!! MY BLUE FAWN PIT BULL JUST PASSED AWAY YESTERDAY FROM THE SAME THING. I DRIVE TRUCKS AT NIGHT & GET OFF THE FOLLOWING DAY. WELL, DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY I GOT HOME & FED HIM ALONG WITH MY OTHER 2 PITS. HE WAS PERFECTLY FINE, HAPPY, & LOVING AS NORMAL, BUT WHEN I CAME HOME FROM WORK YESTERDAY………HE WAS GONE. HE HAD BLOOD COMING OUT OF HIS NOSE & MOUTH, & HIS PUPILS WERE RED. HE WAS BLOATED WITH A GREEN TINT ON HIS BELLY & A HORRIBLE ODOR. IT LOOKED LIKE BETWEEN THE 12 HRS I WAS GONE HE SUFFERED. I WOULD GIVE ANYTHING TO HAVE BEEN THERE TO TAKE CARE OF HIM. THE VET DID AN AUTOPSY & HE TOLD ME HIS STOMACH HAD FLIPPED ON HIM. HE WAS MY SON & MY HEART. I WILL FOREVER LOVE HIM. YOU CAN SEE PICS OF HIM AT MYSPACE.COM/FACE607
September 7th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
I was on here looking cause my 13 week old boxer puppy has a swollen stomah and im worried he is going to the vet first thing in the morning but i just wanted to tell you thank you cause the information you have given me helps my 2 boxer puppies to have a better future thank you so much
September 19th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
[...] is a life threatening condition that almost all large and giant breeds are susceptible to. Please read up on this condition if you are interested in this [...]
September 26th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Sorry about your loss.
My Akita died on Sept 22, 2008. I am about 80% sure he died of this condition. My regards to all who have lost a pet.
October 1st, 2008 at 4:59 pm
[...] are prone to bloat, a deadly condition where the stomach flips. Please read more about this if you are interested in this [...]
October 7th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
We lost our six year old Belgian Malinois,”Ruby”, to bloat several days ago. My wife and I are still very upset. It all started early Wednesday morning (around 2am) when we heard her moaning and saw her dry heaving. I thought nothing of it – I thought she had bad gas. My wife was more concerned and took her to the vet at around 10am (I left work to meet her there). The vet diagnosed her and told us she had little time to live and immediate surgery was needed at a cost of between $3k and $5k with a 50% chance of survival after surgery. Given the $ and chance of survival, we decided to say goodbye to her and have the vet put her to sleep… An hour later, one of the other vets at the practice called to say she would perform the surgery for free from money gained through a fund raiser. We gladly agreed! We saw Ruby the day after the surgery (Thursday) and she was in great spirits; we even walked her and she stood up and put her paws on my wife. On Friday after work, the vet released her to us – we all thought she was “out of the woods”… But, when we got her home we could tell she was not the same dog we saw the day before. We just thought she was in pain from the surgery; and we gave her the perscribed medication for the pain. But, she got worse into the night. We noticed a strange odor from her; she was too uncomfortable to lie down; and, she started to stagger as she walked. At around 5am Saturday, she collapsed on our living room floor. My wife held her while I petted her and she expired moments after she collapsed. My wife and I were devistated – extremely upset. We thought she was in pain recovering from the surgery; but, later learned her body couldn’t fight off the toxins that had built up… In retrospect, I wish we had her put to sleep when we first brought her in on Wednesday. But we’d be second guessing ourselves if we didn’t give a chance at the surgery… The vets we and all the staff at the hospital we’re so upset; they paid for her creamation… My wife and I feel for anyone who goes through this. My heart goes out to all who posted.
October 13th, 2008 at 11:53 am
Our German Sheperd died last night because of bloat…vomitting mucus but nothing else…husband thought it was because he was eating leaves again as a digestive aid…he was anxious (but GS’s tend to be anyway)…he was 11 years young….perfect hips…nothing wrong with our ‘champion’ dog…..he died overnight apparently….the worst news this morning to hear that your dog passed on (and what probably was such an awful death). I always thought he would die peacefully in his sleep years from now….I am without any other words….a loss I cannot describe but I know you have gone through as well.
