[ SHOWGSD-L ] more Bloat - Food for Thought
- From: Pinehillgsds@xxxxxxx
- To: daxobuff@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, helen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx, showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 10 Aug 2005 20:20:16 EDT
In a message dated 8/10/2005 7:47:30 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
daxobuff@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
>>>.....How much is structural and how much is genetic? What
percentage of dogs in the 60's or 70's faced this
life-threatening
> disability? Thought I'd give you some new food for
> thought. <<<<
How much of it is caused by the food the dogs are given?
Leslye Morrow
Shofar Shepherds & Shelties
Not only food, but "management", (do dogs running in kennels and/or fence
fighting and/or subject to a high stress environment have a higher
incidence?),
temperament, (type "A" dogs or nervous individuals?) condition (is there a
higher incidence as dogs age or a bitch has had several litters because their
stomach and supporting muscles etc., are more lax?)
Do we do our young litters a favor by separating them from litter mates for
grooming/nail trimming/alone time etc., raising their stress level,
conditioning them to "stress" at a very young age? Do we do our dogs a favor
when
their is a stressful situation (a bitch in heat, and a male is a wackadoo)
skipping the next meal and getting him as far away as possible from his source
of
stress? Ever notice there is a correlation between a dog's particular
person's stress level and incidence of bloat? I know a dog who bloated when
his
owner went into labor. Put that one under stress...I just heard of a Sheltie
who bloated before a big performance event...file that one under his person's
stress level too...a Sheltie for goodness sakes!
But then again, I was at the vets this week and a mixed breed came in for
emergency surgery...
In horses, we call it colic and it is (mostly) blamed on management.
There's also some thought that changes in weather (barometric pressure) plays a
role. Then again, some horses fear storms, their instinct is to go to higher
ground, so when we confine them to a stall and they know a storm is coming is
that yet another reaction to "stress"? There's a theory w/ horses that early
infestations of roundworms causes scar tissue that later causes
(colic)problems...which would fall under "management". I don't know if that
would hold
true for dogs, but I do know of a pretty nice dog who died on the table who
was
loaded w/ evidence of scar tissue. Since I knew we considered that in
horses, I filed that tid-bit under "interesting".
So, we've got heredity, management (food, general health), age and
condition, stress level, maybe some incidences of weather which could be
related to
either barometric pressure or stress...take your pick...
I'm not smart enough to figure it out. I'll try to stay away from the
hereditary part, do the controlled stress/conditioning thing w/ baby puppies,
pay
particular attention to management and conditioning and pray. Emphasis on
the prayer part. I can't do a darned thing about the weather.
Kathy
three generations of Dual Titled Champions live here!
visit _Pine Hill German Shepherd Dogs_
(http://www.geocities.com/pinehillgsds/)
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