Just Curious

[moondog]

Im wondering what everyone's routine is with your dogs that are prone to bloat. Mainly regarding exercise and eating. I make sure Baron does not eat or drink at least 1.5 hours before he does any kind of exercise. I let him get a drink before and after but I have to watch him or he will drink a gallon each time. This got me thinking because last night I wanted to take him for a walk but when I got home it was pouring rain, so I gave him about 1/2c of food for a snack. Then about an hour later the sun was shining so we went for the walk. He didn't eat dinner until about 10:30 and I could tell he was so hungry but I can't bring myself to chance it. The last time Baron had a licky fit, he ate a half hour after a walk because it was late and I wanted to go to sleep. About an hour after he ate while sleeping, he jumped up, woke me up and was having a full blown licky fit. This could be complete concidence but it is one of the ONLY times I have fed him so close to exercise. So Im just curoius what your routines are

[mezmerelda]

You know, we were never really careful about that stuff with Gryffin, and we never had problems. But he wasn't the super energetic/athletic one. Having multiple dogs makes it a bit tricky. I try not to let them get into MAJOR crazy play sessions before or after dinner, but they do play. If the weather is decent enough, I will sometimes take Indy on a good long walk right when I get home from work, and then Dan will wait 30 minutes or more until he feeds her. I have been more careful with this since she was tacked, I think. We are lucky because she is not a super drinker. She seems to regulate water intake pretty well. I think I've only given her gas-x 1 time, and it was for actual stinky gas purposes, not anything to do w/a licky fit or similar. Ozzy is a major drinker, but he's a puppy so go figure. We moderate his intake more for house training purposes. He's not a big walker yet, but I still try to make sure we wait an hour or so after feeding before we let him go crazy playing or walking. Bassets are prone to bloat too, but Beowulf isn't really super energetic and hasn't been since he was a puppy.

[sam.i.am]

I don't have Swissys, but my breeds are also prone to bloat (not as much with the licky fits, though, although Oliver has licked excessively for him a few times, so maybe that counts).
Anyway, I don't let them exercise before or after a meal. I make sure their water intake is moderate and move them away from the water bowl if they are drinking excessively near mealtime or exercise.
I keep gas-x on hand and now use it for Oliver post-meal time after every meal due to his Laryngeal Paralysis and it cuts down on his issues with that, greatly.
Delilah is harder to keep quiet after meal times, but we do our best.

[Terry]

of course Daisy doesn't really exercise. LOL, but I do try to keep her quieter than usual after meals (which she is very eager to do). Feeding raw I don't worry as much about bloat. I know it can happen, but the likely hood is very much decreased.

[sam.i.am]

Good point, Terry. I totally forgot about that issue. I agree that raw cuts down on the expansion of the food (like kibble does when it is wet). I think the risk is a bit lower on raw, but I still try to keep them quiet. I used to really fret over it after every meal but b/c Oliver is not very active anymore and Delilah is not really hugely active after eating and b/c they are on raw, I don't sweat as much as I used to. I used to be sooooo scared. I canceled my plans in the evenings many times to stay home and watch the dogs after they ate.

[mezmerelda]

Quality kibbles do not expand when wet, so I don't really think that's where the risk comes in. But I think part of the issue is that nobody knows what causes it - there are theories, but nothing concrete.

I tend to take the don't freak out and over-baby the dog approach - not that I'm suggesting ANYONE here is or would do that. I listen to the breeders and the other info out there, but I have to live realistically as well. You can't watch your dog 100% of the time - it's not realistic. But I am careful.

[sam.i.am]

Oops, sorry for that misinformation, Mez. Someone told me that and I just believed that all kibble expanded.

[mezmerelda]

Yucky foods with corn or other fillers do. But we wet our Fromm for both Ozzy and Beowulf, and it does not expand. I can tell because sometime Beowulf doesn't eat, and the kibble might be a little softer after a while, but it doesn't expand.

[sam.i.am]

That makes total sense. I did not wet Oliver & Daisy's kibble (they were on BB Wilderness before raw) so I didn't even realize there would be a difference in kibble. I won't repeat that info again now that I know. thx

[Baroooo]

I'm more like Melissa in my approach to exercise/food. While I won't feed a dog that's frantically panting after running around for an hour, I also don't sit on them after they've eaten and make them stay still for an hour and a half. Moderation is the rule here. Nothing extreme before or immediately following meals, but they are allowed to move around and be dogs. In my three up close and personal experiences with bloat, none of them were exercise related at all.
Part of me worries about what kind of dogs we're breeding if they have to be handled with kid gloves 24/7.

[moondog]

In my three up close and personal experiences with bloat, none of them were exercise related at all.

Thats interesting to know. Baron does play after eating, it's kind of routine for him and the cat to want to play with eachother right after they eat. He also likes to play fetch with his duck. Hes a creature of habit. So I don't watch him like a hawk after he eats, just no vigerous exerise before and after.

[Swissy Mom]

Part of me worries about what kind of dogs we're breeding if they have to be handled with kid gloves 24/7.

I couldn't agree more with this statement. I'm pretty practical about parenting...humans and canines. Cash is a dog and I expect him to act like one. I kind of have the idea that he should know what is natural to him and not need me to regulate his every move (I'm not saying that's what anyone else is doing.) That said, I don't feed Cash and then immediately take him for a walk, I wouldn't feed him if he was stressed or panting excessively. If he wants to play right after eating that's fine, but I don't throw the ball or get crazy with him then. Cash is pretty good about moderating his own fluids. If I feel like he's gulping too much water too fast I tell him "that's enough" and he'll take a break, but I don't take the water away.

[Yeti_Girl]

My bloat experience was not exercise involved either, and it was mid-day on an empty stomach.

[Lora]

I feed two smaller meals per day and dont let them rough house or exercise for an hour after eating.

[Itsapyr]

My 2 go nutz right after they eat. Flying around the house, knocking each other down. So I shouldn't let them do that? Do pyrs get bloat?

[Baroooo]

Pam - if it ain't broken, don't fix it!

[mezmerelda]

What Karen said, Pam.

[bren]

I don't do anything special with Tek before/after he eats, but like Terry said, the Mastiffs don't move too much! Ha!

[AkNeoLover]

Yeah, I don't worry too much about mine moving around too much after eating - they both require a 2 hour nap before AND after eating, and will let you know, in no uncertain terms, if you keep them from their post breakfast/dinner naps.

[ToBScholarly]

My 2 go nutz right after they eat. Flying around the house, knocking each other down. So I shouldn't let them do that? Do pyrs get bloat?

Mine do exactly the same thing. For awhile I was a nervous wreck and made them stop. And then I was like, "Screw it. If you are dumb enough to do all that, go right on ahead."
Especially since it is about all the exercise they get some days anyway.