Question about bloat
So one of the things that I found under the "prevention" aspect of it, was this: "Always keep a product with simethicone (e.g., Mylanta Gas (not regular Mylanta), Phazyme, Gas-X, etc.) on hand to treat gas symptoms. Some recommend giving your dog simethicone immediately if your dog burps more than once or shows other signs of gas. Some report relief of gas symptoms with 1/2 tsp of nutmeg or the homeopathic remedy Nux moschata 30." (taken from http://www.globalspan.net/bloat.htm ) Sunny is super gassy sometimes, fart wise. She burps on occasion, but never very much. Her farts are super stinky, like I'm talking peeling the paint off the walls, the whole room evacuates and she gets told to stay and fart it out for a bit. This will last for a couple weeks, then no gas for a while, then it comes back and so on. I would LOVE to give her a gas pill to alleviate it, but have never heard of this before. So three questions: 1) is it safe to give the above drugs on a regular basis? 2) has anyone ever tried the nutmeg thing? Does it work for the farts? And 3) does either the drugs or the nutmeg actually reduce the risk of bloat? |
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| We keep a bottle of the children's liquid gas relief on hand at all times (simethicone). While we do not give it on a regular basis, we use it if Oliver or Lucy get gassy or have a rumbling tummy. It works VERY well! Highly recommended. |
Quote: We keep a bottle of the children's liquid gas relief on hand at all times (simethicone). I never thought of using children's formula. I always keep Gas-X in the dogs med drawer... it's the same thing- simethacone. But the bottle you mentioned would be faster than having to squeeze gel caps. It would probably taste better too? I'd talk with the vet next time you go in to see if a different food might be a better match. I've had to try different foods when we bring in a dog or if a dog has a health problem. We usually slowly transition them to a new food to see if it's right for them. Last week, we started feeding the Canidae Senior (low fat @ 8.5% fat) to Maggie and Darby (Darby had high lipase) and goodness were they gassy.  Putrid!!  These are the same dogs that never have a problem with other kibble, canned foods or broccoli, cauliflower or cabbage. We switched them back to the Eagle Pack Holistic Select low fat kibble and they're again fine.  But I need to find another low fat brand to rotate between so we'll have to test other kibbles to see if they agree with them. |
| We also keep gas x and phyzyme on hand. Phyzme has 180 mil of simethicone ( spelling) ...I found some rolaids chewables that are a combo of simthecone( 60 mil) and then some anti acids also. I give these too. I don't think there is any problem giving. I think I remember reading if your dog is burbing and passing gas, you don't have to worry about bloating. Bloating happens when they can't pass the gas... However, if excessive gas is a problem, I might look to change the food. |
| awesome, thanks everyone! I'm going to the drug store tomorrow! And good point about the food, maybe I'll take a look at transitioning her to a different one. Best case scenario, it's better to find a food that doesn't make her gassy than have her on a gassy food and then compensate with gas meds. Good to know that there's relief for us humans though when she's gassy! |
| Laverne, the girl that bloated, was gassy. Nancy said she was both burpy and tooty... also under weight. Lisl, Laverne's foster mom, had told me this too the night Laverne was in surgery. She thought she had finally gotten her transitioned to the right food. So it's important to talk with your vet to see if there's a different food that might agree more with your dog. Best to treat the cause of the problem if possible rather than just the symptoms/side effects. Dogs aren't supposed to be very gassy. At the moment, there are 9 dogs here... babysitting my granddog. http://oesusa.com/KobuckAndBell.jpg I can't imagine what it would be like if they were all gassy!   Even Bell the Boxer, who was gassy at first, finally got on the right food and she's fine now. But my son did have to try a few different foods before finding one that was right for her. There are all kinds of articles out there on bloat... some even seem to contradict others. Some things appear to have a direct correlation to dogs getting bloat, some are less clear. We have to do our research and then discuss our individual dogs with our own vet and try to make the best decisions based on what is currently known about the condition. Quote: Eating something out of the garbage or eating anything else they aren’t used to can also cause animals to develop gas, which can lead to bloat and GDV. American Animal Hospital Association: http://www.healthypet.com/PetCare/PetCa ... 91e2b4c26f Here's another article Nancy had shared- http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Conten ... &C=0&A=672 |
6Girls wrote: Quote: We keep a bottle of the children's liquid gas relief on hand at all times (simethicone). I never thought of using children's formula. I always keep Gas-X in the dogs med drawer... it's the same thing- simethacone. But the bottle you mentioned would be faster than having to squeeze gel caps. It would probably taste better too? Oliver and Lucy LOVE to get their "special treat". They sit not so patiently and wait their turn to lick the syringe. It is very fast and effective. |
6Girls wrote: Laverne, the girl that bloated, was gassy. Nancy said she was both burpy and tooty... also under weight. Lisl, Laverne's foster mom, had told me this too the night Laverne was in surgery. She thought she had finally gotten her transitioned to the right food. So it's important to talk with your vet to see if there's a different food that might agree more with your dog. Best to treat the cause of the problem if possible rather than just the symptoms/side effects. Dogs aren't supposed to be very gassy. Thanks for this info. I'm going to find a new food for Sunny. And maybe introduce some canned food too, seems to be a common factor in reducing the risk. And it's too scary to have this much gas. (not to mention STINK-Y!) Quote: Eating something out of the garbage or eating anything else they aren’t used to can also cause animals to develop gas, which can lead to bloat and GDV. American Animal Hospital Association: http://www.healthypet.com/PetCare/PetCa ... 91e2b4c26f She never gets into garbage, well, that we know of! She's never been a "hmmm, what's this? I think I'll eat it" kind of dog. But we do know that she can't tolerate ANY human food scraps. If she so much as snags a carrot peel from the floor she gets the runs. Very touchy tummy this one. So transitioning her to new foods has always been tricky. I think I'll do it over a long period of time, maybe a whole bag even. Quote: Here's another article Nancy had shared- http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Conten ... &C=0&A=672 Yeah, here it lists restricting water as a risk factor, while other sites list it as a prevention. It's so hard to get all the facts. I think you're right, a trip to the vet is in order to get a list of things we can do to prevent, and a list of things to not do. |
| The two times my sheepdogs had attacks of bloat they were caused by swallowing air while under general anesthesia. I was present on one occasion. Terrifying and quickly life-threatening as the stomach becomes rapidly distended and tight as a drum head. Thankfully it was quickly relieved by a tube slipped into the stomach. I don't know how often, or even if, dogs can get bloat from digestion gasses. Hard to imagine that the quantity of gas produced or it's rate would be enough to cause the serious kind of bloat that I've seen or that any pill could stop it. |
| My dog had bloat and had the surgery with the stomach tacking. He still tends to puff up like a puffer fish occasionally, scaring the crap out of me. I always use gas x and it always works. Sometimes it may take up to an hour, but it works every time. Today I was out of gas x and just tried the nutmeg, hopefully it works as well. Also when giving the gas x take into consideration the size of your dog. I have a bull mastiff so I start out with 2 pills and then wait a bit and if need be I will give one more. He has never had a bad reaction and I have been doing this for 4 years now. But if your dog is in serious distress, I would take him to the vet asap, bloat can kill quickly but caught in time sometimes the dog can be saved. |
| We had the sad circumstance of losing one of our OESs to bloat. Her 2 symptoms were an enlarged, somewhat firm belly and no interest in food or treats of any kind. It was Christmas and she was presented with a huge box of bones- and just sniffed and turned away. I hope these 2 symptoms can be tucked away with any reader and cause a red flag if your dogs display them. |
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