Pet Lovers

[pupwhipped]

@tends2dogs, interesting question. I don't know the answer, but hope we can keep at it till we find something definitive out there on the subject. I've always thought the raised bowls would help with bloat, but who knows?

Boo Boo, my Labrador who had lymphoma, ended up also getting laryngeal paralysis. That was the only time I ever used raised dishes...both food and water. Doing that along with changing his diet helped quite a bit with this problem.

Hope you are doing well. I've been in and out of the forums...busy with trips and a party at my house. I'll get back over to Quincy's thread soon and chat with you and Katie Ann. Give Willoughby a special treat from me!!!  

[tends2dogs]

Okay, I knew I wasn't nuts. (at least not about this LOL)  I went back and found the article about raised food bowls.  It is in the June 2016 issue of Whole Dog Journal.  I do not know how to cut and paste.  If anyone gets this periodical and can do it, please post it if you would be so kind.

One paragraph about the bowls stated:  "The mother of all bloat studies was 2 decades ago and is still quoted today.  It was done by Dr. Lawrence T Glickman of The Purdue Univ. Research Group.  He stated that the management practices of bloat such as raised food bowls,moistening dog food, restricting water access before and after meals, actually increases the odds of dogs bloating."

He goes on to the risk factors and treatments.  The title of the article is Bloating in Dogs Treatable with Gastropexy.

This is what got me to questioning the practice of raised bowls.  Like I said, I have always used them.  But when you think that animals in the wild don't have "raised bowls" it kind of makes one wonder. 

I think any opinions on this, plus the ones given, may help us to get answers.  BTW I put my puppy, Willoughby's food bowls up on a puppy stand .

[FastDogWalker2]

I thought they were to help keep a dog from getting bloat.  We tried one for our Golden but it scared her!  She is timid and her tags clicked on the bowl and she didn't like the noise - go figure!

[ccassaday]

We have always used them with our Goldens. The one Chloe has now is probably only six inches off the ground. We have a ant problem if the bowls are on the floor.

[ccassaday]

I seriously doubt a raised bowl  or not having one would cause bloat. Everything we think we know about bloat is it is caused by eating and then playing to hard to soon after. Or consuming so much water and playing hard.

[AmericanBulldogMom]

Old research said to raise bowls. Latest research says to keep lowered.

[Nadine]

I read that article and asked some dane people about it and they said you need to raise the bowls and they were really surprised about  that article. I asked my vet again about it and he said you need to raise the bowls. One vet said feeding different textures can prevent bloat  and another vet said  he had never heard that before. I go to a vet for my ferrets and another for my Dane so it's interesting the difference in opinions from the two.

I've about decided to stop reading so much stuff on the internet. It's just hard to figure out what to believe.

I really don't think they know for sure what you can do to prevent bloat. Some say don't let them drink when they eat.Some say let them drink if they want to when they eat, some say moisten the food, others say don't moisten the food.etc

The only thing that pretty much everyone agrees with is resting after eating.

[tends2dogs]

In the book THE NATURE OF ANIMAL HEALING by Martin Goldstein, he writes that a breeder of standard poodles conducted and published a study on vaccinating and bloat.  She  vaccinated 1/3 of her dogs with the standard regimen of comb vacs, one third with vaccines on an individual basis, and one third with no vaccines.  The comb group suffered the highest incidence of bloat, while the nonvaccinated dogs remained bloat free.  A side note was that there was a correlation between the vaccine and stained teeth, as well as seizures.  He mentions that veterinarian Richard Pitcairn reports that a breeder of GDs swears by freshly made raw cabbage juice given at the onset of bloat as an effective means of easing the condition.

Dr. Goldstein blames dry commercial food.  He says the best prevention is a natural diet free of dry kibble, with no more food than necessary at each meal.  Withholding water water at least half an hour before and one full hour after mealtime can also be helpful in prevention and to aid generally in proper digestion. He also comments that all too often, dogs afflicted with bloat or gastric torsion turn out to have been playing or engaging in some form of rigorous activity an hour or two before the onset.

Just thought I would throw this info out there for consideration.  We are, afterall, looking for answers.

[tends2dogs]

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@Nadine wrote:

I read that article and asked some dane people about it and they said you need to raise the bowls and they were really surprised about  that article. I asked my vet again about it and he said you need to raise the bowls. One vet said feeding different textures can prevent bloat  and another vet said  he had never heard that before. I go to a vet for my ferrets and another for my Dane so it's interesting the difference in opinions from the two.

I've about decided to stop reading so much stuff on the internet. It's just hard to figure out what to believe.

I really don't think they know for sure what you can do to prevent bloat. Some say don't let them drink when they eat.Some say let them drink if they want to when they eat, some say moisten the food, others say don't moisten the food.etc

The only thing that pretty much everyone agrees with is resting after eating.

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@Nadine  How are you doing with the puppy???  They sure keep you busy and exhausted, don't they.  We are hanging in there.

I had to comment about the different opinion of two vets.  We ran into this recently with two different homeopathic vets.  Our pup, Willoughby, has a testicle that hasn't dropped.  One told us that when he is neutered, he recommended leaving the one up inside...not to remove it.  The other vet told us that if it didn't drop by the time he is neutered, they would have to go inside and remove it.  She said that leaving it in would be a greater chance of cancer later in his life.   Everything I have read agrees with the second vet. 

We do have to do a bit of research to insure the best care for our pets.  We can't just always go along with everything a vet may tell us.  I realize there are times when we have to trust them and that is where choosing the right vet for us comes in.

We are in this together .

[Nadine]

To tell you the truth I'm exhausted. Logan goes back to the vet today, he went last Monday also. He had hook worms which are very commen in puppies and today is a recheck.

He has still been peeing all over the place, doesnt matter if we take him out every half hour. He's also drinking alot of water. Vet had me writing down how much water he's drinking and often he pees. I'm very worried about him.

I'm very tired and very worried, not a good thing.

There are so many theorys on bloat I just don't know what to think. Some vets say when you feed raw for example they arent getting a balance of what they need and others have done it for years with good results. For now kibblee has to be it for Logan.

I had him on Holistic Select and poop was so soft, vet uses Science diet   and recommeneded that I try it. The poop has firmed up but I'm still not convinced that I'm feeding him the right thing. He also has a rash under both front legs that itches, what the heck, another thing I need to talk to the vet about today..

As far as the testicle I can barely see Logans so I"ll ask about that today also. Both vets said neuter around one year.

Hope things are going well with your puppy.