October 18th, 2008 at 8:56 am
We lost our beautiful Siberian husky mix dog last week to Bloat. He was almost 5 and a very special member of our family, we are all devastated. We recognized he wasn’t doing well and called the vet for advice, she just told us to limit his water and withhold his food, she said she was concerned about bloating, but never told us it could kill him. We waited all night for her office to open at 10 the next morning, and when we got there, she gave him almost no chance, it was too late. He was euthanized. I have been cyring and blaming myself all week…we had never heard of this, we just didn’t realize the danger. I will do my best to educate anyone I know with a large dog, so this never happens to anyone else.
November 2nd, 2008 at 9:41 am
[...] you have a large or giant breed dog than preventing GDV (or “bloat”) should be of the utmost importance. This life threatening condition is a topic that owners need to [...]
November 4th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
We lost our precious dobie Missy in the afternoon on November 1st, 2008 to bloat. I was not aware of the symptoms and just thought she was having another one of her upset stomach episodes. She was very restless and was dry heaving so I put her outside. She came in with a little foam in her mouth but I just thought it was from the grass she was eating. A couple of hours passed and even though she showed some signs like getting up and lying down, restless, hunched over, again I just thought she had an upset stomach. I did not know about this bloat. My husband returned home from running errands and saw that her stomach was very distended…something that I did not notice. I immediately called the emergency hospital and they told me to bring her in right away. As she was walking towards the truck, she collapsed and I knew it wasn’t good. My husband took her to the vet and she never made it there. I am just sick over this. I keep rehashing every thing she did that day and even though she showed some signs, nothing stood out to me. I am blaming myself for her death. I wish I would have acted sooner b/c I know I could have saved her. My poor girl was suffering and I did nothing. I will never forget her. My heart goes out to all of you who have lost your precious baby to this deadly and horrible disease.
November 24th, 2008 at 10:03 am
Thank you for this site! I have never heard of this until yesterday. We have 3 dogs – two are large at 60 pds. We only heard of this yesterday when we started looking into adopting a Saint mix. I find it amaxing that I have had dogs all my life and no one ever thought to mention this. I have been researching and found some preventative measures you can take, other than the surgury and water that others mentioned. Don’t let them run until 2 hours after a meal. Check the food you use — they are at a higher risk if the first or second ingredient is fat. Don’t feed them only once a day — break up their meals into 2 or 3 feedings. I will now do everything I can to prevent this terrible problem. I am so sorry for all of you that lost your loved ones.
November 26th, 2008 at 9:55 am
[...] we wanted to present it here. Reading this could be a life-saver for your dog. Here is the link: Health Alert: Large Dogs & Bloat | Dog Reflections There are other sites out there. I hopw with me passing this onto other dog owners, we can [...]
January 30th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
We lost our dog almost 2 years ago to bloat, we caught it right away had the surgury, they stapled his stomach, they said everything went very well, they got him up in the middle of the night to go potty, 12 hours later we were called to come to the clinic right way, to this day I don’t understand, I’ved looked at many web sites. His lungs were filling up with fluids and they couldn’t control it, I don’t understand what happened, they told me maybe he had a heart condition, which wasnt true, his vet always cleared him as being healthy with no heart problems. To this day I cry almost everyday for him not understanding what went wrong or why. We were sent out the door with a collar and a bill for $5600.00. What made his lungs fill up with fluid after a sucessful surgury???
February 5th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
[...] I also have a Dogue de Bordeaux (Which is now the only breed I will ever own!) named Vito and BLOAT is a major concern of mine. I feed dry food now but I always try to let it soak in water a bit [...]
February 9th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
[...] fetch a generous profit. Like most mastiffs, Dogues can be prone to many health issues including : Bloat, Heart Disease, Obesity, Epilepsy, Hypothyroidism, Arthritis, Degenerative Joint Disease, Hip [...]
March 24th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
Hi
My dog had terrible symptoms last night around 6 but he always had a weak stomach so I thought he was just a little sick. I fed, bathed, and put my 1 yearol to bed. Hour and a half later I realized my precious Emmit was missing. I found him under my deck crying. I immediatly got ready and rushed him to the animal hospital. They performed surgery and he is now in recovery. It is almost 24 hours later. They say he is stable and doing ok. Does anyone know or think he is going to recover. his coloring was bad this morning but it turned pink now. Can someone please tell me I have hope for my dog?? I am extremely nervous, he is only 3 and a loving Goldendoodle with the best spirit.
