Drinking Lots Of Water During Mealtime
When a dog swallows large gulps of water, he also gulps large pockets of air that can build up in the stomach. Many think that this potential cause of bloat can be eliminated by removing water from the dog’s reach while he is eating and making it freely available at all other times.
When a dog has overeaten, many owners will notice their dogs acting restless and unable to lie down in a comfortable position. They may also start panting, drooling or even acting like they want to vomit (including frequent retching, with little to no food being brought up). The most telltale sign, however, is a distended abdomen that is hard to the touch. If you observe any of these symptoms, act quickly and bring your dog to your regular veterinarian during the day or Greenbrier Emergency Animal Hospital after hours. These symptoms can also be signs of an even more serious problem called GDV, in which the stomach can twist in your pet’s abdomen.
With the holiday season right around the corner, the thought of eating oversized, high-calorie meals is probably on a lot of people’s minds (for better or worse). But for most dogs, eating a large meal is probably on their mind all the time, holiday season or not. Yes, dogs love to get into food, beyond what’s given to them in their doggie dishes, and recently Greenbrier Emergency Animal Hospital has seen an above-average number of dogs that have done just that. From getting into the cat’s free feeder, to eating human party food left on a counter, to breaking into a cabinet where 8 pounds of dog food was stored, to entering a neighbor’s doggie door and gobbling up another pup’s food, we have seen quite a variety of overeaters lately. And while for people, apart from a bit of indigestion, eating a big feast might not seem that much of a problem, going on a food binge can become very serious very quickly for our canine counterparts.
Overeating causes the pain receptors in a dog’s stomach to stretch, which in turn causes the discomfort they experience. The majority of ingested food is usually very dry in the stomach, so fluids from other parts of the body are often absorbed into the stomach, potentially causing your pet to become dehydrated quickly. The GI tract is also considered a shock organ, so any compromise to blood flow or fluid volumes is a serious concern.
In more severe cases, depending on how your pet is doing, he/she may be sedated to have the stomach lavaged (which is sort of like stomach pumping) to help remove food. If foreign material is suspected or the food cannot be removed with tubing, surgery may be warranted. Thankfully, with aggressive fluid therapy and support care, most dogs do well after 24 hours.
In an overeating situation, when your pet arrives at our Charlottesville vet hospital, baseline radiographs are taken to see the size of the stomach, and additional radiographs are usually taken at 12 hours and 24 hours after presentation. An IV catheter is placed, and your dog is started on IV fluids and pain medications. We also tape-measure your dog’s abdomen to monitor changes in size and walk them every hour to help increase blood flow to the GI tract. Your dog’s heart rate and pulse are also monitored every hour. Inducing your dog to vomit when their abdomen is distended is usually contraindicated, as it could potentially rupture the stomach. In addition, with the stomach so distended, it can be difficult for them to vomit.
I have been feeding Happy Dog to the last three dogs weve loved. Our recent addition, Hank, absolutely loves his Whole Grain Original mixed with ground turkey. I love knowing hes getting a wholesome and healthy meal, and best of all, he loves it! Thanks for having us be part of the happy dog family and creating such a quality product 🙂 K
Occasionally, though, dogs are unable to expel the cause of their bloat. While vets are still unsure of the cause, this form of bloat can cause serious trouble if left untreated. In the worst cases, the bloated stomach will continue to expand and put pressure on the heart and lungs, blocking the flow of blood to the heart and spleen and causing cardiac arrest.
– Feed your dog more whole foods. Processed foods turn into an easily digestible porridge, while whole foods require harder work to ensure proper digestion. That hard work actually keeps the stomach wall strong and decreases the likelihood of future gas build-up or torsion. A recent study showed that the inclusion of fresh, human-grade food in a dog’s diet diet was associated with a 59% decreased risk of bloat.
Did you know thatbloat, is second only to cancer as a cause of death in dogs? Most pet owners are in the dark when it comes to this mysterious condition, so we’re offering some helpful information to help you recognize and treat bloat in dogs.
The next thing to look for is rapid, shallow breathing and pale gums. Rapid, shallow breathing is essentially the description of panting – which is a perfectly normal way for dogs to cool down – but if your dog’s gums also look pale and he seems distressed or like he’s in pain, it should be a cause for concern.
Gastric Dilation: This Puppy Ate Too Much Dry Food! Abdominal Surgery Save The Puppy’s Life
One of the kids left the garage door open and he has got the lid off the food box and had a field day – has eaten probably 4+ kilos of dry food. Obviously rang the vet straight away, she said not to worry but to expect vomit/diarrhea and to let him drink as much as he wants. I am panicing anyway though, he seems ok at the moment, although lots of diarrhea/straining already. How will I know if he has bloat or if he needs to go to the vet? What do I need to look out for?
Watch out for attempted unproductive vomiting, hunching up, pale gums, panting, general unwell appearance. My puppy Mr Creosote dog is prone to stealth scoffing and hes a bloat-risk breed, so Ive had some frantic moments too! And hes snoring here in rude health, so dont panic. The vet and my experienced dog sitter both said let him have small amounts of water often, rather than one massive bowl all at once, and keep a close eye on him. Maybe measure the widest part of his stomach now, so that if it gets significantly bigger youll be able to tell straight away instead of guessing. And if youre worried, take him to the vets – GDV can get serious very quickly.
Our brown lab ate 4.5 kilos of dry dog food and didnt have any ill-effects – to be honest, it didnt even occur to us to ring the vet. She was sick a couple of times, and did poo a fair amount of semi-digested dog food. She was rather sorry for herself too – I think she was quite uncomfortable from being so full – she was a little brown barrel on legs, and couldnt curl herself up as she usually does. We didnt give her anything to eat for a couple of days, and then only small meals, and made sure she had water available to drink. Wildfigs advice sounds spot on.
If it makes you feel any better, my friends Dalmation once ate a 15KG sack of food, including the bag, after breaking in to the utility room when they were out. They came back to find him laying on the floor groaning, but he was fine. It didnt put him off his food! He has also eaten a childs toy potters wheel set, including paints, clay and paintbrushes! 
Well he seems fine other than the fact he keeps hoovering up his own vomit! Thanks for the pointers I will keep an eye on him. He is busy digging up a conifer at the moment so obviously not feeling too bad.
My Mums boxer once got into the cupboard she kept the dried dogfood in (in a big barrel). Dont know how much he ate but he came out looking pretty much like the barrel. He was fine.
Anchovies – our labrador un-gardens, too! I have resigned myself to the fact that I can only put plants in the front garden – unless I want them uprooted and towed round the lawn. I did try buying spiky plants, in the hopes that this would put madam off, but no such luck – she pulled up and shredded five raspberry canes and a gooseberry bush. Im glad your dog seems to be OK – it sounds like he and my hound would get on well, but might lead eachother into bad ways – lol!
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