How can I keep this from happening?
It was once believed that bloat happens/caused after a large meal or by vigorous exercise soon after eating, or from feeding dry food that expands in the stomach. In a talk given by Dr. Larry Glickman, researcher in the Purdue Bloat Study, he indicated that many dogs that bloat do so on an empty stomach. The "gas" in the stomach is in fact not gas caused by fermenting food, but air. Researchers are still not certain what causes the air, theorizing that the dogs gulps air in when eating, but again, some dogs bloat on an empty stomach.
Studies also indicated the following predisposing factors:
Males bloat more frequently than females; underweight males more than those of normal weight; eating only one meal per day; dogs that eat at a faster rate, i.e. gulping; and nervous-fretful temperament; stressful incident.
Those things found to decrease the risk are:
Inclusion of table food; and or adding canned food to a primarily dry kibble diet; happy-easy going temperament. The table food should be of good quality meaning fruits, vegetables, lean meat not the fatty scraps you would normally throw out. Also felt to be beneficial is the slowing down of fast eaters. Suggestions for doing so included; hand feeding, large round rocks in bowl, a logging chain in bowl, feeding in a muffin tin to name a few. Also, several small meals and or snacks is recommended.
Dr. Glickman also indicated that there is far less bloat in the UK, Australia, and NZ, these countries feed baked, not extruded kibble.
(A side note: It is widely felt that many dogs lack the proper digestive enzymes to properly break down the foods they eat, thus prohibiting them from properly digesting and assimilating the food they eat. Digestive enzymes are available through most health stores.)
Is Bloat occurring more often in dogs?
"The Veterinary Medical Data Base indicates that the frequency of GDV in dogs seen by veterinary teaching hospitals in the U.S. has steadily increased at approximately 1500% over a thirty year period, 1964 to 1994." Some suspected reasons are; "environmental factors such as new ingredients in dry dog food, a change in the manufacturing process of dry dog food, or introduction of new vaccines."
What if I live far from a vet?
If you feel you may not be able to reach a vet in time or you live far from away from veterinary services you might want to keep the following emergency kit close at hand and follow these procedures as recommended by Dr. Glickman: stomach tube, ensure that the tube is the correct length by measuring the dog from tip of nose to last rib, mark the length of the tube with tape. Also put tape on the end of the tube to prevent it slipping down the throat. If the tube won't pass into the stomach, as soon as possible insert a 18-22 gauge needle directly behind the last rib. The enlarged stomach is now closer to the surface and will be quite easy to locate, plus the needle does not have to go very far in, thus removing the likeliness of hitting another organ. You should hear a hissing sound. The dog will still require medical care and surgery should be considered as soon as possible.
Due to the inherited factor of GDV incidence, it is not recommended that dogs with a strong familial link to bloat be considered for breeding. It is also recommended prophylactic gastropexy be done at the time he/she is neutered/spayed.
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