After a lovely day at a show with my puppy, Sunday went seriously downhill when my beloved Bani B (12 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback) developed bloat.
Thank heavens I was at home and still awake when I noticed his fairly subtle signs of discomfort, he was just a bit fidgety and unsettled. He asked to go out and was outside for a little while, he came back in as I was about to go out to find him. He then went over to the water bowl and held his head over it as though he wanted to drink but then couldn't face it. By this point I was concerned that something wasn't right. Then he had a drink and scrounged a bit of chicken and I thought that perhaps everything was ok after all. However, after a few mins, he started trying to be sick but nothing was coming up, and I thought his sides were blowing a bit. At this point I called the vet's emergency line as I realised he was suffering from bloat. In the next few minutes he started to groan with pain.  I am fortunate enough to have a vet whose surgery is at his home and, despite not having had a call back from the vet on duty, I just set off at speed across the ten miles of country lanes to his house. I have never driven so hard in my life. Thank goodness my vet was at home, and even though it wasn't him on call he responded.  He owns the practice and has 3 vets working for him and the vet on call had contacted him to let him know I was on my way and had contacted one of the nurses to get there asap too.
By the time I got there poor Bani was in great pain and his sides had really blown up. The vet gave him some sedative and painkiller and knocked him out. He tried to put a tube down him to release the gas but to no avail. If Bani hadn't been such a fit, strong and happy old boy, I would have asked the vet to let me go there and then. At this point I was sent home and the vet and nurse started with the operation. The vet called back a couple of hours later to let me know that Bani had come through the op and his vital signs had remained good all the way through. I was allowed to visit him on Monday and was pleased to see that he was able to get up and go into their garden for a little wobbly pootle. I offered him some chicken and he took a tiny piece but wouldn't have any more. I returned on Tuesday afternoon and spent 1 ½ hours with him, lying in the sun in their garden. We were all delighted when he ate a couple of warm sausages that I'd collected from the supermarket on my way there from work.
I was told to expect a call from the nurse on Wed am at around 9.30 for an update and was terrified to hear the vet's voice at 8.50, instantly assuming the worst. However, to my delight, I was told Bani was to be allowed home as he'd eaten some more the previous evening. The vet's wife had cooked a roast and he'd enjoyed a bit of that in the evening.
It was really frightening to have him home at first as I am fully aware that we are by no means out of the woods yet. It was a great relief when he went out for a poo -albeit a tiny one, as this is an indication that his stomach is still working. It's been really hard work trying to tempt him to eat - my fridge is full of things to tempt Bani with and nothing for us! And an unfortunate side effect of all this is that he has been dribbling urine and also leaking rather liquid poo  My washing machine has been on constantly. The leakage was gradually reducing but things took a turn for the worst last night. I had to try to get some Meloxivet down Bani for pain relief but he hated the taste. I did try to put some in some food but he immediately spat it out. I caught him by surprise on Wednesday evening as he didn't know what was coming and managed to syringe some straight into his mouth. I thought I'd be as lucky last night but no. I got some into his mouth as he was lying almost asleep on the sofa but his reaction caught us by surprise. He threw himself over backwards! I was terrified that he had ripped his internal stitches and he was in obvious discomfort so back to the vet we went. We were encouraged when he tried to pounce on the cat and gave a woof! Luckily he hadn't done any serious damage but had obviously hurt himself.
He was given an injection of some pain relief with some sedative. He slid out of the car when I got home and I only just managed to get him into the house and into a bed. It was great to see him so peaceful but unfortunately it had the unwanted side effect of relaxing his bladder and bowel control again  I got up in the night to check him and clean him up.
This morning he got up when I came into the room and went out for a little poo - he has regained some control thank goodness. Poor boy, not nice for him  After a good clean up I've managed to get him to eat a little bit and take his new pain relief (Tramadol capsules not) and his antibiotics. He has had a couple of wanders in the garden and is eating a little bit. Pork and beef seem to be the current favourites.
He is currently asleep on the sofa in the conservatory.
We are not out of the woods yet so please keep everything crossed for my special old boy.

Oh bless him, and thank God you recognised the symptoms!!

Your vet sounds wonderful, and I really send sincerest wishes that your gorgeous boy makes a full recovery xx

Gosh what a few days and your vet sounds wonderful.

I hope he continues to improve

Fingers crossed for a full recovery.

That is one of the scariest posts I've read on here.I am so glad Bani came through this.  Good wishes to him and to you, your nerves must be well and truly shot..

So sorry to hear this :( Fingers tightly crossed here for him :)

Everything crossed here, and what a wonderful vet!

What a terrible ordeal for you both.

I well remember being in the same situation driving to my vets on iced up country lanes at dusk hearing my poor dog groaning in the back of the car.

It's quite scary getting them home to look after (I think my girl didn't poo for days) but fingers crossed your boy recovers well.

Thank you for all the kind comments :)

It is hard work looking after him and emotionally draining. It is such a worry. He's not a young dog but he is strong and I'm so hoping all goes well.

He's just eaten another little meal - have a pack of Forthglade and a few bits of our beef. I managed to hide his Tramadol and his antibiotics in it and he ate them. So he should be comfortable for the evening. I'll offer him a bit more food before we go to bed and check up on him in the night. I want a bit for time for my special boy and me

Best of luck with your old boy. It sounds like you and your vet have done everything just right. Wishing you many more days together x

Well spotted, an horrendous thing to happen but what an amazing vet. Fingers & paws crossed for you all take care.

