great dane with bloat

[Jennwhite12]

Say a prayer for our 10 month old great dane, he has a twisted belly. Had surgery today and is doing well so far.
Has anyone been thru this before? Very scared for our boy!

[WendyVA]

I am thinking of your boy, I hope all goes well an he makes a full recovery.

[Jennwhite12]

Thank you very much :)

[WeLoveOur7Dogs]

Sorry you're going through this. Hope your boy is ok.

[Ranch Granny]

Have been through several cases of bloat/torsion with the rescue. If they didn't find much tissue that was closed off or nuecrotic, and the spleen is good, he should make a full recovery. Did you get a Pexy done while they were in there? Once bloated it can recure easily.
Just keep him quiet for a few days and small meals several times a day.
Hoping that he will be home and recovering very soon.

[lisa.gayle]

So sorry to hear this! We're definitely thinking of your boy and hoping he makes a full, speedy recovery!

[isdapous]

Sending healing thoughts and prayers for a full and speedy recovery. Jazzandcompany is the member on here who has gone through what you are. Emily is great at sharing techniques that worked for her Jazz.Hug3

[DextersMomma]

Glad your baby has made it through the surgery, and I hope they performed the gastropexy as well. The biggest thing to watch for now are arrythmias. If your baby makes it two to three days with none and starts eating, youll be just fine :)
Sending healing thoughts!

[maryw]

How is he feeling today? I'm hoping things are going well for you both. Hug3

[dolmod]

Unfortunately it is very common within the great dane breed. I moved your post to the Bloat/Torsion forum (http://dolforum.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=39). There are many threads here for you to read.

[Jazzandcompany]

Jazz is a bloated survivor.
Be prepared to feed frequent small easily digested meals for a while. Jazz had chicken/beef and rice for a couple of weeks. Also stock up on gas x for times when they need it, bloat will recur, the meds can buy you some much needed time.

Something we learned the hard way, from now on never induce vommitting with peroxide your dog has the inability to release gas effectively and peroxide creates a LOT of gas, jazz began bloating (again) from this.

Hope today is better!
..

[Jennwhite12]

Thank you everyone and yes they did a gastropexy. I am calling now to see how he did over night. I can'get there as soon as I want. I have a 4 year old and a 4 month old. Waitng for my mom to get here so I can go see him.
This has been so scary for us. Also, I am new on here so still learning how to us everything. :)

[Jennwhite12]

Jazzand company,
Thank you for the info. What do you feed your dane now? And did you do chicken and rice dog food or real chicken and rice?

[Jazzandcompany]

You will want to feed the real stuff for a while, a 50/50 mix is general guide. Jazz however needed more chicken, the rice was a bit too binding. Just so you don't get scared (like I did) it is normal for then not to poop for several days after all of this.

jazz eats a homemade meat with a mix I buy of veggie and grain. It is easy on her system. Jazz has a few extra food allergy and IBD challenges .

give him a hug for us

em

[crdane]

I am so sorry to hear about your dog bloating. Hopefully, you will be well on your way to total recovery very soon.

[Gibson'sMom]

Hope your pup is doing ok this AM. Sending healing thoughts your way!

[kehlyr]

Sending healing thoughts to your boy. Hope he is feeling better soon.

[MillyVanilly]

Hope your pup is doing well this morning and on the road to recovery.

Emily, what would you use to induce vomiting if you had to then? I used to use table salt....a lot of it.

[danelover1]

How is your boy doing today ?

[zoocrew]

I went thru this with Gunther just over a year ago. I am surprised that a dog so young bloated. So sorry to hear you are going thru this.

Gunther did not handle the surgery well and it was a long recovery. I was not told to feed him anything different, altho a vet tech friend of mine said to try rice with meat (we didn't have chicken so we tried beef along with canned food). Even so, he wouldn't eat for about 4 days and the day we decided to head back to the vet (they wanted him eating w/i 2 days) he ate a little bit. He stated eating a little kibble at a time a few days later.

Hope your boy is recovering well. ((hugs))

[Jazzandcompany]

Hope your pup is doing well this morning and on the road to recovery.

Emily, what would you use to induce vomiting if you had to then? I used to use table salt....a lot of it.

