Ok i must have been misinformed I have elevated dog bowls... I was told that is one of the best ways to prevent bloat. Now ive read it can be a major factor of a dog getting bloat.... It worries me a bit, Max is going to be big l '(30'' 125# at 7 months) It seems like it would be much worst for him to be eating off the ground.
Can anyone help me here?
(07-11-2010 07:37 PM)Bigmoke Wrote: [ -> ]Ok i must have been misinformed I have elevated dog bowls... I was told that is one of the best ways to prevent bloat. Now ive read it can be a major factor of a dog getting bloat.... It worries me a bit, Max is going to be big l '(30'' 125# at 7 months) It seems like it would be much worst for him to be eating off the ground.
Can anyone help me here?
I think I might be of some service here. My 5 month old mastiff bloated. Although they don't know what causes bloat, it is indicated through studies that the most common denominators are raised bowls, drinking too much water, playing right after eating and eating too fast. Raised bowls is the most common denominator in Bloat because the food is at an easy level to scarf down and swallow a lot of air in the process.
Bloat is terrifying and expensive. I know that people sometimes just ask their vets to "tack" the stomach if they are planning on neutering/spaying.
There is NO evidence that it is hereditary.
Good luck!
There is alot of conflicting views on what may contribute to bloat and what may help prevent it. I do not use raised dishes, too much conflicting views on the subject. I do not wet food as some suggest. I feed small regular meals and crate my dogs before and after meals to prevent excessive play. "Tacking" the stomach also called gastropexy does not prevent bloat, it prevents torsion(the twisting of the stomach). Bloat is much easier to treat than torsion, it definately is a wise thing to have done and truly there is no reason not to pexy a giant breed dog during the castration surgery.
I think this depends on your dogs eating habits, my dog tends to graze and not gobble her food, therefore not sure if her raised bowls are a danger to her. I HOPE not !