Hiya everyone,

Now i have a worry about feeding my 6 month pup after excercise and the risk of bloat. I obviously never feed her before i excercise her but usually she gets fed pretty soon after we get in. If i walk her on a morning before work she gets fed within 10 mins of getting back from a walk and on an evening usually within 30 mins of getting back. Should i be waiting longer? If so how long? An hour? Waiting for an hour in a morning would obviously be difficult as i have to work so she might have to go down to just one walk in the afternoon. At the minute she gets fed at 7.30am and 5.30pm. Any help would be brill.

Hi.
with a breed that is prone to bloat, I have alway had a 'quiet' hour either side of feeding, even intervening with play in the garden! They get fed twice a day and it can be a real pain but I'm paranoid and I've stuck to it. Sorry I don't think this helps you.

I prefer to leave 2 hours either side of exercise, but would feed 1 hr after excercise if I had, to as long as the excercise was mild, non-eventfull (no excited/stressfull events events), on-lead, walk.

There is some conflicting advice regarding bloat. Some places will recomend that no water must be given before or after a meal or after heavy exercise, well - I NEVER restrict Busters water intake and he always washes his food down with a large helping of water and will always go straight to his water bowl after a walk. I would much rather he get the water he needs to cool down and avoid over-heating & dehydration, the stress caused from those things could bring on bloat.

Some places also say to never feed from a raised feeder - Buster has every meal from one.

Unfortunatley, bloat is one of those things that can happen, even when every 'preventaive' measure has been taken. It's also something that may not occur, even when no 'preventaive' measure has been taken and everything has been done 'wrong'.

So really, I think all any of us can do is find out as much as we can about it and do what we feel is the best thing for our dog(s).

> I have alway had a 'quiet' hour either side of feeding, even intervening with play in the garden

LOL, me too, sometimes it makes me feel like a meanie, because Buster like to 'celebrate' after he's eaten/when he's waiting for food, but I just have to stop him!
It makes me cringe to see him jumping arrund in circles in the air, all I can think about his his belly, so I have to make him lay down...... I feel even more like a meanie now that's been typed out!!

> Some places also say to never feed from a raised feeder - Buster has every meal from one.
>

I have to admit that mine feed from the floor but since they have been feed wet there has been a great improvement in rumbling tummies, but compared to Buster their height is very different! I do however raise the water bowl, lots of papers, this has reduced drool and I can kick it without the contents going everywhere

Hi

I have Saints, our old boy who we lost last year (not to bloat) bloated and twisted when he was 5 years old, we have always been very strict on feeding and exercising, we used to leave 2 hours either side and we did let them have water after eating.

We now leave 3 hours either side, and I withold their water for at least an hour after eating, they are used to this regime and know to go and lay down and be calm after eating.

After their walks I always let them share a big bowl of water when they come in, it's only after food that I withold water otherwise they can have water whenever they like, they also are fed from raised bowls.

As a breed we recently (couple of months ago) had a spate of a few dogs dying from bloat, somebody mentioned whether it may be due to the very cold weather we had, and people keeping water in bowls outside, I read somewhere about the connection between ice cubes and bloat, as it could shock the stomach, I use s/s bowls but don't keep them outside, but the water can feel so cold if there are left out there

Vicki

We too lost our 5 year old male to torsion last May, we did everything by the book, no food before or after excercise, not too much water etc, it is the most horrendous thing to happen, he was fed at 8am and died at 4pm? no one really knows sometimes why this happens. it is still very very painful for us and has made us so paranoid.

We do everything by the book, and I had my bitch bloat 8 weeks ago, and luckily shes still with us, after hearing of so many who are'nt so lucky.
I sometimes wonder if its genectic.
We don't exercise for atleast a hour after feeding, and they do have automatic filling bowls outside, where they can drink, but prefer to drink inside.

> I sometimes wonder if its genectic

Yes i wonder also.

Lovely to hear your girl pulled through x

I have also always suspected there may be some genetic element involved. In my breed certain lines seem to be pre-disposed and over the years have lost quite a few dogs.
Glad to hear you girl is OK.

Jeff.

I do think it may be somewhat to do with genetics aswell.  'Touch wood' since I have been growing up we have owned 15 dogs (large breeds) and never experienced bloat.  A friends Newfie suffered twice from it but survived and a friends Dobie also suffered on more than one occasion and had to have his stomach stapled....he lived to a ripe old age though.

My dogs are all raw fed (I did feed dry in the past).  If they have been exercising they wait atleast one hour before eating.  They normally wait quite a few hours after eating before exercising just because of my general routine.

It can happen to the most careful of owners so I would say the most important thing is to learn the signs of bloat and if you suspect it, don't doubt yourself and get your dog to the vets.

We have had 6 Boxers and "touch wood" have not not had bloat with them,we have always fed on raised bowls and they have had 3 meals a day starting at 5.30am as they then have have had plenty of time before walks at 9.30 for the food to go down during this time,then again fed at 12 rested walked at 3 then rest then last meal at 6.30 then usually no more walks just garden play.Our vet has also said that genetics within breeds play a big part in Torsion he would always advise as well on splitting the meals into 3 or 4 if at all possible depending on your lifestyle as I know not every one can do this as many have other comitments.Also I would like this sublect to be made aware to new buyers of these breeds prone to Torsion to be made aware of Torsion maybe added to the Puppy Pack so they Know what to lok for when their puppy grows up,so many people I speak to that have bought puppy Boxers dont even know about Torsion (not done their research).