March 24th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Nicole,
It’s great that you got your dog into surgery and that his color is improving. Did they preform a gastropexy on your Doodle? He should be monitored very closely for the time being (which I am sure they are doing at your vet). Most complications occur within the first 72 hours, so hopefully he’ll continue to be on the mend. Good luck and healing thoughts to him! Let us know how he does.
-Dan
April 1st, 2009 at 8:21 pm
hi
My dog is having terrible symptom and i dont know what it is? my dog rocky is a half staff and half english mastiff he is now just under 10 weeks and weighs 8.30kg he keeps getting red eyes i think this is when he has no energy and probley sleepy, and lately he has been doing a poo which is a little solid and a little loose and there seems to be blood with the poo, like little drops of blood on the floor and with the poo,hes pooing with ease no force at-all, i took him to the vet and the vet doctor gave me a siringe and told me to give him this 3 times a day 2ml only, and gave me some food 3tins and said feed him these 3 tins within 2 days only no other food…which i have done but my right hand man (rocky) is not improving can any one share any light please help me this is really making me worried…
April 7th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
[...] Mountain Dogs are prone to a variety of health issues including: hip and elbow dysplasia, cancer, GDV (bloat), skin issues and thyroid disorders. It is a necessity to seek out a reputable breeder if you are [...]
May 4th, 2009 at 12:53 am
I just got back from the emergency vet for my 7 year old Chesapeake Bay mix, Busta. The first two years of his life wasn’t good, he was severely abused. We got him from a resue the weekend he was scheduled to be put down. He was so sweet and loveable and always protected me. He had bloat and the vet said that the chance of him surving the surgery was slim. They said that he was in pain and stress. He was so sweet. I loved him so much. I never thought that losing a pet would hurt this much. It like you lost a part of yourself. He was my special baby. He always did whatever I asked him. I love large dogs, and if I ever get another, I will make sure that I get the gastropexy when I get him fixed. Thanks for the information, and I am sorry for your loss.
May 25th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Thank you to everyone who’s shared their story about losing their beloved dog to bloat. My Mastiff mix, Blue, developed this condition Wednesday night and by the time my husband and I realized what was happening, it was too late to do anything about it…his stomach was distended, he was having trouble breathing, and the nearest emergency vet is an hour away. I am still in shock and I cry every day. We adopted Blue from the shelter and he was mistreated before he came to us…now I’m so glad for all the love and attention he received in our home, all the belly rubs and walks and time together. He was a wonderful companion and I can’t believe that one minute he was a perfectly healthy 5-year old and in half an hour deathly ill. We were lucky to find a vet (thank you to Kevin at Town & Country) to come to our house in the middle of the night to euthanize him. He wouldn’t have made it much longer as his condition deteriorated so rapidly, but at least we could prevent him suffering longer. Even though we knew he was dying, that is still the most horrible decision I have ever had to make. I wish I had known more about this condition, and my heart goes out to all of you who have experienced the same traumatic loss. Blessings.
June 7th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Hi
Can this kind of bloating happen to a 3 month old little puppy?
Our daughter’s dog was fine, then she gulped her food, a little later threw up, got bloated, started having a hard time breathing and then died in her arms.
What a horror for her!!! She has cried and cried and wondered what more she could have done as this came on so suddenly.
Help!
June 11th, 2009 at 8:56 am
Our dog Sheppie,part black lab part german sheperd,passed away on June 10th from bloating.Sheppie had all the symptoms starting at about 3 a.m.we didn’t get him to the E.R. till 8 a.m.Sheppie hung in there for 3 days after the surgery.He was the best dog ever,a perfect gentleman and will be missed!Had we known about bloating before,and reacted quicker he may be here with us today.I Love You Sheppie!!!!
June 16th, 2009 at 7:07 am
My very naughty boxer 10.5 year old, “Fred” died yesterday after what I now beleive to be bloat – he had all the symptoms (that I only recognise now I’ve been on the web sadly) although as he often stole food, and drank too much water he had had similar symptoms previously. I sent him into the garden after I’d cleaned up after him and when I went out around 20 mins later he was in a coma and died a few minutes later in my arms. I feel so terrible…I just didn’t know. I cannot bear to think he was suffering and I wasn’t there – we loved him so much! So sorry for all your losses too.
June 16th, 2009 at 9:13 am
I lost my 2yr. old English Mastiff, Sampson, to bloat last night. And as well, was not aware of how common it is. I am devistated! But also glad to know I’m not alone.
