Some Advice

[JELLY31]

I've just lost my gorgeous Oso due to his intestines turning upside down. It's a very sad day when one loses their loved ones. I was told by the vet that this is common in Chows due to their very large chests. I researched what had happened to him a little too late and now know what I did wrong. The research indicates that to avoid this (but in reality who honestly goes into this knowing this is or might happen) one needs to avoid giving their chow large amounts of food and should only give them small amounts and only a little bit of water after and make sure the dishes are elevated for them and do not have them excercise right after eating or drinking. I thought I was doing the right thing of never letting my baby go hungry or thirsty, but I guess I was wrong. Please take care of your chows because if you haven't gone through the process of losing them trust me its horrible. I love him and I will never forget him.

[fillyok]

I'm so sorry to hear about your Oso (I have a big Bear boy). If you're talking about bloat, then yes it can happen to Chows because of the way they're structured. We lost another Chow on the board (Onyx) to bloat earlier this year. I think there's a lot of confusion about this illness...what causes it, what prevents it, etc. Please don't beat yourself up because I seriously don't think there was anything you could've done differently. Even if you had known what was happening he probably wouldn't have made it through surgery at his age. I know it doesn't make you feel any better, but please know that you gave Oso a long, happy life and he knew that you loved him very much.

If you want to do some research on this topic you can do a search on the board. I even think some people have a first-aid kit in their homes for bloat. I don't know if I'd be able to use one myself.

[Mia]

Brilliantly said, Fillyok - exactly what I was going to say. I have done a lot of research on bloat and no one can agree or confirm absolute causes. Some say raised bowls, some say definately not raised bowls.

Anyway, my first reaction is to say please don't blame yourself.

It's good to learn about - but tough to prevent.

[Buddha4me]

My heart goes out to you for your loss. As we all know it is like loosing a family member, not just a dog. I had heard of bloat being a potential problem for Chows and asked my vet. He recommended letting the dog eat, and not give it water for 1/2 hour, if he was eating really fast, or to add water to the dry kibble so the kibble swells before it gets in the stomach. I have tried both of these with my dog, and increase the size of his kibble, and he doesn't inhale his food like he used to. Thank you for sharing your story, but please don't beat yourself up over it, things happen that we cannot control. And this is such an unusual thing, that most people don't know about it, so how could you have possibly prevented it.

[Jeff&Peks]

There are hundreds of guesses what causes bloat but no one really knows, I agree with eating to much and to fast has alot to do with it but I lost a 3 year old Chow (Onyx) to bloat a few months ago that hadn't eaten anything, she walked out in the backyard an hour later she died at the vets. Pekoe will be 13 in February she has been a free eater and drinker her whole life, she eats dry kibble (never wet) and has 4 bowls of water scattered around the house so she has water available no mater where she is, now that she is older I watch her food intake a little closer. There is no reason for you to feel guilty or think you had anything to do with his death living to 13 you must have done something right, at 13 i'm sure there was some other things then just eating going on in his system that caused the bloat.

Cancer and bloat are the two top killers of all breeds cancer first, bloat second its not just Chows, Greyhounds, German Shepard's and akita;s get bloat way more then Chows, We only think Chows so thats all we hear.

I still try to piece together what went on with Onyx that day but nothing adds up, she was real excitable and loved attention she went nuts and jumped around in circles when you said lets go and loved it when people talked to her but I made her sit and relax before we ever went out the door. Pekoe could care less about attention, with her its get away from me unless you have something to offer. In Onyx's case I think it was her excitement and all the new things going on in her life that killed her, not food.

[Scarlets Mom]

I have had 4 rescued greyhounds, Jeff is right. Osteosarcoma is one of the leading causes of deaths in greyhounds, (3 out of my 4 have/ or had it) and bloat. My understanding that it happens more often with dogs that are "barrel chested", too much food at once, or letting them engage in strenous excercise 1 hr prior or 1 hr after eating. I know it is an awful death for both the dog and their human companion. My deepest sympathies to anyone that has had to deal with this.