bloat

Question
Hello
What is causing so much of this disease. IT is hitting dogs suddenly and they are dying.

Answer
Hi Tina

There are many injuries and physical disorders which represent life-threatening emergencies. There is only one condition so drastic that it over shadows them all in terms of rapidity of consequences and effort in emergency treatment. This is the gastric dilatation and volvulus - the"bloat."

WHAT IS IT AND WHY IS IT SO SERIOUS?

The normal stomach sits high in the abdomen and contains a small amount of gas, some mucus, and any food being digested.  It undergoes a normal rhythm of contraction, receiving food from the esophagus above, grinding the food, and meting the ground food out to the small intestine at its other end.  Normally this proceeds uneventfully except for the occasional burp.

In the bloated stomach, gas and/or food stretches the stomach many times its normal size, causing tremendous abdominal pain. For reasons we do not fully understand, this grossly distended stomach has a tendency to rotate, thus twisting off not only its own blood supply but the only exit routes for the gas inside.  Not only is this condition extremely painful but it is also rapidly life-threatening. A dog with a bloated, twisted stomach (more scientifically called "Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus") will die in pain in a matter of hours unless drastic steps are taken.

WHAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS FOR DEVELOPING BLOAT?

Classically, this condition affects dog breeds which are said to be "deep chested," meaning the length of their chest from backbone to sternum is relatively long while the chest width from right to left is narrow.  Examples of deep chested breeds would be the Great Dane, Greyhound, and the setter breeds.  Still, any dog can bloat, even dachshunds and chihuahuas.

Kind Regards
Patt