The word strikes fear in many a Weimaraner owner’s heart for good reason; bloat can kill, and kill fast.
Weimaraners are considered an at-risk breed for bloat!
What is Bloat?
Bloat, or Gastric Dilation Volvulus, happens when too much gas accumulates in the stomach. This sounds fairly innocuous, but without being able to expel the extra gas, the stomach may fill up with air and then flip over on itself and twist shut.
The twisting is called torsion, and it is truly an emergency since the stomach loses its blood supply. It can also happen to the spleen at the same time. The dog will go into shock and subsequently die if untreated.
Symptoms of Bloat
- A bloated look especially around the rib cage.
- Pacing, panting, restlessness and otherwise looking uncomfortable
- Gagging, retching, salivating or attempting to vomit
- It has been widely observed that bloat often happens at night.
Your dog may only have some of these symptoms, not all. And the signs may not be obvious, so it is very important to know your dog!
Akita Rescue has posted this video of an Akita bloating. Please watch the video so you know what bloat looks like. (Fair warning: This is hard to watch. But you need to know.)
Again, not all dogs are going to show the same symptoms but seeing at least one dog bloat is worth watching so you are prepared if anything seems amiss with your dog.
If You Suspect Bloat, Take Your Dog to the Vet Immediately!!
In the early stages of bloat, giving your dog Phazyme or Mylanta may help relieve some gas.
Bloat is an emergency! If your emergency clinic is far (more than 10 minutes as a general guideline), you may want to keep a bloat kit. This link shows you how to make your own bloat first aid kit and how to use it. You can also buy a ready-made kit.
At the clinic, the vet will take an x-ray to see the position of the stomach and spleen. If the organs have not torsed (twisted), the vet will put a tube down your dog’s throat to alleviate the gas from the stomach.
If torsed, immediate surgery is necessary, and most vets recommend getting the stomach tacked to the abdominal wall during the surgery to prevent a repeat occurrence. This is called gastropexy. Some people elect to get this surgery done when they spay or neuter their dog as a preventive measure.
What Causes Bloat?
Unfortunately, we do not know what causes bloat.
What we do have is some statistical studies that the following are risk factors for bloat (See “Risk Factors for Canine Bloat” by Jerold S. Bell, DVM):
- Having a deep, narrow chest
- Feeding one large meal of dry food
- Eating quickly
- Having a relative that has bloated
- Fearful, nervous, or aggressive temperament
- Older age
Breeder Observations
Many of the bullet points above are things that breeders or other people who have owned many Weims have noticed.
lt appears that bloat can sometimes “run” in lines, but this is difficult to assess since bloat is multi-factorial. However, this may be a question to ask breeders if you are purchasing a puppy. I would stay away from lines that have had multiple incidences of bloat.
Anecdotal evidence points strongly to stress as a factor, and it is widely recognized that bloat tends to happen at night. One of my dogs died of bloat at 15.5 years old. She was very healthy, but the night she bloated she was stressed out, and it also happened in the middle of the night. (RIP in my dear girl! I will never forgive myself for allowing you to get so stressed out that night.)
Stress can be things that we may not necessarily consider “stress.” A Weimaraner that lives to hunt and is on the best hunt of his life can still be stressed due to all the excitement involved. Your bitch in season is stressed. A boarded dog is stressed. The hubbub of the holidays — all the people, the chaos, the disruption of the routine — for some anxious dogs can be very stress inducing as well.
I hope you never experience bloat, but you should know what to do just in case it happens. Know your dog and act quickly if something just doesn’t seem right. No one knows your dog better than you, and it’s better to be safe than sorry!
Resources
- Purchase a ready-made bloat kit
- Make your own bloat first aid kit (with instructions on how to use it)
- Risk Factors for Bloat by Jerold S. Bell, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine
Photos courtesy and © Shannon Demers.
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That video was valuable to watch. I’d never seen it captured before. I sure hope I never see it in real life
Thank you so much. This site saved my dog’s life a few weeks ago – she got gastric torsion and was doing the same thing as the dog in the video.
Wow, I am so glad that your Weim is OK and you acted quickly!
We have had 5 Weims and understood it was better to feed them from raised dishes. Your article said that was a risk
The Purdue studies showed that raised bowls were an increased risk.
http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.2000.217.1492
Results and Clinical Relevance—Cumulative incidence of GDV during the study was 6% for large breed and giant breed dogs. Factors significantly associated with an increased risk of GDV were increasing age, having a first-degree relative with a history of GDV, having a faster speed of eating, and having a raised feeding bowl. Approximately 20 and 52% of cases of GDV among the large breed and giant breed dogs, respectively, were attributed to having a raised feed bowl. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2000;217:1492–1499)
I know it has been 8 years since you posted this, but all of the info is still pertinent today. My Weim is in surgery as I type this because he bloated this morning. After reading your post I now see that he was a ticking time bomb and I lit the fuse this morning with some extra ‘fun run’ time in the pasture.
If you still maintain this site please repost this info so that other Weimaraner owners will read it and not consider it dated information!
Fortunately I was a vet tech and recognized what was happening and had him to the vet within 30 mins. If I didn’t know what to look for I would have ‘watched’ him and I am sure he would have died.
So glad you recognized what was going on!
(I do still maintain the site and try to keep articles updated! :))