Every pet animal is possibly exposed to some illnesses or diseases. That’s why as an owner, you have to be aware to the symptoms, causes and how to treat those illnesses.

Dogs are also able to get exposed to some illnesses, from the mild ones to the severe ones, such as these unknown but deadly dog diseases every dog owner should know. One of the illnesses a dog might have is bloating.

What is bloating in dogs? Bloating in dogs is simply defined as a disorder when the dog’s stomach is filled with gas and becomes twisted. Bloating in dogs is also called as GDV (Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus).

This condition is considered as a life-threatening disorder, so it is very important to be aware of the causes. Let’s understand better about what causes bloating in dogs every dog owner must know.

Causes of Bloating in Dogs

As explained before, bloating in dogs happens when their stomach is filled with gas and becomes twisted. So, there might be a room in the abdomen for the gas to fill.

Then, you may start wondering what makes the gas fill the space in the stomach. There are two common causes of the stomach to be filled with gas. They are:

1. Anxiety

Animals can get anxious, just like humans. When a dog is anxious, it is possible for him to swallow more air. This condition is known as aerophagia (eating air). This condition is commonly seen in stressed and kenneled dogs.

As the dogs consistently swallowing air, it causes the stomach to balloon in size. As a result, the abdomen’s normal organ layout is changed. This condition could be fatal within a period of hours if it is left untreated.

The bloat occurs as the stomach area begins to expand painfully, restrict the blood flow and prevent digestion. If you suspect your dogs to be stressed, then make sure to consult with your vet to prevent your dogs from bloating.

To solve the problem of anxiety in dogs, you can do some things you can do to make them happy. Get to know signs that your dog is happy and healthy and how to make your your dog happy at home when you are out to work.

2. Diet

The next reason will be your dog’s diet. If your dogs are moved into foodstuffs that are fermentable and produce gas, then the stomach will struggle and not able to deal with the gas efficiently. Then, the dogs will burp and pass it into the intestines.

Besides those two main reasons, there are the other possible causes leading bloating in dogs as follows:

Being deep-chested – there are some breeds of dogs that are having deep-chest, such as the Great Dane, St. Bernard and Weimaraner. They have greater risk for bloat as the dogs weighing more than 99 pounds are having 20% risk of bloating. Small dogs are also possible to get exposed to bloating, but the case is really rare.
One time feeding – you only feed your dog once a day.
Using elevated food or water bowls.
Genetic – a family history of bloat or GDV.
Eating too quickly.
Older dogs (between 7 to 12 years old) are having the highest risk – older dogs needs more attention, so make sure you fulfill these essential nutrients for your senior dogs.

Bloating in dogs can be observed from some symptoms as follow:

Excessive saliva as a result of nausea that the affected dogs experience.
Rapid heart and pulse rate.
Distress or panic.
Difficulty in vomiting (only produces a foamy substance) – get to know about home remedies for your vomiting dog.
Unusually pacing.
Unusual whimpering or whining.
Pawing or looking at the stomach.

After knowing the causes and the symptoms, it is the time to do some preventions. There are a few things you can do to prevent bloating in dogs, such as feed your dog two or more meals a day, include canned food and make sure your dog does not perform physical activities after eating.

Make sure not to let your dog to have a strenuous exercise on a full stomach. Instead, let him rest. Doing prevention is better than treatment as treating bloating in dogs as it may take some serious medications that won’t be easy and comfortable for your dogs.

Besides, once you notice any symptoms occur, please contact your vet immediately as bloating can kill your dogs. Bloating can also be experienced by other animals, such as rabbits. Get to know the safe treatment for bloating in rabbit too.