Concise and scary is how I describe this article about bloat in dogs or, gastric dialation-volvus complex, GDV. The key to survival is quick recognition. Approximately 180,000 owners of AKC-registered animals will receive this information. It is also good content for veterinary hospital websites, blogs or client newsletters.
Source: AKC Family Dog, January/February 2016, page 14.
Why do dogs bloat? This is a perplexing question. We know air accumulates in the stomach (dilatation) and the stomach twists (the volvulus part). We don’t know if the air builds up and causes the twist, of if the stomach twists and air builds up. Without treatment, in only an hour or two, dogs go into shock. The heart rate rises, the pulse gets weaker and death follows.