Don't let your dog get twisted

If you've ever seen the movie Marley and Me you will likely remember the dog got a twisted stomach and eventually died from it. Apparently that is an all to often scene played out over and over again. Bloat is the second leading cause of death for dogs, right after cancer. According to Web MD bloat is actually a term used to describe two conditions. The first is gastric dilatation, in which the stomach distends with gas and fluid. The second is volvulus, in which the distended stomach rotates on its long axis. The spleen is attached to the wall of the stomach, and therefore rotates with the stomach. Or to put it plainly, the dogs stomach fills up so full of gas that it makes the stomach start to twist inside the dog. The mortality rate for bloat is 50%  this life threatening emergency needs to be recognized and treated immediately. From the first onset of symptoms you have very little time, ranging from minutes to hours. Here are a some of the early warning signs.
Attempting to Vomit: Repeated attempts to vomit with nothing coming up but maybe some foam. Sometimes appears as though the dog is coughing. May occur every 5-30 minutes. This is the most common symptom. Normal vomiting is not a sign.
Unusual Restlessness and Anxiety: Circling, pacing, acting unusual. A fairly common sign
Swelling and Tightening of the Abdomen: The stomach skin with feel very stretched and tight. You might think this would be the first sign of bloat but often times it is not apparent or never occurs. Don't rely on this to determine if your dog has bloat.
Discolored Gums: If you read my last post you should know what color is normal for your dog. Dogs with bloat often have unusually red gums in early stages and blue gums in later stages.
Difficulty Breathing: Not a very common symptom but sometimes a dog will look straight up and open his mouth as if trying to get a breath.
Some dog breeds are more prone to bloat, below are just a few considered high risk.

Akita
Bloodhound
Collie
German Shepherd Dog
Great Dane
Irish Setter
Irish Wolfhound
Newfoundland
Rottweiler
Saint Bernard
Standard Poodle
Weimaraner
There are some preventative measures you can take. The one I found is do NOT use an elevated food dish. I always thought this was better for the dog, and maybe in some ways it is but if your dog is at risk for bloat don't use one. One study by VMD Lawrence Glickman found that using an elevated dog food bowl increased the risk of bloat by as much as 200%. You should also avoid feeding your dog a dry food only diet. It doesn't matter if the dog is given table scraps or canned dog food it all lowers the risk.
Veterinary medicine is so advanced now days and there are a lot of surgical procedures that can correct this problem and even prevent it in the future. Keep a watchful eye on your dog and remember the signs, your dog will have a much better chance if you get him to the Vet quickly.