June 26th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Thank you for this information. My silky terrier has “simple bloat” and is still at the emergency hospital – he is only 2 and started vomiting last night and crying and I just knew something was really wrong so we took him to the emergency vet right away. He was all full of gas but the stomach hadn’t flipped (thank god). I am waiting for a call from the vet to tell me what to do next and am beside myself – did I do something to make this happen to him? He is my heart and angel so he needs to be ok.
July 9th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
I’m sorry to hear about Eli:( We just lost our 5month year old german shepard last night to something similar. My husband came home and found him in his kennel. I had know idea about letting them rest after eating because this could happen. Its very hard to lose a dog especially when they are like our kids. thanks for sharing your story.
July 13th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
We just lost our 3 year old English Bulldog Rex, 07/11/09 to what we think is bloat. Can anyone please tell me if this is what is sounds like? We arrived home at about midnight after being gone all day only to find our little Rex dead on the back pourch. He had blood coming from his nose and foam around his mouth, his stomach was very firm and fat. I am sorry to be graphic but I need closure. I never thought that losing a pet could be so hard and hurt so bad. My heat goes out to all of you who has gone through this.
July 29th, 2009 at 8:13 am
I am still in tears whilst typing this letter. Our beloved, English Bulldon, Oscar (9 years old), went in for an eye operation yesterday. We brought him home and was told not to give him any food or water until the next morning. At 1 am this morning however, Ozzie seemed extremely thirsty, so we gave him water – and he had a few bulldog gulps from his waterbowl. Afterwards he made choking sounds and tried to vomit (although nothing was coming out of his mouth). We did not find this to be unusual since this was basically his normal “routine” after a walkies (which is something he did not recently have due to arthiritis). However, this morning at 06:45, we found him laying in the garden – no foam or blood on his face. Just laying there – as if he was fast asleep – his body was still warm. We were in total shock. He was the baby in our family. Our Oscar. In tears, we rushed him to the vet. We were hoping that the diagnosis would be a heart attach – or something humane. We were then told that his tummy “flipped”. At first I thought that it’s ok – cos it could happen at any time. Now – I am guilt ridden – blaming myself for giving him too much water. I also can’t bear the thought of him suffering and that he was perhaps searching for us in the garden – hoping that we would be able to help. I keep playing the events in my mind – desperately trying to find an answer. I know that he was old and the arthiritis was also getting to him…but to think of my poor baby suffering throughout the night, dying alone…leaves me heartbroken. I am just so grateful for this website and in a way – however sad it is – to hear from people who suffered a similar loss (especially those bulldog lovers out there), make it all a tiny bit more bearable.
PS: I read about a tummy flip once in the book called Marley and Me – I however never thought that it could apply to a dog with “normal” eating habits. Can anyone perhaps just answer my one question: Does the tummy flip only occur after the dog as eaten or drank excessively – or can it happen out of the blue (without consumption of any food). I truly wish I could stop blaming myself. And I agree – people should be made aware of this condition and as a standard rule – vets should tell their clients of any risks attached to excessive eating or drinking!? One would have thought that water is good for dogs! No matter how much they drink?
August 2nd, 2009 at 3:53 pm
We lost our beloved Akita, Kiku, to this horrible condition. (She died on July 25th.) Like most of the other dog owners, we were unaware of the signs. The day before was like any other day; she ate, drank, went for her walk, and did her duty like always. That night, my husband heard her pacing about and let her out in the yard at 2:00 am. When he let her back in the garage, she seemed restless, but he thought nothing of it. At 6:00 am Ed discovered Kiku laying on the garage floor, blood coming from her mouth. We realized she had ripped the sensor from the garage door and chewed it to the point of breaking her teeth! Her abdomen was distended and she seemed to be in shock. We rushed her to the vet, but she died on the way. At 13 years of age we knew her days were numbered, but the thought of her suffering so just breaks our hearts. Our sympathy goes out to all who have lost their beloved pets.
August 26th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
[...] for Giant Breeds: As the owner of a giant breed and as someone who has previously suffered the loss of a dog to GDV (bloat), I know how much of a role diet can play in keeping these big dogs healthy. Because The Honest [...]
