Canine bloat, also referred to as gastric torsion, is a deadly condition commonly seen in deep chested dogs like Great Danes, or German Shepherds.
The typical scenario is that the dogs stomach fills with gas and twists upon itself, effectively trapping the gas and pinching veins.
This lowers blood pressure to dangerous levels.
Internal organs suffer as a result, and the body begins to slowly, but surely fail.
Most pet owners believe that canine bloat is caused when dogs eat far too quickly and swallow too much air.
This has some truth to it, but is not the whole picture.
There is evidence to suggest that gastric torsion is caused by the accumulation of gases in the stomach from chemical reactions during the digestion process rather than the swallowing of air.
There are two simple routes pet parents can do to greatly decrease the risk of bloat.
We need to split our dogs daily feeding into smaller meals, or make an attempt to slow down their eating so that their bodies have time to signal that they are full.
Many pet owners feed their dogs one large meal at some point during the day, and it is oftentimes scarfed down very quickly.
The problem with feeding one large meal is that adult dogs are much more hungry than they would be if they were fed two smaller meals a day.
As a result, they eat much quicker.
They eat so quickly that their bodies do not release the necessary hormones that tell them they are full in a timely manner.
The consequence is that the stomach is overloaded, and there is not much room for gases in the stomach to expand.
This increases the risk of gastric torsion considerably.
If smaller meals are offered throughout the day, then there will be more room in the stomach for the gases to expand, and the body will be much better equipped to regulate itself than if it were overloaded with gases.
If you still need to feed one meal a day, or if your dogs free feed, then there are special bowls you can purchase that are strategically shaped so that your dog has to work a little harder to eat their food.
This slows down the rate that they ingest their kibble, giving their bodies enough time to know when they are full.
The typical scenario is that the dogs stomach fills with gas and twists upon itself, effectively trapping the gas and pinching veins.
This lowers blood pressure to dangerous levels.
Internal organs suffer as a result, and the body begins to slowly, but surely fail.
Most pet owners believe that canine bloat is caused when dogs eat far too quickly and swallow too much air.
This has some truth to it, but is not the whole picture.
There is evidence to suggest that gastric torsion is caused by the accumulation of gases in the stomach from chemical reactions during the digestion process rather than the swallowing of air.
There are two simple routes pet parents can do to greatly decrease the risk of bloat.
We need to split our dogs daily feeding into smaller meals, or make an attempt to slow down their eating so that their bodies have time to signal that they are full.
Many pet owners feed their dogs one large meal at some point during the day, and it is oftentimes scarfed down very quickly.
The problem with feeding one large meal is that adult dogs are much more hungry than they would be if they were fed two smaller meals a day.
As a result, they eat much quicker.
They eat so quickly that their bodies do not release the necessary hormones that tell them they are full in a timely manner.
The consequence is that the stomach is overloaded, and there is not much room for gases in the stomach to expand.
This increases the risk of gastric torsion considerably.
If smaller meals are offered throughout the day, then there will be more room in the stomach for the gases to expand, and the body will be much better equipped to regulate itself than if it were overloaded with gases.
If you still need to feed one meal a day, or if your dogs free feed, then there are special bowls you can purchase that are strategically shaped so that your dog has to work a little harder to eat their food.
This slows down the rate that they ingest their kibble, giving their bodies enough time to know when they are full.
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