Bloated Abdomen

If your pet is a dog whose abdomen has become bloated suddenly, this is an emergency and your pet needs to be taken to a veterinary hospital immediately.  This can become a life-threatening condition that requires immediate surgical correction.

This sudden bloat can be a condition called stomach twist or gastric dilation volvulus (GDV).  It commonly occurs in deep-chested dogs upon consumption of a meal.

Signs of a stomach twist include:

• the dog attempts to vomit with no substance being produced
• the abdomen looks distended or bloated
• the dog is restless, it will pace or keeping laying down then getting up again in discomfort
• the colour of it’s gums are white as opposed to a healthy pink colour

If any of these signs are noticed, take your pet to a veterinary hospital immediately.  A stomach twist has the same signs as a food bloat.  A food bloat occurs when a dog eats too much, usually of dry food, causing the stomach to bloat as it tries to digest the food.  The only way to differentiate between these conditions in by taking your pet to a veterinary hospital for an exam and x-ray.  If the food bloat is left unattended to, it can progress into a stomach twist.

A bloated abdomen can occur for several reasons in both dogs and cats.  If the abdomen has been bloating for several days or weeks, this may not be an emergency but should still be addressed by a veterinarian as soon as possible.