September 9th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
I just lost my sweet boy Oscar, a boxer mix, to this horrible affliction just last week. He was 11 1/2 but completely healthy, happy & full of life. Last Mon. night around 1:30am he started retching w/no results & walking sort of funny, like hunched over all around the house, clearly uncomfortable. I called the emergency vet & the doctor casually told me I “might wanna bring him in b/c his stomach might be twisting.” I had never heard of this, which makes me feel so sad & ignorant now but I proceeded to get dressed & get ready to go. When I opened the door Oscar darted out into my [un-fenced] yard, not to return (on his own). I am still beating myself up for this. In a complete state of panic, thinking he had run off to die, I finally went looking for him in the car & found him, still alive but looking weak. I rushed him to the emergency hospital where he had surgery immediately. He survived & they all said they were optimistic! Unfortunately he did not progress through the next day as well as the doctor had hoped & around 7pm that night, a mere 13 hrs after the “successful” surgery & less than 20 hrs from the first onset of symptoms, my baby’s heart stopped. I am still beside myself with grief. I have overwhelming feelings of sadness and guilt. He meant the world to me and now he is gone! I feel that I failed him miserably in a time & way that mattered most. I hope that all dog owners become educated on this horrible condition–the #1 killer of our best friends after cancer. My heartfelt condolences to all who have ever lost pets, to this or to anything else.
September 16th, 2009 at 11:25 am
September 15th, 2009
Harley, our standard poodle died last night with the classic symptoms of bloat. We were aware of bloat, but had never witnessed it before. We called our Vet and he gave us a few things to check for, none of which our dog had. My wife even floated the idea that Harley may have a flipped stomach, but the Vet dismissed it and said to bring him in the morning if he didn’t seem better. Big mistake! After reading these posts I don’t know that he would have even made it with treatment and most likely we would have had him put down versus let him suffer. If you sense your dog may have had this occur, time is of the essence. I have since read that 1-2 hours is the normal treatment range to prevent the stomach tissue from beginning to die from lack of circulation. Other symptoms our dog had; general uneasyness and restless, attempting to vomit but no volume, some difficulty breathing, and just below the rib cage was bloating and tightness to the touch about the size of a large grapefruit. Other symptoms you may observe are drooling, a hunched over posture with the head lower than the back, and attempting to poop without producing a stool. This has been a really sad event and I hope that perhaps your outcome should this occur has a happy ending!!!
October 11th, 2009 at 11:34 pm
I cannot believe I lost my precious Dewey, my sweet black lab little girl of 11 years so suddenly yesterday of this terible disease. One minute she was fine, hanging out with me outside in the yard while I was working. Then, I called for her because she disappeared for a few minutes and she came to me as if she felt very sick. She was vomiting up foam, very restless, wanting to hide, and the left side of her belly was blowing up in front of my eyes. I called the Vet ER immediately and they said to bring her in, as this could be fatal. When I was changing my clothes quickly to take poor Dewey, she was crying and so upset. I wished I would have not bothered to even change, but I had no idea what was to happen. She was crying in the car, which was something she never did, and she was panting. The drive was 45 minutes and I kept checking in the rear view mirror and trying to touch her and telling her how much I loved her. She seemed to calm down just before we arrived, but then about 100 yards before we got there I did not see her breathing. I made it to the ER, ran into get help, but my baby was already gone. I cannot believe this, I am a nurse and my husband is a doctor, we had no idea a gastric problem can make a dog die suddenly. Please educate anyone you know about this – I already have started. Rest in peace, heart of my life.
November 7th, 2009 at 1:54 am
Cindy was an unusually large Springer Spaniel. She was a “rescue” as most of my animals have been. She was preparing to cross a busy street when I picked her up. Nobody replied to the found dog posters I put out, so she became part of our family. It was a little hard adjusting to such a large animal, but she was so sweet and kind that she won our hearts. We had her for more than 10 years, and when I would hear about abused and neglected animals, I would take her masked face in my hands and promise her that nobody would ever hurt her. One night, I noticed that she looked a little bloated, but I fed her anyway, not realizing that it was the worst thing I could have done. Her girth increased so much that it was apparent that something serious was going on, so we rushed her to an all night pet hospital. She was diagnosed with “flipped stomach”, and they told us she would have to have immediate surgery, but warned us that the recovery would be difficult, if she survived. Immediately, I agreed to the surgery, but re-thought my decision when I realized how hard it would be to get her up and around after the procedure. The fact that she was 12 years old finally brought me to the painful realization that it would be best to let her go. They gave her a sedative before the ultimate shot, and she was so sleepy she could hardly keep her eyes open, as I told her goodbye. It was over so soon…. We had come in with our beautiful dog, cooperating to the fullest, even though she must have been in terrible pain, and now we were alone, walking to the car in tears. My dear Cindy, I wish I would have known about the flipped stomach syndrome. I will always remember you…. I love you.
