First and foremost is your dog behaving differently than normal, quieter, more erratic, nervous? If your canine friend is continuing to happily go about his or her business than it is probably nothing, my dog Daisy eats lots of grass when she has an upset stomach and regurgitates it to cleanse her belly. This is usually white and foamy but with bits of undigested grass in it.
If your pooch is behaving differently or is drooling heavily, retching lots and/or has a hard, swollen abdomen then we could be looking at a condition known as Bloat.
Bloat, or as it is sometimes referred to torsion, gastric torsion, or gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), is when the stomach becomes overstretched by excessive gas content and can twist. It is extremely painful and can prove lethal. It is regarded as the second biggest cause of premature death in dogs behind cancer. Mortality rates in dogs range from 10 to 60 per cent, even with treatment, while with surgery, it is 15 to 33 per cent.
Bloat is most common in deep-chested breeds such as German Shepherds, Great Danes, and Dobermans are particularly at risk.
There are many possible causes of Bloat but it is best to avoid exercising your dog immediately before or after eating, break up meals to two or three small ones a day rather than one large meal a day and do not feed your dog dry mix/biscuit exclusively.
If you are really concerned then the only course of action I can prescribe is to visit your local veterinary surgery and get your pooch seen to there. If it is nothing then you'll have a weight lifted off your mind but if it is something then you are in the right place to start treatment.
If your pooch is behaving differently or is drooling heavily, retching lots and/or has a hard, swollen abdomen then we could be looking at a condition known as Bloat.
Bloat, or as it is sometimes referred to torsion, gastric torsion, or gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), is when the stomach becomes overstretched by excessive gas content and can twist. It is extremely painful and can prove lethal. It is regarded as the second biggest cause of premature death in dogs behind cancer. Mortality rates in dogs range from 10 to 60 per cent, even with treatment, while with surgery, it is 15 to 33 per cent.
Bloat is most common in deep-chested breeds such as German Shepherds, Great Danes, and Dobermans are particularly at risk.
There are many possible causes of Bloat but it is best to avoid exercising your dog immediately before or after eating, break up meals to two or three small ones a day rather than one large meal a day and do not feed your dog dry mix/biscuit exclusively.
If you are really concerned then the only course of action I can prescribe is to visit your local veterinary surgery and get your pooch seen to there. If it is nothing then you'll have a weight lifted off your mind but if it is something then you are in the right place to start treatment.