[Greater Swiss]

I saw this video posted on another forum and thought I would share it with everyone here. Its kind of heartbreaking to watch, but I'm glad I've seen it. It shows a dog in mid stages of bloat, points out the specific symptoms etc. I've read about bloat and the signs, but I'm not sure I would have recognized it dependably before. For those of you who have never seen bloat before, but may have a bloat-prone breed it would probably be a good idea to watch this.
Just to let you know, before watching it, the dog survived, the people who were fostering it had never seen bloat before and were video taping its introduction into its new environment, they allowed the use of the tape for the purposes of showing the symptoms.

 

[ChaosIsAWeim]

While this is a great learning tool, I can't help but scream in my head that, how could they just sit there and watch/video tape while this poor dog was in pain.

 

[Loki Love]

While this is a great learning tool, I can't help but scream in my head that, how could they just sit there and watch/video tape while this poor dog was in pain.

Exactly. The poor puppy :/

 

[Greater Swiss]

They explain later in the video that the fosters didn't know what they were seeing, it was the dog's first time with them, so they had no idea, they had never seen bloat before. They were concerned, but hey, if you didn't know better perhaps the dog was scared and nauseous. Before knowing about bloat (and especially before seeing the video) I would have been concerned seeing a dog act that way, but I wouldn't have been panicked, and could have easily lost a dog to bloat....now I would panic though, and be pretty certain I wasn't wasting a fortune at the vet because my dog ate grass or something. Perhaps they should have acted sooner, but I still give kudos to them for sharing the video (and for getting the dog to the vet on time!)

 

[ChaosIsAWeim]

Bloat is a time sensitive issue, the quicker you get the dog in the better the chances are of making off the operation table. That's what makes me frustrated about this. Yes they may not have known that was what the dog was going through, but instead of video taping the dog should have been rushed to the vet. The dog was in obvious distress, quite possibly in pain, his stomach was enlarged, he was gasping for air, and throwing up left and right, if I saw those symptoms even if I didn't know what it was, I'd be taking my dog to the vet/e-vet right away.

But like I said this is a great vid, just sad that the dog had to suffer through 3 mins (yeah I know not all of it was about the dog in the vid) before they decided that it might be a good idea for them to take the dog to the vet. I am glad he made it through, because it could have been a lot worse.

 

[GottaLuvMutts]

Maybe it's just me, but I think it's easier to prevent bloat than anything else. Seems like one of those situations where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I'm pretty confident that I would have dealt with bloat by now if I wasn't so careful about controlling the speed at which the dog eats and also the timing (not before/after hard exercise).

 

[Loki Love]

Maybe it's just me, but I think it's easier to prevent bloat than anything else. Seems like one of those situations where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I'm pretty confident that I would have dealt with bloat by now if I wasn't so careful about controlling the speed at which the dog eats and also the timing (not before/after hard exercise).

It's a nice idea to 'prevent bloat' but realistically, no one knows the real underlying causes of bloat. There are some people, like you, that follow all the supposed 'rules' about preventing bloat and yet their dog still bloats.

 

[Greater Swiss]

It's a nice idea to 'prevent bloat' but realistically, no one knows the real underlying causes of bloat. There are some people, like you, that follow all the supposed 'rules' about preventing bloat and yet their dog still bloats.

This is why I shared it.....ever since we got Caeda and heard about bloat I've been pretty terrified of it. We do what we can to prevent but even without a mistake it could still happen. I took her to the vet once because I was worried about bloat, turned out she had thorns in her throat that had to be left to "fester out" (eww). She was walking around, with her head down, hacking and bringing up spit. I was petrified. I knew if it was bloat time was of the essence, but I still waited about 5 minutes to try to figure out what was going on (granted her stomach wasn't distended, and she wanted treats). My guess is that bloat is 95% fatal because the symptoms aren't recognized by everyone fast enough!

I respect that bloat is a sensitive subject, but fact is in a short period someone who hasn't seen it before could decide to wait a few minutes to see if it was something less serious. They video taped for the shelter that they were fostering from and I think it takes some guts to admit (and post on the internet!) that they screwed up for 3 minutes. I just can't help but defend a mistake that is helpful, ended well, and thoroughly admitted to!

Actually, would it be possible to make this vid a sticky? It might help some people so they don't make the same mistake as the people who filmed.
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[flipgirl]

Thanks for sharing the video. We just had a five month old st. Bernard come this morning with GDV. Its belly was So distended. The owners had no idea what was going on and thought there were alternatives to surgery. They didn't have money but we can't exactly let the puppy suffer. So its it had the gastropexy which is attaching the stomach to the body So it doesn't twist. It survived but it doesn't mean it won't happen again. If it does the surgery will cost much more due to the size of the dog. The dog was adorable. But I don't think the owners thought about the cost of veterinary care when they bought a St. Bernard. Anyways even though the dog had a gastropexy, it still doesn't guarantee it won't happen again. Obviously, preventative measures can be done but still there is no guarantee. We had one client have the gastropexy done when his dog was splayed. Which is Probably a good idea. An extra $200 (at my clinic) may be worth avoiding a $2000 surgery.

 

[Loki Love]

Thanks for sharing the video. We just had a five month old st. Bernard come this morning with GDV. Its belly was So distended. The owners had no idea what was going on and thought there were alternatives to surgery. They didn't have money but we can't exactly let the puppy suffer. So its it had the gastropexy which is attaching the stomach to the body So it doesn't twist.

Isn't there a risk the pexy won't hold due to the fact St Bernards are such a large/giant breed and normally don't finish growing until 2 years? That's how it is with Danes, and most don't recommend a pexy until much later - at least 1 yr of age minimum. I'm guessing in these circumstances, it made sense and you had no choice but I'm just wondering what you normally advise your clients.

 

[Stephie]

This was a tough video to watch. I'm glad that the dog turned out to be okay once treated. I hope that this video will help someone else out there. Bloat has always been a fear of mine since we really don't know the cause for sure so it makes it tough to prevent although we do our best.
I agree, it may be a good one to make a sticky out of since someone looking for answers in the moment that this is happening will need them quickly!

 

[flipgirl]

Isn't there a risk the pexy won't hold due to the fact St Bernards are such a large/giant breed and normally don't finish growing until 2 years? That's how it is with Danes, and most don't recommend a pexy until much later - at least 1 yr of age minimum. I'm guessing in these circumstances, it made sense and you had no choice but I'm just wondering what you normally advise your clients.

Yes that is what we would normally advise our clients but since this little (well not So little I guess) guy's tummy already twisted, we had to go in. The gastropexy doesn't guarantee it will never happen again regardless of what age it is done. But yes you are right. I have never seen GDV in such a young dog. Mind you, when we were emptying the stomach, there was a lot of food. I mean a lot. Even for a st. Bernard pup. I hope it doesn't happens again as he will be huge and the surgery will cost much more.