How to Avoid Bloat Condition

Raising a puppy can be a very rewarding time in a family’s life, but it also takes a good bit of time, money and effort to care for the dog properly. Keeping them healthy and staying on top of their shots and visits to the vet are just small ways you can ensure your dog will grow up strong and healthy. One thing that can happen to dogs is a condition called “bloat”.

Bloat can be a very traumatic condition for puppies and grown dogs and most people do not have enough information on the topic to look for it and treat it correctly. It is mostly common for dog that come from medium sized breeds of dogs. It does not discriminate from male or female breeds, as both can obtain the condition. It can effect young pups to older, more mature ones. It is when there seems to be a gastric torsion inside the dog. There can be fluid or build up trapped inside the stomach and cause the stomach to feel as if it is being twisted or a tenderness in the area. The stomach can actually begin to twist in a motion that begins at the esophagus and ends at the upper intestines. Those arteries and internal organs begin to twist and in some dogs it can even take their lives.

What occurs first is the dog begins to experience shock of some form. This is simply because those veins from the stomach begin to not properly send the blood to circulate it back up to the heart. Once that occurs, the blood and oxygen that is being neglected to travel to the heart is absent and the dog begins to suffer from it. Those stomach walls and lining begin to rot out very quickly and some can even rupture. Some symptoms to look out for are when the dog appears to have a puffy or swollen tummy area. They can also begin to drool, vomit or cry as if they are in pain of some kind. They may become rather fussy, not lay down when they normally would or when the owner prompts them to do so. Often their gums will change colors it will go from a pale tone to deep red to blue and when they get tot his stage you know your pup is in serious trouble. The problem is while these symptoms sound as if the owner would be instantly alarmed that something is very present and harming their puppy or dog, many are too busy to sit down and evaluate the dog’s condition and it gets worse by the minute.

Some things to consider to avoid your pup getting the bloat condition is to never provide them with only one large meal each day. Instead, split them into two or three small ones throughout the day providing the dog with plenty of time to digest it and play freely afterward. Plenty of water along with their meal will help the digestive system perform more effectively as well. Do not allow your dog to run around and play too much after they have eaten and try to keep the hour to two hour rule in place after they have eaten as a good rule of thumb.