The vet's best advice was call to see if vommitting needed to be induced. If yes, she has to go to their clinic or e-clinic for IV meds, it is too dangerous otherwise.

[Jennwhite12]

Bowie is doing great! I saw him yesterday and he wanted to play with all the other dogs there. lol. That is going to be the hardest part today when he comes home, keeping him calm.
Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts and prayers!!

[Gibson'sMom]

Great news!!

[MonaLisa]

I'm so glad that Bowie is doing better Hug3. Our boy Gandalf is also a bloat survivor and we went through the same ordeal about 2 months ago. The hardest part now is trying to keep him still! Don't be too worried if he doesn't have much of an appetite for the first few days. His system has gone through a huge shock, and it will take a bit of time for everything to return to normal. Our vet suggested we give Gandalf canned food (for recovery / digestive) instead of his regular kibble for the first few days, and then gradually add his kibble to the canned food. Also try feeding smaller meals more regularly instead of bigger meals once or twice a day, at least for the first week or so. Also, don't worry if he has to pee every hour or two, its just his kidneys flushing out all the bad toxins that accumulated during the bloat. Just be sure to keep him hydrated. The hardest thing to do now is try not to worry too much. As long as he is eating even a tiny bit, doesn't have a fever, is not vomiting, is not bleeding externally and his gums are not pale, he will be fine.

Please keep us updated!

Sending lots of love and hugs to both you and Bowie
Hug3 Hug3 Hug3Hug3Hug3

[danelover1]

Fantastic news yay

[intensgrl]

So glad to hear a positive update! :)

[Jennwhite12]

Aww I love this website! So many great people and support! Bowie is doing very well. He is eating normal (He will eat a pill as a treat) He has always been a very happy eatier.
My next question and concern is his diet. I am so nervouse about starting him on his normal kibble. He is still on very bland wet food with some rice mixed in. Also feeding him 4 times a day.
Does anyone recommend a grain free diet for great danes or bloat survivors?
Thank you again for all the love and support! I am going to figure out how to load pictures on here.. :eek:

[Jazzandcompany]

I am so glad to hear he is feeling better yay

As far as grain free goes........ it depends on whatever food your dog does best on. I can tell you Jazz bloated on grain free, and currently eats grain inclusive (in large due to her IBD) Grain free works great for some, for others, like Jazz, she couldn't gain weight on it and constantly struggled. Later on I learned she was allergic to the preservatives.

Here is a link to a blog by a nutritionist who makes Jazz's food. I think he makes some excellent points about grain inclusive foods. Skip over the sales propeganda and jut read it for the great information! He also has a dane. http://www.drharveys.com/blog/search?keywords=grain+free

Em

[Jennwhite12]

Thank you for the info. I am making myslef crazy trying to decide what to feed him. He is on The eagle pack Hollistic for large/giant breeds but I dont think it is helping. That is what he was on when he bloated. And he has a liitle lose stool and he isnt gaining weight very well.
I just bought Taste of the wild today but now I am second guessing myself. I have read good and bad. I just want what is best for his sensitive belly. My vet says I dont need to change his diet but I have been thinking about changing it for a good month and now that he went thru bloat I really am thinking it now. Yikes!
Also he is peeing like crazy, do you know if that is normal after this surgery?
Thanks again! :)

[Jazzandcompany]

The food isn't what made him bloat. Sadly we don't know what causes bloat. The loose stool and not gaining weight, well that would make me consider changing foods. TOTW is a good food, many dogs do wonderful on it! Just stay away from foods with lots of fillers in them as they tend to swell in the stomach.

I know how hard food choices are, I had to change Jazz's so many times due to allergies, and that is not what is recommended. The less you change foods the better off you are.

There is some research, search the archives or kibble section, that says adding some canned food or home cooked meat to kibble decreases chance of bloat.

As far as his increased peeing, I dont' necessarily remember Jazz doing that, however I am not all together surprised as I am sure there is more water in his food when compared to kibble. If you are concerned post a new thread in the health section!

Em

[Jennwhite12]

Thanks Jazzand company! Really appreciate all your advice!

[Jazzandcompany]

Glad to help! Jazz is/was a chronic bloater. I've been down that road way too many times in the last 12 months! We're currently on our second pexi, moving on to better days!

Feel free to ask away any time!

Em