Dog Bloat is a serious condition that can result in restricted blood flow and death if you’re not careful. But dogs with bloat can rarely have bowel movements. If your dog appears to be bloated, but they’re still pooping, something else is likely causing their issue.
What is dog bloat?
Simply put, dog bloat is a full belly combined with excess gas in the Stomach.
Sounds a lot like human bloating, right?
The difference is that when humans get bloated, it usually goes away in a couple hours with no long-term damage.
Bloating for dogs can be deadly.
When dogs bloat (also known as gastric dilation volvulus), the stomach puts pressure on the organs surrounding it. In severe cases, this causes the dog to have difficulty breathing and can prevent proper blood flow.
When the dog’s stomach fills too much, it will often rotate and twist around. This can cause one or both ends of the dog’s stomach to close off and trap the excess air inside.
Can dogs poop when they have bloat?
By definition, a dog with bloat cannot poop properly. Their twisted stomach prevents most, if not all, Food from going any further down their digestive tract.
They may have some diarrhea during a bloat poop, but they won’t be able to pass a firm stool.
In other words, if your dog appears to have a swollen stomach, but they’re still pooping normally, they do not have bloat.
What else could it be?
If your dog appears bloated, but they’re still able to go #2, they may be having other digestive problems. Some of the most common causes of a distended abdomen are:
Eating food too fast
When a dog eats too fast, they’ll often gulp down lots of air along with their food. This can cause their stomach to fill with gas and expand.
When extremely full, this turns into bloat.
But mild cases of an air-filled tummy usually only lead to discomfort and passing gas.
Food intolerance
Much like humans, dog’s can also have an intolerance to certain kinds of food.
When they eat a food that doesn’t sit well, it can lead to excess farting and an upset stomach.
Inflammatory bowel disease
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is when the lining of a dog’s intestines becomes inflamed and the nutrients in the food aren’t absorbed correctly.
This disruption can lead to weight loss, diarrhea, vomiting, flatulating and bloating.
Obesity
Dogs can often appear bloated when they’re actually just overweight.
Like humans, a lot of excess fat in the body gets deposited in the abdomen. But before that fat gets stored near the surface, the body will store it on the interior of the abdomen where you can’t easily see it.
This causes the dog to look larger and rounder even though you can’t see their love handles.
Pregnancy
It sounds silly, but many dog owners think their dog is bloated when they are actually pregnant.
The growing of little pups will cause a distended abdomen, but it will also cause their mammary glands and teats to swell.
Growths or tumors
Growths or tumors cause abdominal distention in two ways:
The growth itself puts pressure on the abdominal wall
The body sending fluid to the area once it notices the growth inside it
These tumors and cysts can be either benign or cancerous.
Blood or free fluid pooling
When a tumor ruptures or your dog experiences trauma to the abdomen, their belly can be filled with a pooling of blood.
Pooling of other fluids (also known as abdominal effusion or ascites) can be a sign of disease or failure of other organs in the abdomen.
Liver disease
When the liver doesn’t function properly, dogs have a hard time metabolizing, detoxifying and digesting properly.
Signs of liver disease can include:
Loss of appetite
Vomiting
Stomach ulcers
Diarrhea
Jaundice (yellowing of skin and eyes)
Fluid collection in abdomen
Weight loss
Cushing’s disease
Cushing’s disease in dogs is caused by high cortisol levels (also known as the stress hormone). Essentially, their “fight or flight” mechanism is always on resulting in high blood pressure and an increase metabolism.
Dogs with Cushing’s syndrome often experience the following symptoms:
Increased thirst and appetite
Increased urination
Increase appetite
Hair loss
Peritonitis
Peritonitis is the swelling of the abdominal wall. It is often caused by an external wound or ruptured major organs.
Dogs with peritonitis will likely experience lethargy, rapid breathing, and an unwillingness to lie down.
How do I fix it?
Ok, ok. You know the problem now, but what do you do about it? Well, that depends on the problem itself.
How to treat bloat, fluid pooling, tumors or peritonitis
If you suspect bloat or any of these other ailments, go to the veterinarian immediately.
Leaving these conditions untreated can result in serious long-term effects or death.
How to treat liver disease, IDB or Cushing’s disease
If your dog is showing symptoms of liver disease or Cushing’s syndrome, give your vet a call.
They will be able to assess your dog’s specific symptoms and tell you how serious it is.
It is also important for your dog to get plenty of exercise and eat a healthy diet that is full of fiber.
How to treat food intolerance, obesity or eating too fast
Treating these ailments is simple, but not easy. You need to change your dog’s lifestyle and behavior.
Food intolerance can be diagnosed with tests in a vet’s office, or you can figure it out yourself through elimination. Eliminate common intolerances like diary, eggs and grains until your dog starts feeling better.
Obesity can be fixed through more restrictive diet portions and exercise. It takes time and effort, but losing fat will also help prevent many other conditions.
You can keep your dog from eating too fast by putting a bit of liquid in their dry food or by putting a ball in their food bowl. This will make eating more challenging and they’ll have to slow down.
A raised food bowl can also help prevent dog bloat. The angle lets the air from the stomach escape a bit more easily when they’re eating.
The post My Dog is Bloated but Still Pooping. What is Wrong? appeared first on Elegant Furball.
