Ok. Most you of you will probably think that I am a total Noob after you hear this but...what exactly is bloating?

Is it inflammation of the stomach or too much air in the stomach or what? I've heard that it can get very serious so I need to educate myself.

I figured that the forum is the best place to ask because it is full of knowledgeable (unlike me) people who can explain it to me in normal and not medicinal English. What causes it? Allergies? What are the symptoms? Is it something that passes with age?


Now you can mutter under your breath that "This person is such a noob. She calls herself a golden owner but doesn't even know what bloating is."

Thank you.

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Hercules and Julia...taking over the world one woof! at a time.

hey, At One Time Every Single One Of Us Had Never Heard Of Bloat In Dogs. I Have Owned Dogs For 52 Years And Had Never Heard Of It Yntil About B5 Years Ago------on Emergency Vets On Animal Planet. So Nnobody Bwill Think You A "noob" (whatever That Is) Because You Have Nit Heard Of It Or Don't Know Anything About It.

it Is Gas In Their Stomach And It Can Cause Their Stomach To "flip Over" When This Happens The Blood Supply Is Cut Off And The Intestine There Dies Unless Surgery Is Done Very Soon. I Saw A Couple Of Dogs On Er That Lost A Couple Of Feet Of Dead Intestine--was Already Black. One Made It, The Other Didn't.

there Is At Least One Poster Here Who Has Been Thru This And Can Tell You A Lot More. Oh, The University In Florida Has Done Research And Found It Some Times Runs In Families. One On One All Breed Forum I Belong To Raises...darn I Can Not Remember Off Hand If It Is St, Berbards Or Newfies...but She Lost A Dad, His Son, And Then The Dad's Dad To Bloat And She Does Believe It Be In The Genes. Certain Breeds Are More Prone To It, Ones With Deepc, But It Can Strike Any Breed.

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HONEY-- 1ST BIRTHDAY, GOTCHA DAY 12-7-2002
AND
MY GOLDEN BABIES AT THE BRIDGE, BUT FOREVER IN MY HEART
SCOOTER--6-14- 1994 -- 8-22-1999
BUCK 2-8-1995 ------5-15-2007
HUNTER 8-19-1999--10-16-2003
KAYCEE 8-19-1999---5-25-2008

Goldens bring light into the world.

Here is a website that explains it http://www.globalspan.net/bloat.htm
My Beau was a victim of bloat but I was able to get him to the vet soon enough that he had no damage but did have to have the surgery to save his life. It is one of the most scariest times in my life.

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Carol, What are the symptoms of bloat?

Jim

Well Beau had the hunching up like he was trying to throw up or poop and nothing coming out either end. His stomach started swelling and very hard. He was whining and pacing around. And seemed to be trying to suck in air like he couldnt catch his breath. Once you familiarize yourself with the symptoms you will recognise it easier. I knew exactly what it was from seeing it on tv from one of the vet shows on Animal Planet. Here are some of the symptoms that are from the link that I posted.
Typical symptoms often include some (but not necessarily all) of the following, according to the links below. Unfortunately, from the onset of the first symptoms you have very little time (sometimes minutes, sometimes hours) to get immediate medical attention for your dog. Know your dog and know when it's not acting right.
Attempts to vomit (usually unsuccessful); may occur every 5-30 minutes This seems to be one of the most common symptoms & has been referred to as the "hallmark symptom""Unsuccessful vomiting" means either nothing comes up or possibly just foam and/or mucous comes up Doesn't act like usual self Perhaps the earliest warning sign and may be the only sign that almost always occursWe've had several reports that dogs who bloated asked to go outside in the middle of the night. If this is combined with frequent attempts to vomit, and if your dog doesn't typically ask to go outside in the middle of the night, bloat is a very real possibility. Significant anxiety and restlessness
One of the earliest warning signs and seems fairly typical"Hunched up" or "roached up" appearance
This seems to occur fairly frequentlyLack of normal gurgling and digestive sounds in the tummy Many dog owners report this after putting their ear to their dog's tummy.If your dog shows any bloat symptoms, you may want to try this immediately. Bloated abdomen that may feel tight (like a drum)
Despite the term "bloat," many times this symptom never occurs or is not apparentPale or off-color gums
Dark red in early stages, white or blue in later stagesCoughingUnproductive gaggingHeavy salivating or droolingFoamy mucous around the lips, or vomiting foamy mucousUnproductive attempts to defecateWhiningPacingLicking the airSeeking a hiding placeLooking at their side or other evidence of abdominal pain or discomfortMay refuse to lie down or even sit downMay stand spread-leggedMay curl up in a ball or go into a praying or crouched positionMay attempt to eat small stones and twigsDrinking excessivelyHeavy or rapid pantingShallow breathingCold mouth membranesApparent weakness; unable to stand or has a spread-legged stance
Especially in advanced stageAccelerated heartbeat
Heart rate increases as bloating progressesWeak pulseCollapse

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When Abby had it (and she has no predisposing attributes) she had come in from a walk, drank some water, and seemed to get it stuck in her throat. Then it was like she just couldn't cough it up (I later learned there was nothing to cough up).

She was very frantic and I knew something was terribly wrong, even though I did not know what. I got her to the vet before her stomach twisted, and they inserted the tube to deflate her stomach.

The next week she had major surgery to have her stomach tacked (gastropexy) and she recovered quickly.

As Carol says, it was a terrible time, I was very, very worried. I still watch her for bloat all the time and limit food and water around exercise time. I hope this never happens to you, but it is certainly good to be prepared.

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Abby and Finn

Golden Girl,

There are no stupid questions around here and for every query posted there are many folks sitting at home just hoping it will get answered. So ask away! And if you like sun and surf get yourself to Pacific Beach!

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Helaine & Cara (woof woof)

Thanks for the info guy's just want to be prepared to spot something like this.

Jim

My Ralph got bloat and it happened in the middle of the night - we still don't know how it happened, and it was only because Ginny barked and banged the door that i went downstairs to shut her up and found Ralph collapsed in the corner. At the time I suspected Bloat, but wasn't 100%. but just by the way he was , made the call to the emergency vet. His stomach had flipped, and the vet said that another 30 mins and he would have died in agony. I was lucky enough to watch the operation, and as the gas was released his stomach deflated like a balloon. Although we got him to the vet in time, sadly we lost him 10 days later when his kidneys suddenly failed.

If you ever suspect a dog has bloat get them to a vet immediately. Better to be told that it isn't, than to wait and it be too late.

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Kelly, Ginny, Ralph & Holly - Forever in my heart

"I miss the wagging little tail,
I miss the plaintive pleading wail,
I miss the wistful loving glance,
I miss the circling welcome dance"

Bloat is not fun. After Bailey's bloat surgery just under a month ago now, we have been educating as many people as we can about it. He has healed well, but that was a long way from saying goodbye to him on the vet hospital's floor.

There was foam everywhere, it was all he could get "up" and his stomach swelled, and swelled HARD, he couldn't lay down/get comfortable at all and was wheezing.

We still don't really know what triggered it, he had been in the water that day, but when he was found in the house he had bolted outside to try to get something out, but could not.

It was a scary time trying to figure out where the emerg vet was (we were at our cottage) and the drive there could not go by quickly enough. He was flipped inside on 2 of 3 axes and the xray was just out of this world. The scar is now healing well (staples out nearly two weeks ago) and he has lost a lot of weight -down to about 90 lbs (usually around the 100lb mark, so between the shaved belly and lost weight, he looks much taller and more slender!)