Article on bloat

[Ilovemypuppy]

> This excerpt from a recent article summarizes the current thinking on the
> causes of bloat in dogs. As you can see, it is a condition in which
several
> factors combine to create the problem:
>
> FROM: Risk Factors for Canine Bloat Tufts' Canine and Feline Breeding and
> Genetics Conference, 2003 Jerold S. Bell, DVM Tufts University School of
> Veterinary Medicine
> North Grafton, MA, USA
>
>
> "The breed with the highest average lifetime likelihood of a bloat episode
> is the Great Dane, at 42.4%. Other breeds at higher-than average risk
> include the Bloodhound, Irish Wolfhound, Irish Setter, Akita, standard
> Poodle, German Shepherd Dog, and Boxer. Other deep-chested breeds and
> deep-chested mixed-breed dogs are also at higher risk.
>
> Dr. Larry Glickman, an epidemiologist at the Purdue University School of
> Veterinary Medicine, conducted a controlled study on canine bloat,
beginning
> in 1994. He followed 1,914 dogs who did not have a prior history of bloat.
> Eleven large and giant breeds were represented in the study.
>
> Several risk factors were identified. The dogs with the greatest risk of
> developing bloat have chests that are deep and narrow. This can be
evaluated
> by measuring the depth and the width of the chest. Then the depth is
divided
> by the width. The depth-to-width ratio reflects the amount of room there
is
> for stomach movement in the abdomen, behind the ribcage. The higher the
> result, the more room there is for movement. Dogs with more room have a
> greater risk of developing bloat.
>
> Lean dogs were found to be at higher risk than overweight dogs. It is
> hypothesized that this is because fat takes up space in the abdomen. The
> lack of fat in the abdomen of a lean dog creates a basic situation similar
> to that of a dog with a deep and narrow chest: A lean dog has much more
room
> in the abdomen for the stomach to move around than a fat dog. This does
not
> mean, of course, that overweight dogs are generally healthier than lean
> dogs.
>
> Risk is also higher for older dogs. For large breeds, the risk of
developing
> bloat goes up 20 percent each year after the age of 5. For giant breeds,
it
> goes up 20 percent each year after the age of 3. First degree relatives of
> dogs that have had bloat have a 63 percent greater risk of developing
bloat
> themselves. Dogs that eat quickly have a 15 percent higher risk of
> developing bloat. This may be related to increased swallowing of air.
>
> One traditional preventative has been to raise the height of food and
water
> bowls, but this was found to actually increase risk by 110 percent. This
> correlation of risk was verifiable; the dogs of the breeders in this study
> did not have close relatives that had experienced bloat.
>
> The study also found that fearful, nervous, or aggressive dogs had a much
> higher incidence of bloat than did dogs perceived by their owners as
having
> happy temperaments. Stress can also be a precipitating factor, and many
dogs
> bloat after recent kenneling, or a recent long car ride. A slightly higher
> percentage of males than females developed bloat.
>
> Several diet-related factors were associated with a higher incidence of
> bloat. These include feeding only dry food, or feeding a single large
daily
> meal. Dogs fed dry foods containing fat among the first four ingredients
had
> a 170 percent higher risk for developing bloat. Dogs fed dry foods
> containing citric acid and were moistened prior to feeding had a 320
percent
> higher risk for developing bloat.
>
> Conversely, feeding a dry food containing a rendered meat-and-bone meal
> decreased risk by 53 percent in comparison with the overall risk for the
> dogs in the study. Mixing table food or canned food into dry food also
> decreased the risk of bloat.
>
> During the past 30 years there has been a 1,500 percent increase in the
> incidence of bloat, and this has coincided with the increased feeding of
dry
> dog foods. There is a much lower incidence of bloat in susceptible breeds
in
> Australia and New Zealand. Feeding practices in these countries have been
> found to be less dependent on dry foods.
>
> As for feeding one large meal a day, this can weigh down the stomach and
> stretch the hepatogastric ligament, which usually maintains the stomach's
> normal position in the abdomen. Dogs that have bloated were found to have
a
> much longer hepatogastric ligament; it is thought that this is due to
> chronic stretching. This could also explain why bloat risk increases with
> age.
>
> Several popular theories regarding bloat were not substantiated during the
> study. There was no correlation of bloat risk to exercise before or after
> eating, as most dogs bloated in the middle of the night with an empty,
> gas-filled stomach. There was also no correlation to vaccinations, to the
> brand of dog food consumed, or to the timing or volume of water intake
> before or after eating.
>
> From the research performed to date, we can list several factors that,
added
> together, can characterize the typical dog that develops bloat: a deep and
> narrow chest; leanness; a relative that has had a bloat episode; eating
> quickly; a dry-food diet; a single, large daily meal; stress; and a
fearful,
> nervous, or aggressive temperament."

[Anne]

Thanks for posting that info. It clears up a few of my misconceptions.

[Brooke&Ryan]

Lean dogs were found to be at higher risk than overweight dogs. It is hypothesized that this is because fat takes up space in the abdomen. The lack of fat in the abdomen of a lean dog creates a basic situation similar to that of a dog with a deep and narrow chest: A lean dog has much more
room in the abdomen for the stomach to move around than a fat dog. This does not mean, of course, that overweight dogs are generally healthier than lean dogs.

Interesting. I did not know this but it makes sense.

Thanks for posting the article.

:)
Brooke

[K9-man]

Originally Posted by Ilovemypuppy

> During the past 30 years there has been a 1,500 percent increase in the incidence of bloat, and this has coincided with the increased feeding of dry dog foods. There is a much lower incidence of bloat in susceptible breeds in Australia and New Zealand. Feeding practices in these countries have been found to be less dependent on dry foods.

This is no surprise to me. I’ve done experiments on many kibbles. Some of them swell up to almost 3X their original size when soaked in water for a few hours!

Be this as it may, I know of Great Danes that have gotten bloat while on raw diets.