The thought of a dog bloating strikes fear in the heart of every large, deep chested dog owner, and although primarily affecting the larger breeds, some smaller breeds are also at risk of bloat.
What is bloat?
The dog may seem restless first laying down just to jump right back up again, pacing, unable to get comfortable. He is likely salivating, or he may drink water and then immediately throw it up. Often the dog retches, attempting to vomit, producing nothing but perhaps some saliva (dry heaves). The dog definitely appears in distress. The real trouble begins when the stomach starts to distend, getting bigger and bigger before your eyes. This usually preceeds "torsion", which is when the stomach flips over, twisting on its axis thus prohibiting the natural function of elimating the air which is now building up in the stomach and, even more threatening, cutting of the blood supply to the stomach, a vital organ. This in turn slows the blood flow to the heart and cardiac arrythmias soon follow. All the while toxins are beginning to form in the stomach, which is dying from lack of blood flow. Other organs become compromised, i.e. pancreas, spleen, liver and bowel. The dog begins to become "shocky". Time is critical, your action needs to be swift.
What to do?
The moment you think your dog might be in bloat, immediately get him to your veterinarian or an emergency veterinary clinic, call ahead, as surgery will likely be imminent. This is not a "wait and see" situation....time is of the utmost importance, don't waste it pondering. Better to have a false alarm than to not act promptly. In some cases distention of the stomach can occur without torsion and the veterinarian may be able to relieve the stomach of air by tubing the dog. But a concern here is that the problem can reoccur, perhaps next time when you are not at home, this time accompanied by torsion, if the dog isn't found in time it will die. It is now commonly recommended that once a dog had incountered an episode of bloat, prophylactic surgery to anchor the stomach in place be performed.
It is recognized that there is a familial predisposition for bloat. Therefore, if a close relative of your dog has experienced bloat, your dog is at much higher risk.
What happens next?
Your dog will be likely be swiftly prepared for x-rays to see if the stomach has flipped, if not a tube may be passed down the dogs esophagus to remove the air and possibly ward of torsion, if this works the stomach will be flushed of contents. If it has flipped, the vet may choose to decompress the stomach by using a large-gauge needle inserted through the skin and muscle directly to the stomach, which is now closer to the surface due to enlargement. By now an IV has been started and medication administered to help arrest the shock.
All attempts will be made to stabilize your dog before initiating the surgery. Basically the surgery involves untwisting the stomach, and perhaps the spleen if it was involved, then any unhealthy tissue will be removed, at this time the gastroplexy is done. Medications to detoxify the system and prevent cardiac arrythmia, are administered. Gastroplexy is also sometimes referred to as anchoring or tacking. This is very important to preventing reoccurances as the securing of the stomach to either a rib or the abdominal wall prohits the stomach from twisting.
Sometimes hospital stays are prolonged for up to a week. This is dependant on the severity of the incident. Special diets and medication and medical care are vital.
Upon returning home, rest and a special diet of multiple, soft, small, easily digested meals are in order. Gradually your dog can return to a more normal diet, with some alterations perhaps being necessary. Rest assured that if your dog underwent this surgery, torsion will likely never again be possible, but distention can reoccur and tubing may be required. But many dogs never suffer any reoccuring incidence.
