As someone who has lost one dog to bloat and very nearly lost another, it is a subject that I care about a great deal. I know personally the awful feeling of finding my dog dead in the morning, and the guilt I felt that I had let this happen or had not prevented it. After Dylan died I made it my business to learn everything I could about bloat, and to inform other dog owners about the condition, its symptoms, risk factors and what to do if the situation arises.
Since then tens of thousands of people have read the article about bloat on the Critter Chatter website, and many dogs’ lives have been saved. Unfortunately, too many people only read the article after their dog had died, learning too late about the condition that killed their pet. We get e-mail every week from people who fall into both groups. I am including below a sample of the mail we get.
I am asking everyone reading this to help inform people about the danger of bloat. It is sad and wrong that so many dog owners have never heard about a problem that kills so many dogs every year. Each of you can help in a number of ways.
Learn about bloat if you are not already familiar with it.
Talk to dog owners you know, as well as those you meet. If you see someone with a dog that fits the high-risk profile, ask if they have heard of bloat and if not, tell them about the risks. It is best to also refer to it as twisted stomach since that sounds more serious than bloat.
Direct people to our article on bloat We have a copy of the article on MS Word that we can attach to an e-mail and send to you to forward to people you know or copy and leave at appropriate locations like dog parks, doggie day care, groomers, and boarding facilities.
Talk to your vet and ask if they are making an effort to inform their clients with dogs, especially high-risk dogs, about bloat and to educate them about the dangers. Vets are the place dog owners should be getting this information, but it seems that not enough of them are making the effort.
Bloat cannot be completely prevented, but there is no reason that so many dogs have to die from it every year. Educating pet owners about the problem can save a great many lives.
The following are just a few of the e-mails we get from dog owners:
Hello, My name is Mike and I wanted you to know that if I hadn't read your article, my friend and faithful companion Sammy probably wouldn't be here today. As it happened, my sister owned my dog's sister, and when her dog passed she told me about the bloating that happened right before. I had heard of stomach flipping, but really knew very little about it. So that I could help my sister better understand the condition, I Googled "Bloating in dogs" (or something like that) and your article came up. It was so comprehensive that after reading it I didn't feel the need to search any further. At any rate, my friend "Sammy" (short for Samantha,) is now recovering nicely at the vet's, because I knew from your article what to look for and what to do. Oh, and if that's not powerful enough, Sammy worked as a Certified Therapy Dog (mostly in Convalescent Homes) 2-4 times a week for 4 years, and has served me personally as a Registered Service Animal for many years as well. So as you may be able to imagine, Sammy has some very special gifts, and she has had some very positive impact on many, many people. Thank you for the part that you have played in saving Sammy's life. Mike O'Neil, Lincoln, CA
Thank you for your article on bloat. It was comforting for my husband and myself. We recently lost our Sasha to stomach twist. We also did not know that much about it. We had been having months of up in the middle of the night with panting, whining, pacing episodes. We knew it was stomach related and thought she was also having panic attacks. We were treating these episodes with pepcid and melatonin. It had been working in about 20 minutes she would relax and go to sleep. We had learned to use the melatonin during her thunderstorm panic attacks The night her stomach twisted we had a thunderstorm and the usual anxiety. We gave her melatonin to calm her down but did not use the pepcid. If I had the chance to do it again I would keep her on a bland diet of just rice and chicken and never leave her alone at night. My vet did not explain to me how vigilant I needed to be nor do I think they realized her months of night time stomach issues were precursors to stomach twist.
Julia Land
Dear Critter Chatter,
I have just finished reading your article on bloat. Our beloved 2 yr old male GSD had this happen just last Nov. Thank God for the internet! We had just returned from his evening frizbee run, and within 30 mins of drinking a lot of water he was acting very unusual, even growling at my husband which never happens. I felt his abdomen and I thought it was a little bloated but my husband said he didn't think it was. King would NOT come back inside and was just hiding behind things. My gut told me something is very wrong. I ate supper and then got on line and typed in bloated stomach which immediately flagged a warning to get him to the vet asap! My husband who adores King said maybe we should just watch him for a while but I was getting very concerned so off we went and within 2hrs he was in surgery. He had no other damage to any organs so he has thankfully made a full recovery. We opted to have his stomch attached to his ribs so this would not happen to him again. We now have a female GSD 6months old who has just been spayed and had her stomach attached as a precaution to this very serious illness. We had NO idea this could happen and never read or was told by anyone. Why is it not on the wall in the vet office? Since no one knows what causes this I will list what I observed.
1. King was a little stressed about the new puppy! We had had her about 1 week.
2. We walked him vigorously and threw the frisbee for 30 mins which he jumps real high to catch.
3. He drank a ton of water after his exercise as he normally did! He had NOT eaten his evening meal at this point.
I would like to see more info go out to the public about this issue so dogs don't have to suffer an excruciating death!
Regards
Trish Scoggins
Thank you for your article. We are getting our 8 month old harlequin neutered in a few days by a vet who owns 2 danes. She recommended the stomach tack surgery that almost eliminates the risk of flip and bloat. I initially declined but after reading your article and dedication, I have already scheduled to add that procedure in. You may have in fact saved our precious Moby’s life, and for that my wife and I truly thank you.
Sincerely
Jared, Jess & Moby
Thank you for your informative article on bloat. I discovered it last night. My dog was showing signs of distress and I could not understand why. I felt her stomach and it was swollen and hard as a rock. I found your article and all the signs were there - the panting, the pacing, the cuddling then pacing again... She was however, able to burp.. We tried the mylanta and it helped greatly. As a result of your article, I know that I need to change her eating habits (she was having dry kibble, once a day). I am also going to check into other types of dog food for her. Thank you.
Dave,
Thank you so much for your article on large dogs and flipped stomachs. A week ago today we lost our Shepherd/Wolf mix Sidney, 7 yrs. old,to the same thing. I literally watched her die before my eves because I thought she had just eaten too fast and caused herself stomach problems. She had gastro problems on a consistent basis and had just been treated for a stomach infection form eating compost. I had never heard of flipped stomach and never gave it a thought. She didn't display pain and actually with my massaging her stomach seemed better. Then I fell asleep with her and she woke up and woke me and was a big as a house and couldn't walk.
The guilt was overwhelming until I read your article. I am spreading the word to all my dog owning friends and sending the article to my vet. If he had only handed me something like that the first appointment, she would be sitting here nudging my arm and talking to me for attention.
Your time and research is a blessing; informative and comforting in the fact that we aren't neglectful, just ignorant of the facts.
Thank you again,
Carla Brant
Bay Village, Ohio
