RealityDreamer
Doggyman
Aug 6, 2003, 5:48 AM
Views: 3990
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Re: [ALL] does ur dog suffer from bloating?
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here is more about bloat(symptoms and how to help reduce the risk )
There are a few things you can do to try to reduce the risk factors for your dog. Large dogs should be fed from raised dishes, so that they don't have to bend so far over to reach food. Large dogs should be fed at approximately chest height. This helps reduce the amount of air they gulp while eating. Dogs that eat their food very rapidly can sometimes be slowed down by placing tennis balls or something similar into their dishes, so that they have to nose around the balls to get the food, thus slowing them down. Dogs prone to gulping a lot of water right after eating should have their water restricted to a small amount right after meals. Large dogs should be fed two or three smaller meals a day, instead of one large meal. Many people soak dry kibble in warm water before feeding so that it doesn't swell so much in the stomach, or feed wet food in combination with or instead of kibble, since wet food doesn't swell like dry kibble does. Kibble can be tested to see how much it will swell in the stomach. Take the amount of food you feed your dog, put it in a bowl, and add warm water--try to add approximately the amount that the dog seems to drink after eating. How much is that kibble swelling up, and does it seem like too much for the dog's stomach to handle? Some kibbles swell more than others, and some hardly swell at all, but become more the consistency of a good quality wet food. More "crumbly" then swollen. Some people use homecooked, raw or natural diets to reduce the risk, for the same reasons. (Dr. Pitcairn has a section in his book Natural Health for Dogs and Cats for natural treatments.) Also, adding yogurt to a meal can usually reduce the amount of gas produced during digestion (this is handy for reasons other than preventing bloat!). Dogs should not be allowed strenuous exercise or excitement for about an hour prior to, and two hours after a meal, but walking is good after a meal, because it helps stimulate the digestive system, and helps "move things along" as it were.
Finally, you know your dog better than anyone else, including your vet. Some dogs are very stoic about the pain or distress they feel. If this is the case with your dog, be sure to tell your vet. Make sure your vet listens to you (this is, of course, good advice for all situations with a vet--make sure you have one that listens to you). If the vet misjudges how much pain or distress your dog is in, she may misjudge the condition, and not take appropriate action.
Hope this helps
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(This post was edited by RealityDreamer on Aug 6, 2003, 6:00 AM)
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