LARGE BREED DOG OWNERS: BE AWARE OF BLOAT Debbie White, DVM Lone Mountain Animal Hospital
 
If you have large breeds of dog in your home, then be sure you know about the life threatening medical condition called “Bloat” and how to recognize it. Bloat is a serious emergency which is most commonly seen in large breeds of dog. Bloat is very dangerous due to the complexity of the condition and because prompt treatment is crucial for survival. Without emergency veterinary treatment the condition is 100% fatal.
 
What is Bloat?

While commonly referred to as bloat, the technical name for the condition is Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus, or GDV. Bloat results from a distention and twisting of a dog’s stomach which blocks off transport of food to and from the stomach. In addition to the trapped ingesta, blood flow to the stomach becomes cut off and shock then sets in. The entire process of bloat can become fatal within a few hours unless aggressively treated.
 
What are signs of bloat?

• THE HALLMARK SIGN: A nauseated dog that tries to vomit, except nothing is brought up.
• Excess salivation
• Attempts to vomit
• Restlessness
• Distended abdomen

Any dogs more at risk for bloat?

Yes, large and giant breeds are most likely to develop bloat. Among some of the most common breeds affected include the Great Dane, St. Bernard, Weimeraner, and German Shepherd.
 
What are some factors that increase the risk of bloating?

• Feeding a single large meal a day
• Exercising after eating or drinking
• Eating rapidly
• Feeding exclusively dry food
• Having a fearful or aggressive temperament

How is bloat treated?

Bloat is treated by a combination of treatment for shock, decompression of the over distended stomach, treating abnormal heart rhythms, and finally surgical correction. Surgery is high risk and involves untwisting the stomach, surgically removing damaged tissue, and perfoming a gastropexy, or “tacking the stomach”.  In some cases a dog’s spleen may need to be removed if it is also twisted.
 
What are the chances of survival?

The longer the delay in decompression of the stomach, the worse the outcome. If heart arrhythmias have developed by the time of examination, then the pet has approximately a 38% chance of dying. Likewise, the mortality risk increases if tissue damage is present in the stomach, and if the pet’s spleen must be removed. It is important to realize that even with prompt treatment and surgery, some dogs do not survive the post operative period of 72 hours.
 
How can you prevent bloat from occurring?

Feed several smaller meals each day.
Include canned food with regular diet.
Avoid exercising after meals.
Consider having preventative gastropexy surgery.

The Power of the Dog
by Rudyard Kipling

There is sorrow enough in the natural way
From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store,
Why do we always arrange for more!
Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.

Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie—
Perfect passion and worship fed
By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.
Nevertheless, it is hardly fair
To risk your heart for a dog to tear.

When the fourteen years which Nature permits
Are closing in asthma, or tumor, or fits,
And the vet's unspoken prescription runs
To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
Then you will find – it's your own affair –
But . . . you've given your heart to a dog to tear.

When the body that lived at your single will,
With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still);
When the spirit that answered your every mood
Is gone – wherever it goes – for good,
You will discover how much you care,
And will give your heart to a dog to tear.

We've sorrow enough in the natural way
When it comes to burying Christian clay.
Our loves are not given, but only lent,
At compound interest of cent per cent.
Though it is not always the case, I believe,
That the longer we've kept ‘em, the more do we grieve:
For, when debts are payable, right or wrong,
A short-time loan is as bad as a long –
So why in-Heaven (before we are there)
Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?

"From Friend To Friend"
By: Karen Clouston 
Written in Memory of Asta, February 1997

You're giving me a special gift,
So sorrowfully endowed,
And through these last few cherished days,
Your courage makes me proud.
But really, love is knowing
When your best friend is in pain,
And understanding, earthly acts
Will only be in vain.
So looking deep into your eyes,
Beyond, into your soul,
I see in you the magic, that will
Once more make me whole.
The strength that you possess,
Is why I look to you today,
To do this thing that must be done,
For it's the only way.
That strength is why I've followed you,
And chose you as my friend,
And why I've loved you all these years ...
My partner 'til the end.