November 12th, 2009 at 11:41 am
I am not sure if my Masie (GSD) had bloat but here is my story. Wednesday morning around 2am she became restless. I wasn’t too concerned since it had become cooler that evening and the heat had turned on. I just thought she was trying to find a cool place to lay down. Then about 7am she vomited once. Wasn’t dry heaving at all. Was walking fine, not hunched over. I let her outside before I left for work at 7:40am. She was walking around not lethargic at all. Then when my husband arrived home at 4:30pm she was already gone. He said there was a little blood around her backside. She ate fine the night before but did not eat in the morning. I thought she had an upset stomache.
November 30th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
my dog king died yesterday at 4am from what i believe is bloat related complications. his symptoms actually started a week and a half prior but no one knew what it was. after finding tons of information online, i realized it was bloat and because he was a large akita, he was prone to it at his age(nearly 10). he recovered on his own after the first bout but would have it again on and off for the next week. he would be restless, just want water, and whine and eventually start to bellow in pain. i tried giving him only soup when he recovered but on his last night even the soup caused it. at 4am i heard him fall inside his house and he let out two barks. thinking this was strange i rushed out to find him toppled against the front of his house and immediately picked him up and laid him down. his bowels released so i knew he was dying. he seemed unconscious but kept breathing for about five more minutes. i kept my hand on his heart and my other hand over his eyes until his breathing finally stopped. this is a horrible thing for big dogs. i believe he had a heart attack due to his stomach turning and shutting his system down. i’ve read all the info and the survival rate even after surgery so decided it wasn’t worth it and that i’d try to take care of him naturally with soups and gas-x. r.i.p. king kong, we miss you greatly.
December 8th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
im sorry about eli):
about a year ago our six year old doberman, monte, had bloat. He was walking around the house, panting and trying to vomit. we called an emergency vet and were instructed to take him to an emergency clinic. he got his spleen removed and there was a 75% chance he wouldn’t make it. but a couple days and $4000 later, our boy was home:)
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Reading all of these stories bring tears to my eyes. We lost our 10 year old Boxer Lennox last Wednesday night to bloat. We had dropped him off at my mom’s so that she could watch both of my Boxers while we were on vacation. About an hour after eating, apparently he started to foam at the mouth was walking around the house with his back arched. My sister called me to tell me that he didn’t look good, but I thought that he just may have an upset stomach. I knew what bloat was, but didn’t really think fast enough. After about another half hour, my sister called me again and we rushed over to get him. We got him to the emergency vet but it was too late. His stomach had twisted. They said that surgery would probably not fix the problem since it had been so long. We had to put him down. It’s been the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced and I keep hoping the pain will go away. My heart goes out to all of you who have lost your pets to this terrible thing. I had Lennox for 10 years and he was in perfectly good health. I feel lucky to have had him as long as I did. God bless.
January 4th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
I’m absolutely DEVASTATED about this condition, and to all who have posted previously, my sincere heartfelt condolences and prayers for you to remember all the amazing times you had with your precious one. My beautiful Bailey (6.5 y/o Weimaraner) just passed away from this on 2 January 2010. I am beating myself up because this happened while we were away on vacation and she was being very well taken care of at a Vet clinic (somewhere she had been 3 times before for boarding). I keep asking myself if I could have prevented it or recognized it sooner if I would have been home with her (the vet noticed that she was behaving strangely after she arrived to the clinic for the 7:00 am feeding). She underwent 3 hours of surgery (41 staples!) and the vet even stayed with her throughout the night following, checking on her every 1-2 hours…but then she developed DIC and passed away before I was even able to see her one last time the following morning. Looking back, I remember multiple times she exhibited symptoms of bloat onset (especially the trying to vomit, but not being able to or just vomiting a litte..), but I truly wasn’t even aware of this condition until this happened recently. I will be viligent in my ongoing research of this condition and will take all signs/symptoms of any future pets I may have VERY seriously….thank you all for your information.
