Bloat - What You Need To Know

The thought of bloat can put fear in any dog lover's heart. This is especially true for those people who live with large, deep-chested dogs; the ones most prone to this life-threatening emergency. Bloat is the common name for a condition called Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (GDV)

This is an emergency situation that occurs when the stomach fills with gas and/or food, expands, and then sometimes rotates, trapping gas inside the stomach and cutting off blood supply to the stomach. Learn what to watch for, possible causes, suggestions to prevent, as well as how GDV is treated in the emergency room, from the About.com Guide to Dogs, Jenna Stregowski RVT.

Photo: Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus in a dog - Image courtesy of Georgia Veterinary Specialists

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