Please understand just what this gift,
You're giving means to me,
It gives me back the strength I've lost
And all my dignity.
You take a stand on my behalf,
For that is what friends do.
And know that what you do is right,
For I believe it too.
So one last time, I breathe your scent,
And through your hand I feel,
The courage that's within you,
To now grant me this appeal.
Cut the leash that holds me here,
Dear friend, and let me run,
Once more a strong and steady dog,
My pain and struggle done.
And don't dispair my passing,
For I won't be far away,
Forever here, within your heart,
And memory I'll stay.

I'll be there watching over you,
Your ever faithful friend,
And in your memories I'll run,
... a young dog once again.

Now I lay me down to sleep
Into my master’s bed I creep
Start at the bottom, then to the top
I know this bed for me he bought

Next to my master, snuggled tight
And that’s the way we sleep all night
Please don’t disturb and don’t intrude
I’ll wake him up when I need food

Then in the morning I will begin
To lick, lick, lick my masters’ chin
He wakes up quick; my tongues quite wet
(He hasn’t learned all my tricks yet)

Devotion to him, I will display
I’ll speak, I’ll sit and sometimes stay
Because his puppy, I’ll always be
It’s special care he gives to me

So thank you Lord for so much more
Than I could ever ask you for
I promise Lord, I’ll snuggle tight
And share my bed with him each night

Our prayers are with Jordon
Cody Parker

Dog Pet Peeves

1. Blaming your farts on me... not funny... not funny at all!!!

2. Yelling at me for barking ..... I'M A FRIGGIN' DOG, YOU IDIOT!

3. Taking me for a walk, then not letting me check stuff out. Exactly whose walk is this anyway?

4. Any trick that involves balancing food on my nose... stop it!

5. Any haircut that involves bows or ribbons. Now you know why we chew your stuff up when you're not home.

6. The sleight of hand, fake fetch throw. You fooled a dog! Whoooo Hoooooooo , what a proud moment for the top of the food chain.

7. Taking me to the vet for "the big snip", then acting surprised when I freak out every time we go back!

8. Getting upset when I sniff the crotches of your guests. Sorry, but I haven't quite mastered that handshake thing yet.

9. Dog sweaters. Hello??? Haven't you noticed the fur?

10. How you act disgusted when I lick myself. Look, we both know the truth, you're just jealous.

Now lay off me on some of these things . We both know who's boss here!!!
(You don't see me picking up your poop do you ???)

If I Didn't Have Dogs...

• I could walk around safely barefoot in the dark;
• My house could be carpeted instead of tiled and laminated;
• All flat surfaces, clothing, furniture and cars would be free of dog hair;
• When the doorbell rang, it wouldn't sound like the SPCA kennels;
• When the doorbell rang, I could get to the door without wading through four or five dog bodies who beat me there;
• I could sit how I wanted to on the couch without taking into consideration where several little furbodies would need to get;
• I would not have strange presents under my tree, like dog bones, stuffed animals and have to answer to people why I wrap them up;
• I would not be on a first name basis with a vet;
• Most used words in my vocabulary would not be: potty, outside, sit, down, come, no, and leave him/her ALONE;
• My house would not be cordoned off into zones with baby gates;
• My purse would not contain things like poop pick up bags and dog treats;
• I would no longer have to spell the words B-A-L-L, T-R-E-A-T-S, O-U-T-S-I-D-E, and F-R-I-S-B-E-E;
• I would not buy weird things to stuff into Kongs or have to explain why I'm buying them, or what a Kong is;
• I would not have as many leaves and Pine Straw INSIDE my house as outside;
• Some people who will never have the joy in their life of knowing they are loved unconditionally by something as close to an angel as they will ever get. Who else has a friend who considers you the MOST important thing in the whole wide world all the time?

Pat from United Blood Services