Download Bloat - Bardstown Veterinary Clinic

Bloat
Bloat is one of the most serious gastrointestinal
emergencies. This is due to the fact that bloat is a life
threatening condition and dogs affected can deteriorate
very rapidly.
The normal stomach of a dog sits high in the abdomen and
contains a small amount of gas, mucus, and any food being
digested. The stomach contracts at a normal rhythm to
bring food down from the esophagus. It then grinds this
food and moves it down to the small intestine at the other
end to continue digestion. Normally this process occurs
without any event except the occasional burp. In a bloated
stomach the gas and/or food stretches the stomach many
times its normal size. This causes tremendous abdominal
pain. Once the stomach has bloated it has the tendency to
rotate. This rotation twists the stomach not only blocking
off blood supply but also the only exit routes for the gas
inside. At this point the pain in the abdomen becomes even
more excruciating and the condition becomes life
threatening. A dog with a bloated and twisted stomach can
die in a matter of hours under very painful circumstances
in mere hours unless drastic steps are taken.
Dogs suffering from bloat may have an obviously distended
stomach especially up near the ribs. The most common sign
of bloat is vomiting. Dogs suffering from bloat often have extreme
nausea and abdominal pain but very little vomit is produced during all
the retching. If your dog is showing these signs they should be seen at
an emergency clinic immediately.
Treatment for this condition involves several steps that must all be
done at the same time and as quickly as possible. For this reason
emergency clinics offer the best chance for survival. The first step in
treatment is to decompress the stomach. The stomach grows so large that
it begins to compromise normal circulation sending the dog into shock.
To complicate matters, stomach tissue has been stretched too tightly to
allow for blood flow and this tissue begins to die. The stomach must be
untwisted either by using a stomach tube and stomach pump or by
surgery. At the same time intravenous fluids must be started and given
very rapidly. The fluids need to be rushed in to replace the blood that
cannot get past the bloated stomach. The pain caused by the condition
causes the animals heart to race and without replacing the trapped
fluids heart failure will result. At this time medications for pain,
antibiotics, and electrolytes are also given with the fluids to help
relieve pain and stabilize the patient. Due do abnormal heart rhythms
that can occur with bloat EKG monitoring becomes very important also.
If all the above measures work to stabilize the patient and decompress
the stomach the stage in treating bloat can begin. All bloated dogs
should have surgery once they are stable enough to undergo the
procedure. Surgery allows the veterinarians to assess and repair the
damage done while the stomach was compromised. It is also important to
realize that without surgery bloat is likely to reoccur. During surgery
any dying tissues are discovered and removed. It is also important to
check the spleen since in some occasions this organ twists along with
the stomach. If the spleen has been damaged it may need to be removed.
Once tissues have been assessed and repaired if needed a procedure
called gastrplexy is performed. This procedure tacks the stomach into
normal position so that it can never twist again. Up to 75% of dogs who
do not have this procedure will bloat again.
There are some risk factors involved with a dog developing bloat. The
first being breed. Unfortunately, the large deep chested breeds such as
Great Danes, Greyhounds, and Weimaraners are more prone to this
condition but it is important to realize that any breed can bloat. Dogs
weighing more that 99 pounds also have a 20% higher chance of
developing this condition. In many cases the patient has eaten a large
meal followed by heavy exercise. Other factors increasing the chances
of bloat are eating one meal a day, having closely related family
members with a history of bloat, eating rapidly, having an anxious
temperament, and a history of aggression. Male dogs are also more
likely to bloat than females, and dogs older than 7 are also more
affected. Factors that can help decrease a dogs chances of developing
bloat are feeding 2 or more meals per day, avoiding exercise after a
meal, and having a dog with an easy going temperament.