Bloat risk factors

[maxandtonka]

thank you

Thank you for the info!

 

[Aboxerslife]

Wow, off home to throw those stands away.

 

[Aboxerslife]

Humm, ok now what to do originally I thought wow throw those stands away, but now I have been thinking about it more, how did they come up with the conclusion that raised stands increase the risk of bloat? Where is the scientific study to back it up? I cant find one.

 

[Nettiy]

Raised feeders?

Exactly what qualifies as a "raised feeder"? Do I need to have their bowls on the floor, or is 3" off the floor ok? I worry all the time about what I'm doing for my babies, if it's right, am I doing all that I can, but I really think that having their necks craned down to eat their food is not a good thing! Thoughts??? I have a 72 lb. Lab/ beagle mix and a 65 lb. Boxer girl. Thanks!

 

[anazac]

Wish I had read this earlier

The information in this post was great. But I just read it tonight. I lost my boxer boy Rudy to bloat less than three weeks ago. According to the article, I was doing several things incorrectly. We were using the raised feeder because we had been told that helped prevent bloat. We did only one nightly feeding. His sibling had had bloat years earlier. I just wish I could have caught some of these things earlier. But am still glad to have the information now. Thank you.

 

[BlindBoxrMom]

I have two blind boxer girls. They were not fed on a regular bases all their lives, hence we have BIG food issues. I have a wonderfull vet with great ideas... First she recommended we feed three times a day good quality food. Second No running, walking, or excessive drinking for one half hour after feeding. THIRD most important.. try to slow them down, first we fed three to four kibbles constantly dropping them in their dish until their meal was gone, and when they could be allowed to eat on their own they are fed from stainless steel MUFFIN TINS. Yes Muffin Tins. They have to go dish to dish eating and their noses just fit in. They seem to know to slow down and swallow and chew in between. The most important is the Video she recommended. It is Very hard to watch but the dog DOES survive. This is perfect you watch you see the signs, you will know exactly what to look for. Bloating akita - YouTube Hope this helps someone else not loose a furbabbie.

 

[SpartanBoxer]

Exactly what qualifies as a "raised feeder"? Do I need to have their bowls on the floor, or is 3" off the floor ok? I worry all the time about what I'm doing for my babies, if it's right, am I doing all that I can, but I really think that having their necks craned down to eat their food is not a good thing! Thoughts??? I have a 72 lb. Lab/ beagle mix and a 65 lb. Boxer girl. Thanks!

I have the same question. Mine eats from a unit that sits about 12 inches off the ground - and you store the food under the bowls, very convenient. But after reading this I'm about to make some immediate changes.

 

[Caney Creek]

I have the same question. Mine eats from a unit that sits about 12 inches off the ground - and you store the food under the bowls, very convenient. But after reading this I'm about to make some immediate changes.

I would definitely consider 12 inches off the ground to be "raised." Not sure about 3 inches but I would think that might be OK.

 

[Demismom]

I lost "Dax" to gastric torsion 7 years ago. I had never heard of it until it happened to him. Sadly, it was too far gone before we noticed it. We just thought his stomach was upset. By the time we noticed the bloating effect, we were rushing him to the vet for emergency surgery, but he died before we got there. It was horrible to see him suffer so much. However, Dax did just finish eating a meal (once a day feeding) before it happend. He did gobble up his food fast and then played right afterwards. Today, I "free feed" Jackson so it won't happen to him. He just eats as he pleases instead of gobbling up a meal so fast because he's starving. So far, so good. It's all up to the individual on what works for them and their dog. As Jackson gets older, I'll pick up his dish and then feed him half in the morning before work and then half in the evening instead of leaving his dish out all day. Good Luck guys, I hope this doensn't happen to your boxers. I'm very cautious now.

Same exact thing happened to our dakoda, a saint Bernard. She was only five and the baby in the family. We still miss her dearly. We have decided to free feed Lucy for the same reasons you mention. She nibbles throughout the day and eats much less food than dakoda did.

 

[LittleLuki]

Best thing I ever did for Luki was getting her stomach tacked when she was spayed. It is a very simple procedure an reduces ( not prevents ) the chance of her stomach flipping if it bloats.