Moboyds thread is great! I am going to find my old ones and a mod is going to link them together! there is one issue that is a little misleading and going through my paperwork as we speak! But the raised bowls are definately a big no no!
DT

When I got Neva I asked my vet about bloat. He looked and me and said Jill whatever you did with Tre was right as her chest was deeper than my collies. Tre was a wonderful mutt that I adored for 10 yrs parentage unknown mom had Aussie in her Dad Shepherd/Dobie we think. This was a very good read thanks for putting it back in the limelight. I have read some other posts on this and think its very useful info...Jill

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(Justice was not served for Lyle)(Value of a Human life by the Canadian Justice system 835 days)

I lost my beloved St Bernard to bloat 6 years ago, I fed little and often didn't excercise after meals but she did have raised food and water bowls as all the advice on the internet pointed to this being best

sorry to hear this and yes at one time they advised raised bowls, but since they have done surveys into the subject the advice has changed. we have all at one time fallen for it, I too had raised bowls at one time.

mo

Hi all, in a recent post a few comments came about on bloat ...

please refer to the original thread/post by RachyBobs for details: You know you have a giant dog when..

i have spent a few hours in trying to find out more, as i was aware of some details but ignored the whole picture:

J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2000 Nov 15;217(10):1492-9.
Non-dietary risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in large and giant breed dogs.

Glickman LT, Glickman NW, Schellenberg DB, Raghavan M, Lee T.

Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1243, USA.

OBJECTIVE: To identify non-dietary risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) in large breed and giant breed dogs. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. ANIMALS: 1,637 dogs > or = 6 months old of the following breeds: Akita, Bloodhound, Collie, Great Dane, Irish Setter, Irish Wolfhound, Newfoundland, Rottweiler, Saint Bernard, Standard Poodle, and Weimaraner. PROCEDURE: Owners of dogs that did not have a history of GDV were recruited at dog shows, and the dog's length and height and the depth and width of its thorax and abdomen were measured. Information concerning the dog's medical history, genetic background, personality, and diet was obtained from the owners, and owners were contacted by mail and telephone at approximately 1-year intervals to determine whether dogs had developed GDV or died. Incidence of GDV, calculated on the basis of dog-years at risk for dogs that were or were not exposed to potential risk factors, was used to calculate the relative risk of GDV. 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.

PMID: 11128539 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

well this is not the only study available but one of the first...and these findings have been verified by other similar studies with multiple variations in the sampling etc etc,

hope this can be of help in your day-to-day management of pet husbandry>

best regards
D

P.S. Maybe this should be placed in health and nutrition...
but i cannot do it...

Thanks...I think this should be made a sticky

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Irish Red and White Setters - Nuala, Lottie & Taz
Irish Wolfhound - Ripley
cats - Larkin & Runyon
Degu - Carlisle

RIP Nutmeg, Nimrod & Keats

It does not have to be large or giant dogs that get bloat, any breed that is deep chested, eg. Whippet of one, can suffer with bloat.

With Amber I never played with her one hour before and one hour after a meal, the stomach can twist which does cause bloat. We also feed her three meals a day so it was easier to digest.

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Sorry about any wrong spelling, but I'm feed up of looking things up in the dictionary

Thank you for the sticky - it's a valuable item.

There is also some information on this thread:
Akita Dog ate Raw chicken carcass for the first time -definately ill. Need advice pls

To recap:
* Bloat is now the second biggest killer of dogs; Cancer is the first.

* It can affect any deep-chested breed, not just large breeds.

* Cases have risen enormously in the last 30 years.

* It is believed to be familial - meaning that any relatives of dogs that have had bloat should not be used for breeding.

* It most often comes on in the late evening/early morning.

* Every dog owner should educate his/herself on the symptoms.

Beating Bloat - a useful resource for more information"
http://www.dogstuff.info/beating_bloat_pflaumer.html

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We have whippets and don't exercise for at least and hour before feeding and at least an hour after. Mine are on two meals a day. I was under the impression that a raised feeding bowl was supposed to help prevent this?