Bani must be feeling a bit better, he came over to scrounge a pizza crust like he normally does. And since then he's been sleeping deeply next to me on the sofa. I'm off to bed in a minute but I'll check on him in the night.

We're all very relieved that he seems to be regaining proper control of his bladder and bowels :)

Good news, hope you all have a good night.

Wow that was some story to read :) thank god for a good outcome, and fingers, toes, paws & tails crossed for Bani. xx
Your vet is magic, by the way.

I tend to hear a lot about bloat/GDV as I have a friend who works for an out of hours vet service. Being with emergency OOH he sees a lot of this as it tends to come on during the night - some breeds you would not expect, either.

Maybe because of knowing this, it scares me silly, but there are some breeds that really aren't prone to it (wouldn't be totally complacent though). The breed I love doesn't have a tendency - thankfully - but being honest, a breed that does have a predisposition to bloat, would put me off owning them.

Yup, maybe I'm thinking lightning strikes, and worse case scenario, but being curious and throwing it out to CD members, would a breed tendency to bloat/GDV put you off from owning said breed?

Very well done spotting the symptoms so early, torsion is a real emergency and minutes do matter. You've done everything right and it sounds like you've got a great vet, continued healing thoughts for the old man.

A lot of borzoi folk keep buscopan on hand and feed it to their dogs if they suspect the very first signs of bloat, these dogs then haven't bloated - but may not have been going to anyway. Still no harm done so I keep a pack in the first aid box too just in case.

I'm glad that Bani seems better - hopefully he is continuing to progress this morning :) :)

Bani had a good night and ate a breakfast of 1/2 pack of Forthglade - with more enthusiasm than before :) He's been out for a couple of pees and had a formed poo - whoopee :)

We're just back from visiting the vet for his check up and the vet is very pleased with his progress :) He had a little woof at a dog in the lane when I stopped at our gate to pick up our post - getting back to his normal self :) He's had another 1/2 pack of Forthglade and is back on his sofa in the conservatory having a kip. And lying on the sofa having a kip sounds like a really good idea to me, I might just do the same thing, I'm very tired!

I bet you are!Glad things are looking up!

> but being curious and throwing it out to CD members, would a breed tendency to bloat/GDV put you off from owning said breed?

Hi, in ans to your question, no. Our breed has a tendency & it hasn't/wouldn't put us off,  do sit here occasionally some evenings & worry. A gurgly stomach & I'm wondering if I should be doing something but then also believe that bloat is silent - I'm a worrier!  

Yes have buscopane in the cupboard don't know if I would use it - must ask our vet. Could relate to poor ridgelover driving the 10 miles at speed to an emergency vet having done it a couple of times in the early hours but thankfully never for bloat. Very strict about no heavy or prolonged exercise before a meal & they are not even allowed to play for an hour at least (closer to two) afterwards, toys are put away & they head for their baskets if I'm in the kitchen, or they come and sit wherever I am. Like many things. we all blindly hope it will never happen to us.

Excellent news - I hope that he will be back to normal really soon :) :)

Ooooh My!! Thats scary for sure!!

Glad to hear he's doing better!

All the best :-)

My beloved Bani B continues to do really well :) He greeted me this morning at the door, with a wagging tail and went to get me a "present" - one of my pup's toys :)

He's eaten well today and is sleeping far more peacefully. He's eaten 1 and 2/3 packs of Forthglade and 2 pork loin chops so far today and he's still scrounging from us if we eat in front of him - getting back to his normal, cheeky self. It's wonderful :) :)

> It's wonderful

:) :) :)

Wow, that must have been scary, good thing you spotted the signs so quickly! Glad to hear he is on the mend now.

Wishing a speedy recovery, well done for acting so fast you absolutely saved his life. {{hug}}

P.S. I think your vet is wonderful. :-)

Get well soon Bani. x

Does anyone know what causes Bloat??

Does anyone know what causes Bloat??

The truthful answer is no, there are many different reasons for the dog to develop bloat and from that a torsion. Over feeding, feeding on the floor, dry feeding, wet feeding, feeding once a day, exercise too close to feeding, deep chest, narrow chest, short coupling, long coupling and I expect other will add more or remove some of mine but you get the idea, no one really knows.

As Nova says no, not for sure but there are some things you can do to lessen the chance of bloat and torsion. Never feed straight after exercise while your dog is still puffing, wait till they are relaxed and calm. Try to leave as long as possible after feeding before exercising, minimum 1 hr, preferably 2. Soak food that is likely to swell up, feed twice a day rather than one large meal.

I would say always feed on a feeding stand rather than on the floor, but there has been as study that suggests the opposite, although it is widely disputed.

I think there is a genetic link too, not just because of similar outwards construction. In borzois bloat seems more prevalent in some lines than others.

An update: My gorgeous old boy is doing amazingly well :) He had his stitches out yesterday and the vet is delighted with his progress. He's regained the condition that he lost and is already going out for walks and is trotting along for parts of it. He's bright, happy, bouncy and eating well. It's wonderful :) :)

Brilliant news.

That is lovely to hear and I hope he had many more happy walks !

> He's bright, happy, bouncy and eating well

Oh that is the best news :-) :-) :-) :-)

Really good news ! :)