February 4th, 2010 at 3:44 am
We lost our sweet loving 15 year old Dalmatian Domino last night to bloat. She was a healthy senior Gram-ma that struggled with arthritis, which is typical for a dog her age. I was aware of the condition of bloat as a co-worker’s dog suffered from bloat, underwent the operation(at 11 years old) and lived a good 3 years after. My best advice to dog owner’s–>> really know your pet and how they normally act and you will be able to pick up the symptoms of this silent killer. Even though we acted very quickly, her stomach did rotate fully and the only option was surgery. At her advanced age we could not justify proceeding with this very invasive, long post-op recovery time and high complication rates. Her quality of life would decrease and we felt she would suffer greatly. Even though we realized the outcome was something we did not want to face, it was one of the hardest most painful decisions we had to make.
R.I.P Domino *the best dog in the world*
There is no hard evidence as why bloat happens … research has been done but the question remains unanswered. Maybe one day it will.
February 21st, 2010 at 1:50 pm
Thank you so much for rhis post! You have most likely saved my dogs life. I have a two year old male snow white husky named Okami. Ever since he got him at five weeks he has had an overly sinsetive stomach or so I though. He would constontly throw up and get sick when he ate or drank anything. If I was careful and gave him a little water at a time he was okay and when he got sick we gave him pepto. so for two years I’ve been nursing him lately he has gotten worse and lost alot of weight. I thought it was his stomach but I didn’t know what or how serious it was. I looked it up online and found this post and he is going to the vet tomorrow as soon as they open. To much longer and his stomach would have surely fliped so now that i know I had to thank you and partly the movie Marley And me lol
February 26th, 2010 at 2:57 pm
Our Akita, Chica, was put to sleep last night due to bloat. She was 12 years old and full of life. She had her meal as usual, went for her evening walk at 7:30 p.m. By 8:00 p.m. she started heaving, her stomach was swollen, and after looking up her symptoms on the internet called the vet immediately. By 9:30 p.m. she was in the vets office, by 10:00 p.m. she was euthanized. It was a very hard decision for us but realized that due to her age and prognosis for full recovery it was best to stop her suffering. We are heartbroken, but are very happy she was a part of our lives for so long.
God Bless – Chica
April 5th, 2010 at 11:57 am
We lost our 9 yr old Akita, Samson, early this am…..He was fine yesterday, very playful…long walk, great energy….and when we went to bed he was just normal.
Woke up and he was on his side, dead, lots of white foam around his mouth and severely bloated. Never heard of this being an issue with Akita’s (have had 2 of this noble breed). My daughter found him and is devastated, as we all are. I know he suffered, which really saddens me….He didnt make one noise, though, true to this breeds toughness. I am thankful for his companionship and loyalty. Great dog. Great friend.
April 25th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
Sorry about your Eli, we just lost our Shadow (pure bred Shepard)this morning. My husband and I are devestated. Shadow was our baby as we were unable to have children of our own. He was the happiest dog ever, loved to play and play and play. Last night he was acting strangely, jumping on top of us, walking around the house aimlessly, very restless. My husband slept on the floor with the dog, I got up this morning and put Shadow outside, he tried to vomit and tried to poop but nothing came out. I noticed that he was swelling in the abdomen, he was acting very strangely and appeared to be in great pain as he was crying and moaning as never before.
I wish we had known about this preventative surgery. We miss our Shadow so much, he was such a major part of our lives and was the most loving friend anyone could ask for.
May 4th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
Thank you to all who have written, it has made what happened last night just a little bit easier. Baxter was a 12-13 year old Bassett/Hound mix that I rescued 10 years ago. I picked him up yesterday morning from a weekend at doggie “camp”, took him home, gave him a bath, and let him hang out on the deck (his favorite thing) to dry in the sun. He had a great day. That night, he had a big meal (since he rarely eats at camp) and became very restless about a half hour later. He tried to throw up and could only dry heave. My wife kept saying that there was something wrong, but we couldn’t figure out what it was. I took him on a short walk to go to the bathroom, and that’s when I noticed how large his stomach had become. It was like someone was inflating a balloon inside of him. Much like others have said, he was also losing control of his back legs. I called the animal hospital and they said to bring him in right away. The drive was about ten minutes, and I couldn’t help but notice the strange odor he was giving off. When we arrived, they took x-rays right away, and within a couple of minutes we were told there wasn’t anything that could be done. For those of you who waited overnight, please don’t blame yourself. Baxter went from happy and healthy to being gone in just over an hour. He was the best dog ever, and will be missed more than words can say. Yesterday I lost my best friend.
