Travels with Whitley: Dog Health Care on a Boat

I am eleven years old Golden Retriever and have had allergies for as long as I can remember. My food and grass allergies give me canine atopic dermatitis.

Canine atopy is likely to be a polygenetic condition (Shaw et al 2004) but no genes have yet been identified. The heritability of atopic dermatitis was around 0.47 in a group of guide dogs the majority of which were Labrador retrievers but which included some Golden retrievers and Labrador-Golden crosses (Shaw et al 2004). That is, about 50% of the likelihood of the occurrence of this disease can be attributed to genes.

Beside the broken wrist from jumping out of SUV because I got Bud's leash wrapped around my paw, I have been in great health.

We returned from an afternoon sail from Moody Gardens in Galveston back to our home port by Clear Lake. I was thirsty since I do not like to drink much water away from shore since I will not pee on the boat!

Well I ran up to pier to the bathroom and drink some water. I returned to the boat and drank some more water from the hose. After some encouragement I ate a little dinner and then something horrible happened. My stomach began to swell to the size of a small pumpkin. I went to my matriarch to tell her that I needed to throw up. She quickly got me to the head to throw up. She then notice my enlarged stomach and rib cage. Papa came on board and he carried me upstairs. They rushed me and Bud to the emergency Vet on I-45. Bud did not want to go in.

They x-rayed my insides and made sure that my stomach had not twisted. Thank goodness it had not twisted and was just gas. They put a big, long tube down my mouth into my stomach to release the gas. You could hear the gas being released. The pressure went down, and I felt so much better. I had bloat without torsion (twisting) also now as gastric dilatation. No one understands why this happened. Probably from drinking too much water and getting air in my stomach at the water hose.

Before leaving, make a bloat kit for your dog.

Know First Aid and CPR for Dogs.

If we are days or hours away from shore and a vet, then we will have a new stomach tube and accessories available on the boat or in the car. Because time matters! Go to Washington State University (small animal therapies) website to learn about Gastric Intubation procedures when we cannot get to a Vet.

Three years ago we had an emergency on the boat with no vet close by and on a slow sailboat. We called the emergency vet in our home town. We formed him that I had an anal gland infection and had been treated before but came back on the boat. Since we already had amoxicillin on the boat for the humans. Was given the correct dosage by the doctor. All the problems were resolved, no more infection.

Click to read more about The Anatomy of A Dog's Stomach and Intestines

But studies have shown that if I eat smaller meals throughout the day. I am less likely to get bloat again and due to my age I am more likely to get it.

Another study by Purdue found that adding “table foods in the diet of large- and giant-breed dogs was associated with a 59 percent decreased risk of GDV, while inclusion of canned foods was associated with a 28 percent decreased risk.” The relationship between feeding a home-prepared diet, either cooked or raw, hasn’t been formally researched.

It is often recommended that limiting exercise and water before and after eating will decrease the risk of bloat. However, in one of the Purdue studies, while exercise or excessive water consumption around meal time initially seemed to affect likelihood of GDV, when other factors were taken into account, such as having a close relative with a history of GDV, in a “multivariate model,” these factors were no longer associated with an increased risk of bloat.

Bloat is the second most cause of death in canines behind cancer. Now with Bud having cancer and me getting over bloat, we are educating our family on all the latest cures, cares, and preventions for cancer and bloat. My matriarch is taking a class at Rice University (Texas) (mooc: mass open online course) class through edx.org, called the Fundamentals of Immunology. We will see what she can help us with.

Cardiac Sphincter (lower esophageal sphincter) above my stomach in my esophagus would not release the gas, and the food was regurgitate not vomited since it never entered my stomach.

While stomach tacking (prophylactic or laparoscopic gastroplexy) during spaying can reduce the chance of a dog's stomach twisting, bloat could still happen. Majority happen around 7 to 12 years old dogs (but can happen in various breeds and a wide range of age even puppies). My grandpa (human MD) said that twisting and bloat can happen in people too.

More smaller meals throughout the day, and small drinks of water allowed from here on out. No raised food or water bowls, since raised feeding bowl was found causative in increasing the frequency of bloat.

Before we go, I will build a bloat kit, because I did nothing unusual to cause this bloat. Just could not burp. I did not gorge my food. I did drink water from the hose, which I always have done.

My Pretty Insides by (VCA southeast) X-rays: