[nagdu] Bloat

Tue Mar 8 17:50:08 UTC 2011

Hi Tami.
I would be very interested to hear what your vet says, when you get around
to asking.
Tracy

> Brenda,
>
> I'm going to ask my vet about that next time we go, though that won't be
> for
> a couple of months or so.
>
> In bloat, the problem is that the intestines get twisted somehow, so blood
> supply is cut off and the intestine necrotizes and poisons the dog.  I
> don't
> know if there is a way to get things back in order before it is too late
> without surgery.
>
> Some preventative measures I've read and try to follow are to always make
> sure the dog eats and drinks in a natural posture with the head down to
> eat
> food at ground level.  I don't know if it's true that not doing so can
> result in bloat, but I'm careful with Mitzi that way because of her long
> poodly neck and narrow body.  Just in case!
>
>
> Tami Smith-Kinney
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Brenda
> Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2011 5:09 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Bloat
>
> Is there anything that can be done to prevent bloat from requiring
> surgery?
> Brenda
>
> On 3/7/2011 3:15 PM, Tamara Smith-Kinney wrote:
>> Yeeks!  $5K????  Yes, that is horrible!  I'd better check with my vet to
> see
>> what that is here.  For a guide dog, that still works out as the better
>> bargain, but good grief!
>>
>> I feel so bad for your friend and her loss.
>>
>> Tami Smith-Kinney
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf
>> Of Tracy Carcione
>> Sent: Monday, March 07, 2011 11:06 AM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Bloat
>>
>> Hi Tami.
>> Thanks for the further info. I'll take Ben's pulse tonight.  (People
>> might
>> think it was weird, if I did it in my office.)
>> May bloat never happen to any of our dogs.
>> My friend said that surgery might have saved the dog, but it was $5000
>> and
>> the owner just couldn't afford it.  Isn't that horrible, to have to
>> choose
>> between a huge bill and the life of your dog?! It's nice to know, but,
>> should I ever be there, I could call on my school for help, so long as
>> my
>> dog was still working.
>>
>> Tracy
>>
>>> Tracy,
>>>
>>> I'm so sorry about your friend's dog!  Thank you for the reminder about
>>> bloat.
>>>
>>> It is good to know the signs of bloat, since it leaves no time to waste
> in
>>> getting to a vet.  Poodles are prone to bloat, so I live in fear of it
> and
>>> check Mitzi over regularly, just in case.  If she seems to have a tummy
>>> ache
>>> or even to be feeling a bit off, I check her abdomen and femoral pulse
>>> first, just to be sure!
>>>
>>> So the signs I know to look for are a hardened, distended abdomen and
> lack
>>> of femoral pulse on either side.  You can feel the femoral pulse by
>>> standing
>>> behind your dog and putting your hands around the thighs so that your
>>> fingertips can feel up into the groin where the pulse is.  No pulse
>>> means
>>> blood supply is cut off and you're nearly out of time!  It never hurts
>>> to
>>> know what your dog's normal pulse feels like, so you can tell if it's
> very
>>> weak or thready, especially if there's unusual tension in the abdomen.
>>>
>>> So far, so good with my girl, and I plan to keep it that way!  But if
>>> the
>>> signs do show up ever, I will know it's time to head to the vet!
>>>
>>> Tami Smith-Kinney
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf
>>> Of Tracy Carcione
>>> Sent: Sunday, March 06, 2011 6:54 AM
>>> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>> Subject: [nagdu] Bloat
>>>
>>> My neighbor's lab mix died last night from bloat.  My friend was
>>> dog-sitting, and called me to see what I thought about the dog pacing
>>> and
>>> crying.  I guessed bloat, and thought the dog should go to the vet
>>> immediately, but the owner wanted to wait and see if it got better.
>>> Off-hours vet visits are very expensive, but sometimes you just can't
>>> wait.  I'm sorry I was right, though.
>>>
>>> I thought I'd share, so we can all have a better idea of what to look
>>> out
>>> for.
>>> Tracy
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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