5 Reasons your dog has canine bloat and how to prevent it

To nobody’s surprise, canine bloat is exactly what it sounds like – a bloated stomach that makes your dog incredibly uncomfortable. But unlike humans when they enter a food coma, this can be very dangerous for dogs. I had no idea what canine bloat was until my friend’s Basset Hound had to be rushed into the emergency vet one night, and the vet said her dog could have died.

My friend’s vet said canine bloat is more common in specific large breeds with broad chests, because of the way their stomach and intestines are designed. Because of this, owners of Great Danes, Irish Setters, Weimaraners, St. Bernards, Boxers, Basset Hounds and German Shepherds should really know the signs of canine bloat and how to prevent it.

If you notice your dog’s stomach bloating, accompanied by restlessness and pacing, gagging (trying to vomit, but nothing comes up) or drooling, you need to get to the vet ASAP. There are a number of causes of canine bloat, especially in breeds with this predisposition. Read on to learn how to prevent canine bloat.

5 Reasons Your Dog Has Canine Bloat

Video: How to Recognize Bloat

1. Overeating

A lot of large breed dogs tend to eat a lot of food. It’s hard for their owners to prevent this, as these large dogs scarf food down the second they have access to it. But if you have a dog from any of the breeds above, you really need to watch their food (and even water) consumption.

Video: Does Your Dog Have Bloat? Learn the warning signs!

Dogs with poorly designed stomachs have issues when the food hits their gut. Food naturally expands as it’s exposed to the acids in the stomach, and this can cause your dog’s stomach to stretch.

It can also cause the stomach to twist (gastric dilatation volvulus, in case you wanted a tongue twister), or even tear. This cuts off blood flow, prevents oxygen from traveling around the body and sends your dog into shock.

In order to prevent this from happening, give your dog smaller amounts of food multiple times a day or buy a “maze bowl” that forces your dog to push food through the bowl before he or she can grab it and eat it. The same goes for water- only give small amounts at a time until he or she is hydrated.

2. Strenuous Activity

You know how humans aren’t supposed to go swimming for 20 minutes after eating to avoid cramps (supposedly)?

Dogs who are predisposed to bloat should really be kept calm until they’ve properly digested their food for similar reasons.

Too much activity can cause the same problems as overeating- twisted stomach, tears, etc. By keeping your dog calm, the stomach and intestines stay where they should, and food can pass without struggle.

If you have an especially active dog, try exercising him before he eats. Also, make sure they calm down before you put the food or water in front of them. This way, they associate feeding time with calm, and they can pace themselves while eating. You kill two birds with one stone- exercise and food monitoring.

3. Poor Placement of Food Bowls

You wouldn’t think something as small as the angle of a food bowl would really matter, but you’d be wrong. Unfortunately for my friend, she found out just how important the placement of her dog’s food bowls really were after she rushed her Basset Hound to the vet hospital.

RECOMMENDED: Regular Dog Bowl vs. Raised Dog Bowl

The vet told her that dogs are supposed to consume food with their heads at a downward angle because it encourages proper chewing before swallowing. Dogs with raised bowls tend to just lick up the food and swallow quickly because of the easy angle. Who knew, right?

This is another easy problem to fix. Just put your dog’s food and water bowls on the floor, and try to monitor him to make sure the food is going down slowly rather than all in one large gulp.

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