one more theory: bloat, elevated dishes

[mmgy]

Another list I'm on is discussing this, and a rehab nurse has offered this thought. She says that stroke patients that have trouble swallowing are sometimes encouraged to swallow with their heads lowered. It closes the airways, reduces breathing during eating, and reduces risk of aspiration, through better muscle control. She says if a dog eats from the floor, his trachea is constricted and he'll take in less air.

What do y'all think?

[Judi W]

I think everyone has a theory.

I do know that with megasophageous (spelling??) it is recommended that dogs be fed frequent meals from an elevated bowl so that gravity assists the food in getting where it needs to go.

Eating off the floor, the food has to run uphill before it can even think about reaching the stomach. I don't see how that is better for any dog. Like you trying to eat standing on your head.

[lblax]

Originally Posted by mmgy

What do y'all think?

i think we worry to much about bloat... it has many causes none of which are proven as fact.... to many variables to worry about individual practices such as hereditary/amount of food/type of food/water amounts/excersising strenuasly/dogs personal eating habits and the list goes on and on........ if your feeding a high quaslity kibble the amount should never be enough to cause bloat regardless how they eat it

[HerculesMomma]

I still wonder about this topic. I've read the article that says you shouldn't elevate the bowl, but then two other people who I know that own dogs say you should. Seems there's so many theories on this - it's so confusing!

I hope you're right Larry about the premium food. I never did get an elevated bowl for Hercules. It does seem that the experts still don't have the cause of bloat nailed down so I don't understand how there could be a definitive conclusion either way?

mmgy, I think it's an interesting theory, but humans eat in a sitting position so for us to lower our head while swallowing would not seem to me to replicate a dog lowering his head to eat out of a bowl on the floor from a standing position. From watching Hercules it appears the head is far more outstretched and lowered compared to a human in a sitting position and you slightly lower your head. I think to replicate this a human would have to be in some kind of lying position while eating and then lowering their head. Otherwise it seems the theory somewhat compares apples to oranges since the dog/human position for eating in the first place is so very different. JMO - I'm surely no expert.

[moondog]

Originally Posted by lblax

.... to many variables to worry about individual practices such as hereditary/amount of food/type of food/water amounts/excersising strenuasly/dogs personal eating habits and the list goes on and on........

I think the preventative measures only serve a purpose for those dogs that are structurally/genetically predisposed to bloat. Preventative measures have no effect on dogs that wouldn't have bloated anyway. The problem is, we don't know which dogs those are, other than being cautioned if they fall within the general guidelines that bloat studies have determined (deep-chested, high-strung, close relatives that have bloated). So it's an educated guess at best.

Originally Posted by lblax

if your feeding a high quaslity kibble the amount should never be enough to cause bloat regardless how they eat it

That's nonsense. What you are implying here is that as long as you feed a high-quality kibble, your dog won't bloat. There are plenty of dogs who eat nothing but garbage food and never bloat, and likewise there are dogs who eat the best food available and still bloat. Taking your comment to its logical conclusion, you are saying that a dog that has bloated was not fed a high-quality food. False.

There is no harm in taking precautions. They won't guarantee anything, so there's no sense obsessing over it, but they certainly fall into the "can't hurt, might help" category.

mmgy, as to your question....Who knows? The dog I lost to bloat (Irish Setter) did fall into the general guidelines. She ate with her bowl on the floor, was not a gobbler, and ate a high-quality kibble. She still bloated and she still died.

[BostonRott]

There was a study done showing that bloat was more related to gender of dog, and not affected by raised dishes or exercise before/after eating. I don't have the link here at work, will see if I can find it via search.

[BostonRott]

According to one of the studies listed below, raising your dog's food bowl SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASES the risk for bloat.

Here's some info:

Here are some abstracts from a Medline search:

J Am Anim Hosp Assoc. 2004 May-Jun;40(3):192-203.

Diet-related risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in dogs of high-risk breeds.

Raghavan M, Glickman N, McCabe G, Lantz G, Glickman LT.

Departments of Veterinary Pathobiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2027.

A nested case-control study was conducted among 1634 dogs with complete diet information in a 5-year prospective study to determine diet-related risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV). Cases included 106 dogs that developed GDV; controls included 212 dogs without GDV that were frequency matched to cases by year of GDV onset. Proportionate energy consumed from major food types and from carbohydrates was determined. Dogs were categorized as consuming either a low volume or high volume of food based on the median number of cups of food fed per kg of body weight per meal. Dogs fed a larger volume of food per meal were at a significantly (P<0.05) increased risk of GDV, regardless of the number of meals fed daily. For both large- and giant-breed dogs, the risk of GDV was highest for dogs fed a larger volume of food once daily.


J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2000 Jan 1;216(1):40-5.

Incidence of and breed-related risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in dogs.

Glickman LT, Glickman NW, Schellenberg DB, Raghavan M, Lee TL.

Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1243, USA.

