Dog food suggestion for a weim prone to bloat

bluecosmo

I know there has been a lot of discussion about different kinds of dog food, but I wanted to know if anyone has any suggestions about what dog food would be the best for my weimaraner that is prone to bloat?

Cosmo has had bloat three times. The last time his stomach actually turned and he had to have emergency surgery. He was eating Natural Balance. After the surgery the vet switched him to Hills Prescription ID. I was thinking of switching him to one of these foods: Canidae, Eagle Pack, Innova, Evo, California Natural (which I believe the last three are made by the same company?).

Which one does everyone think is the best for a dog prone to bloat? The food with the least ingredients (which I think may be the Innova brands?) or the other ones? I like that Canidae isn't made with any corn, wheat, soy or grain fractions. But I noticed that a few of you mentioned your dogs were having a hard time digesting it, which worries me if Cosmo's stomach is so sensitive.

I found this website that claims Eagle Pack is the way to go. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Welches · Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 12:14 pm Post subject:

I'm not sure what type of food is recommended for dogs prone to bloat. But you're right, Natura makes EVO, Cal Nat, Innova and other brands. Here is their website if you want to compare them http://www.naturapet.com

We feed California Natural and love it. It has the least number of ingredients of all brands.

Have you also thought about a Brake Fast bowl? This will make sure that your dog eats slow and doesn't inhale his food. The website for it is https://brake-fast.c3.ixwebhosting.com/store/home.php We have this bowl and absolutely love it.

Also, has your vet talked to you about tacking his stomach? This is a procedure in which the stomach is attached to the abdominal wall to prevent the stomach from twisting during bloat. I would look into this if you're having bloat problems.

bluecosmo · Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 12:54 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the info. I saw that California Natural had the least amount of ingredients on their website. I wonder if it is better to have less ingredients in a food for sensitive stomachs?

Cosmo had his stomach tacked when his stomach turned last month. The vet said his stomach shouldn't turn again (not a 100% guarantee), but he could still bloat. Even though his stomach is tacked, I am still a nervous wreck. I am going to get the brake-fast bowls. I'm glad you mentioned you liked them.

Thanks for the advice.

Welches · Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 1:14 pm Post subject:

California Natural is for dogs with food sensitivities. You might want to give it a try. We love it for our dogs. Go to the website and find a place where they sell it near your house. Then go to that place and ask for a sample to try it.

I'm glad his stomach his tacked. That should help. And you'll love the Brake Fast bowl. It will help put your mind at ease too.

greydogs · Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 6:48 pm Post subject:

vishnu had bloat and torsion and when they did the surgery, they biopsied his intestine, and confirmed the diagnosis of ibd.
he got canned food in the hospital, and he did so great on that, that we continued feeding canned for about 9 months. one month ago, i slowly switched him to raw, and his poops have never been better.
i still add yogurt, probiotics and enzymes.

weimamama · Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 6:57 pm Post subject:

Blue bloated and twisted a few yrs ago and survived the surgery. His stomach is tacked, also. He and June eat Natural Balance. He has also gotten into a 10# box of biscuits last year and had to be induced. Bloating can occur for any number of reasons. Try slowing down the food intake and also limit water and activity directly before and after feeding.
Also feed smaller meals more often.

anne · Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 10:09 pm Post subject:

I don't think there's any one food that is good for dogs that have bloated. IMO you shoudl find a food that works for YOUR dog, and does not cause gas. Also if your dog eats fast, slow him down. Smaller meals also help.

This has not been proven but the Purdue bloat site http://www.vet.purdue.edu/epi/bloat.htm, in one of their articles, mentions that there may be benefits to feeding raw.

weimamama · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 3:22 pm Post subject:

Just an update... at the time Blue bloats/torsion he was on a royal canin formula.

weimamama · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 3:26 pm Post subject:

...and I'm sure you recently read about he and June's escapade with the 56 sausage rolls....
not fun. No bnloat/torsion but we are on the lookout for pancreatitis now and they had to have induced vomitting and anemas and Blue had sodium toxicity and have to be hosp for 1.5 days.
We're still recuperating...

bluecosmo · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 9:02 pm Post subject:

I haven't been on the site in a few days, so I didn't know about Blue's surgery. How is he? I'll say a prayer for him. I hope all goes well, I know how scary it is when something like this happens.

Kisses and get well wishes to Blue.

weim2mom · Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 9:32 pm Post subject:

Not sure of the food has anything to do with it, but I love Evo. Chevy and Hemi love it, and it has really been fantastic.

mrscrawley · Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 3:54 pm Post subject:

I've just started a raw diet, and when I was doing my 109375 hours of research I came upon a page that talks about raw and digestion. The cool thing about raw is that it takes quite a bit of work to actually eat. When the dog starts to chew/rip/shred raw food, the brain tells the stomach to get ready for the food that is coming. This aids in healthy digestion. I don't know if that would make a difference as far as bloat is concerned, but it makes since to me that it could.

Raw also has its natural water content, so it's not going to swell once it reaches the stomach. That's the problem with kibble. This concept is why no one throws rice at a wedding anymore. Birds would eat the dry rice and it would swell once it got in their stomach. The dry kibble could be contributing to bloat more than you realize. Just some food for thought...

wshive · Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 4:56 am Post subject:

From what I've read, higher fat foods tend to produce stomach gas (in people and, I believe, dogs as well). Something to think about...

I'm a new weim owner, and I've been doing tons of reading about what to feed. My .02 is that you should feed whatever food gives them the least amount of gas (in their stomach--dunno how you would check for this???) and provides the most nutrients/calories with the least amount of mass. Personally, the calorie-to-mass ratio is most important to me so long as the food is balanced with quality ingredients since this factors into the actual cost of the food. I think in calories per $ Laughing

Weim · Housebroken Joined: 19 Jul 2008 Posts: 60

I initially fed dry as that's what I was told to feed. My first dog torsioned on it.

Last dog had Colitis and was switched to mainly raw with a handful of dry - suited her best.

This dog was switched to mainly raw on arrival but some days when I felt bad she got prepacked wet food. One evening she had that and in the morning had same thing, different brand name - she bloated.

I now feed real food only.... mainly raw, but occasionally cooked and so far she's been fine.

All the reading I've done and talking to other folks online, it seems the majority of dogs who bloat or torsion are fed commercial food.

For me, my dogs will always eat real food now, human grade as it's all I trust and it makes more sense to me as just like us, that's what their stomachs are designed to eat plus I know exactly what's in it.