Is this an early sign of bloat?

[SarasMom]

Hello everyone, I'm new here but not new to being a pet mom. My pound puppy Sara is almost 15, and she's a Lab/Beagle/Whippet/SumthinSumthin. She's the love of our lives, but something that seems to have appeared in the past few months is worrying me.

We switched her food in September from Pedigree (mix of dry and wet) to Natural Choice (dry and wet combo also) because she developed allergies. We also have not been giving her any treats since July, again because of the allergies. Since the summer she's started to steadily lose weight, from about 42 pounds to about 37 pounds about a month ago, which we attributed to the lack of treats, and then getting used to the new food. We've also noticed that her shape has changed to the point where her abdomen from the bottom of her ribcage to her pelvis is extremely thin, and her chest almost appears a bit larger or rounder. At first I thought this might be because her abdomen is so thin that it is just an illusion; after all, a five-pound weight loss is pretty significant. But I've read so much about bloat that I'm wondering if she might be at risk for developing it.

Something else that's strange is that it used to be after she ate her abdomen would be full (not abnormally full by any means). But now, even after she eats her abdomen still looks and feels just as thin as prior to eating. That's why I'm worried that maybe her stomach has moved into her ribcage - is that possible?

Some other notes: she doesn’t usually gulp down her dinner, in fact she is finicky and will often eat it just a bit at a time; she doesn’t seem to be in pain or discomfort to any degree; she isn’t having problems going to the bathroom, either peeing or pooping (no diarrhea); she usually lets out a big burp after eating, so she doesn’t appear to have trapped gas; she usually throws up once a month, but it’s just yellow bile (she’s done this for years).

In addition, six months after we got her back in 2000, she was diagnosed with colitis, and in 2006 she started having occasional seizures, which the vet attributed to possible stomach twinges due to the colitis. But she only had about five in total and hasn’t had one in about six years.

She does seem to be drinking more water than usual over these past few months, but we think that’s due to medications she’s on for urinary incontinence. (stilbestrol and propalin).

So, I guess in a nutshell my question is: should we be worried about bloat? Even though she’s a medium-sized dog at the most, I think she’d be considered deep-chested. She’s due for her annual checkup in February, but I was wondering if maybe we should make an earlier appointment.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!

[angeldogs]

I would see a vet, for that much weight lost.if her exersice hasnt increased at all.and if it has you need to feed a little more.and with that amount of weight loss her rib cage all around would show more.

[Barkingdog]

Originally Posted by SarasMom

Hello everyone, I'm new here but not new to being a pet mom. My pound puppy Sara is almost 15, and she's a Lab/Beagle/Whippet/SumthinSumthin. She's the love of our lives, but something that seems to have appeared in the past few months is worrying me.

We switched her food in September from Pedigree (mix of dry and wet) to Natural Choice (dry and wet combo also) because she developed allergies. We also have not been giving her any treats since July, again because of the allergies. Since the summer she's started to steadily lose weight, from about 42 pounds to about 37 pounds about a month ago, which we attributed to the lack of treats, and then getting used to the new food. We've also noticed that her shape has changed to the point where her abdomen from the bottom of her ribcage to her pelvis is extremely thin, and her chest almost appears a bit larger or rounder. At first I thought this might be because her abdomen is so thin that it is just an illusion; after all, a five-pound weight loss is pretty significant. But I've read so much about bloat that I'm wondering if she might be at risk for developing it.

Something else that's strange is that it used to be after she ate her abdomen would be full (not abnormally full by any means). But now, even after she eats her abdomen still looks and feels just as thin as prior to eating. That's why I'm worried that maybe her stomach has moved into her ribcage - is that possible?

Some other notes: she doesn’t usually gulp down her dinner, in fact she is finicky and will often eat it just a bit at a time; she doesn’t seem to be in pain or discomfort to any degree; she isn’t having problems going to the bathroom, either peeing or pooping (no diarrhea); she usually lets out a big burp after eating, so she doesn’t appear to have trapped gas; she usually throws up once a month, but it’s just yellow bile (she’s done this for years).

In addition, six months after we got her back in 2000, she was diagnosed with colitis, and in 2006 she started having occasional seizures, which the vet attributed to possible stomach twinges due to the colitis. But she only had about five in total and hasn’t had one in about six years.

She does seem to be drinking more water than usual over these past few months, but we think that’s due to medications she’s on for urinary incontinence. (stilbestrol and propalin).

So, I guess in a nutshell my question is: should we be worried about bloat? Even though she’s a medium-sized dog at the most, I think she’d be considered deep-chested. She’s due for her annual checkup in February, but I was wondering if maybe we should make an earlier appointment.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!

If you think your dog has bloat you should bring her to the vet right away as this will kill a dog.

[Loki Love]

Any deep chested dog is susceptible to bloat - I'm having a hard time picturing your dog, so if you could provide a photo that would be great

Signs of bloat don't develop over months - they develop over hours. What you're describing doesn't sound like bloat, but the weight loss would be a concern and I probably wouldn't wait until February to have that checked out. That said - is it possible your dog was overweight previously and she's down to a healthier weight now? Best to have your vet confirm it

Good luck!

[Barkingdog]

Originally Posted by Loki Love

Any deep chested dog is susceptible to bloat - I'm having a hard time picturing your dog, so if you could provide a photo that would be great

Signs of bloat don't develop over months - they develop over hours. What you're describing doesn't sound like bloat, but the weight loss would be a concern and I probably wouldn't wait until February to have that checked out. That said - is it possible your dog was overweight previously and she's down to a healthier weight now? Best to have your vet confirm it

Good luck!

The dog is almost 15 yo, so it could be a numbers of reasons it's losing weight. Diabetes can cause a dog to lose weight and the OP said their dog been drinking more water , it could more more than the meds causing the dog to drink more water. I agree with you about the bloat, it does happen over hours.

[MaxaLisa]

Dogs can have repeated 'bouts of mild bloat before they have a fatal incident, so be prepared, and get to the vet ASAP if you think your dog is bloating.

I would bring your dog in and have full bloodwork run, and also check for parasites.

[SarasMom]

Thanks for all the responses!

I've uploaded a picture of my girl as my avatar. It is from about six years ago, when she was at her heaviest (about 45 lbs - a far cry from the skinny 34.5 lbs when we got her!). Even then she was by no means overweight. Regarding the amount of food we are giving her, we have always kept it available to her since the summer when we noticed her weight loss, especially because we couldn't give her treats anymore.

Regarding other reasons for her weight loss, we had a whole set of geriatric blood and urine tests done a couple of months ago because of the urinary incontinence, and they didn't reveal any problems.

The only reason that bloat even crossed my mind is because I read that it is more common in dogs with digestive problems, plus the fact that her seizures a few years ago were determined to be a result of painful gas. That coupled with her chest "appearing" rounded got me worried! It appears, like a couple of you have stated, that bloat occurs within hours, but I have also read about chronic bloat, so that's why I was concerned.

Having said all that, we have made her an appointment for tomorrow. That way we can get her annual checkup done and over with, and we can address our concerns about her weight.