OBJECTIVE: To compare incidence of and breed-related risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) among 11 dog breeds (Akita, Bloodhound, Collie, Great Dane, Irish Setter, Irish Wolfhound, Newfoundland, Rottweiler, Saint Bernard, Standard Poodle, and Weimaraner). DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. ANIMALS: 1,914 dogs. PROCEDURE: Owners of dogs that did not have a history of GDV were recruited at dog shows, and the dog's length and height and depth and width of the thorax and abdomen were measured. Information concerning the dogs' medical history, genetic background, personality, and diet was obtained from owners, and owners were contacted by mail and telephone at approximately 1-year intervals to determine whether dogs had developed GDV or died. Incidence of GDV based on the number of dog-years at risk was calculated for each breed, and breed-related risk factors were identified. RESULTS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Incidence of GDV for the 7 large (23 to 45 kg [50 to 99 lb]) and 4 giant (> 45 kg [> 99 lb]) breeds was 23 and 26 cases/1,000 dog-years at risk, respectively. Of the 105 dogs that developed GDV, 30 (28.6%) died. Incidence of GDV increased with increasing age. Cumulative incidence of GDV was 5.7% for all breeds. The only breed-specific characteristic significantly associated with a decreased incidence of GDV was an owner-perceived personality trait of happiness.

J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2000 Nov 15;217(10):1492-9.

Non-dietary risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in large and giant breed dogs.

Glickman LT, Glickman NW, Schellenberg DB, Raghavan M, Lee T.

Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1243, USA.

OBJECTIVE: To identify non-dietary risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) in large breed and giant breed dogs. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. ANIMALS: 1,637 dogs > or = 6 months old of the following breeds: Akita, Bloodhound, Collie, Great Dane, Irish Setter, Irish Wolfhound, Newfoundland, Rottweiler, Saint Bernard, Standard Poodle, and Weimaraner. PROCEDURE: Owners of dogs that did not have a history of GDV were recruited at dog shows, and the dog's length and height and the depth and width of its thorax and abdomen were measured. Information concerning the dog's medical history, genetic background, personality, and diet was obtained from the owners, and owners were contacted by mail and telephone at approximately 1-year intervals to determine whether dogs had developed GDV or died. Incidence of GDV, calculated on the basis of dog-years at risk for dogs that were or were not exposed to potential risk factors, was used to calculate the relative risk of GDV. RESULTS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Cumulative incidence of GDV during the study was 6% for large breed and giant breed dogs. Factors significantly associated with an increased risk of GDV were increasing age, having a first-degree relative with a history of GDV, having a faster speed of eating, and having a raised feeding bowl. Approximately 20 and 52% of cases of GDV among the large breed and giant breed dogs, respectively, were attributed to having a raised feed bowl.

J Am Anim Hosp Assoc. 1998 Jan-Feb;34(1):64-73.

Influence of thoracic conformation and genetics on the risk of gastric dilatation-volvulus in Irish setters.

Schellenberg D, Yi Q, Glickman NW, Glickman LT.

Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-1243, USA.

Body measurements, history of gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), and other data were obtained for 155 Irish setters at the 1994 National Specialty Show. The dogs ranged in age from 6.5 months to 12.4 years (mean+/-standard deviation [SD], 3.6+/-2.6 years); 11 (7%) of the dogs had histories of GDV. Gastric dilatation-volvulus risk increased 33% for each year of age (p of 0.01). Dogs with the deepest thorax relative to width (ratio range, 1.61 to 1.85) had a significantly greater GDV risk than those with the shallowest thorax (ratio range, 1.20 to 1.50); the odds ratio was 8.45; the 95% confidence limits were 1.44 to 49.57; and the p value equaled 0.02. Having a relative (particularly a parent) with GDV also increased GDV risk. Five-generation pedigrees yielded a significantly higher mean coefficient of relationship for the 11 dogs with GDV than for the 11 dogs without GDV.


J Am Anim Hosp Assoc. 1997 May-Jun;33(3):197-204.

Multiple risk factors for the gastric dilatation-volvulus syndrome in dogs: a practitioner/owner case-control study.

Glickman LT, Glickman NW, Schellenberg DB, Simpson K, Lantz GC.

Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-1243, USA.

A study was conducted of 101 dogs (i.e., case dogs) that had acute episodes of gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) and 101 dogs (i.e., control dogs) with nonGDV-related problems. The control dogs were matched individually to case dogs by breed or size, and age. Predisposing factors that significantly (p less than 0.10) increased a dog's risk of GDV were male gender, being underweight, eating one meal daily, eating rapidly, and a fearful temperament. Predisposing factors that decreased the risk of GDV significantly were a "happy" temperament and inclusion of table foods in a usual diet consisting primarily of dry dog food. The only factor that appeared to precipitate an acute episode of GDV was stress.

[Judy Chrusch]

I think we just need to know the signs and get ER help ASAP and I'm not a firm believer in elevated dishes verses on the floor bc I know of dogs who bloated with both. My GSD bloated and died and he was fed on the floor. I don't worry about it bc I don't think they really know. I have familarized myself with the signs and have educated myself as best I can. I do not worry about it to the point it drives me nuts.

One of my dogs I sit for is part rottie and part lab, that dog runs around and drinks water excessively all through the day and is hyper. They exercise her all the time, anytime, even after she eats and she's been doing this all her life. I for one do NOT allow her to run around chasing balls after she eats, that's always been rest time for my dogs. I think we just need to take certain necessary precautions and use common sense and know the signs if it does occur and get help ASAP.

Judy