June 22nd, 2010 at 1:29 pm
1 month ago I lost my 12 year old English Bulldog Diesel to what I now know was due to bloat.
I too keep replaying the nights events over and over wishing I would have done something.
Around 2:30am we were laying on the couch together- he had arthritis in his back legs so I always carried him up the stairs to bed with us.
When I picked him up he seemed like he just wanted to stay on couch but I picked him up and put him down in my bed. I remember patting his belly and saying “your going to be farting tonight” out load to him. About a half hour later he got out of bed and wretched, I thought he threw up which he did quite regularly. There was no vomit though (I learned the next day) and then he went downstairs on his own- which he has done also in the past- we called him a poop bandit as he would always poop in our dining room (he did poop that night- knowing he did it fighting for his life makes it that much harder to imagine what he went through).
Since it was late I listened for him to yelp for me to come get him and I heard nothing an I fell asleep. My wife and 2 kids ages 2 & 4 did not notice he was not breathing and hurried to get ready for work and daycare at 7am.
I woke up around 9:00am and went down stairs to see my dog and say “Hi Deezy” before I could take a step my stomach dropped- he was not moving and my worst fear came true- he was cold. He did look like he was sleeping facing the door like he always would.
I screamed and cried for a half hour before I could even dial the phone to call my wife- I actually called the wrong # first and the poor man on the phone was saying “what’s wrong”.
He had stomach issues, yeast infections in his ears had made him deaf. He had just visited the vet and they said he could live another 2-3 years. I was never warned or even heard of Bloating- especially being deadly. I can even recall an occasion when he wretched and fell over on his side and scared me to death but I went over and picked him up and he was fine.
I wish I had done something- the guilt is terrible thinking he suffered and I could have helped him. I have never cried so much in my life! I still always want to see him greet me at the door when I come home and spoon him in bed.
My kids really don’t seem to miss him which hurts me too. He was always stealing their food and my 2 year old would always sleep with him on the couch and call every dog he saw “Deezy”.
I miss him so much! My best friend is gone.
Sorry for all your losses and thank you for sharing – it helps.
June 23rd, 2010 at 5:15 pm
Hey. Just googles some symptoms my dog has. He’s a chocolate labrador, 1 year old. Early this morning, i noticed his abdomen was quite hard when i was stroking him, i ignore this. He then lied down, and as he went to change position, it was as if something shocked him. Like if you were to crawl around on your bruised knees, then accidently sit on your bruises, and stand up. He was also coughing alot. We decided to take him to the vets, where they came him anti-biotics. About 2 hours later, he has started panting alot,salivating, and is disorientated. The Vet said he would be disorientated, but the rapid, constant panting is worrying. So we’ve sent him to vet to be looked after, i only hope he’s okay. After reading this article, i fear my dog might have the same thing. Could it be?
July 12th, 2010 at 10:13 pm
I am adding my family’s experience because of the emotional turmoil that we have felt since we lost our rescued flat coat retriever Buddy (8 yrs) last Thursday night @ the ER Vet because he flared up all the classic bloat symptoms. Buddy was an angel in a dogsuit, and lived to give & receive our daily affection. He had gastritis, which developed 3 weeks before. I was feeding him only plain rice, some boiled chicken and pepcids after meals. On the night of his bloat attack, he did not want to walk w/us & our 2 other dogs. He was ‘unproductively wretching,’ and his belly became distended. With 1 hour @ the vet, and learning about his prognosis, my husband knew we had to put him to sleep. We live with holes in our hearts, but watching him become a possible 8-year-old canine invalid was not something we could have considered. If I had known about this, he would have had his stomach stapled when he was first rescued. Find a qualified vet and do it. YOu will have your wonderful dog for more quality years if you do. Don’t take the chances.
July 15th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
I lost my German Shepherd to bloat 3 weeks ago. He woke up at 4:30 am vomiting so I put him out in the yard to get sick. I went to check on him and put his bed on the patio for him to rest on. I also checked the yard to see if he did vomit. there was nothing out there. At that point he couldn’t walk anymore and had diarreha. I rushed him to my vet and was told he only had a 50% chance of living and his blood supply has been cut off. I decided to euthanize. That was so heartbreaking. I knew about bloat but I didn’t realize all the symptoms of bloat. He had all of the symptoms. Bloated stomach, saliva coming out of his mouth no stomach acid or food coming up.