Bloat in Dogs: An Inconvenience Or a Serious Problem?
Bloat, trapped wind, or whatever you want to call it—it's a minor, temporary inconvenience that is generally solved by expelling some flatus. When it comes to your dog, bloating is generally a minor, temporary inconvenience too. But for some unfortunate pooches, the problem can quickly escalate and become something far more serious. How do you know when your dog's bloat is endangering their health?
Trapped Gas
Bloating is when the process of digestion creates gas. This gas will generally escape by itself, but when the bloating is extreme, it can prevent these gasses from making their way into your dog's small intestine. This extreme bloating causes your dog's abdomen to become swollen. These trapped gasses can eventually cause your dog's stomach to be under such pressure that it shifts position (known as gastric torsion). This impedes blood flow to your dog's internal organs, and this is when bloat goes from being a minor inconvenience to a potentially life-threatening hazard. How can you prevent your dog from becoming bloated?
Minimise the Chances of Bloating
It's difficult to entirely avoid bloating in dogs, although there are many things you can do to reduce its likelihood. This mainly concerns altering your dog's feeding schedule. When your dog is fed a single large meal each day, their hunger and general enthusiasm for their food can cause them to consume it with great speed, trapping air with the food as it's consumed. Some foods will result in more gas than others. Consider feeding your dog several smaller meals throughout the day, which moderates their intake and makes it less likely that they will treat their mealtime as a race. You should also avoid feeding your dog directly after exercise, giving their metabolism a chance to slow down.
Warning Signs
You might do everything you can to reduce your dog's chances of becoming bloated, but if it happens, in many cases your dog won't require assistance. However, if your dog's bloat appears to be causing them stress, pain, or discomfort (and especially if their breathing becomes laboured), you should take them to an emergency vet clinic since the situation can quickly become dangerous. Your dog may need emergency intravenous fluids, along with medical decompression of their stomach to release the gas. Depending on the severity of their gastric torsion, surgery might be necessary to realign their stomach.
Bloat might not seem like a big deal, and for most dogs, it isn't. But it doesn't take much time for the condition to threaten your dog's health, so be sure to know the warning signs so you can take quick action.