My Golden Retriever puppy has bloat. Should I worry? How to reduce it?

Oh no, that was naughty of Lady to eat the cat food. Certainly eating too much food can lead to bloat, but one to two cups isn't a lot of food to a large dog such as a Golden Retriever. You could see some stomach upset from it such as the diarrhea you have described, but she won't die from it. I can give you a home remedy to try to see if that helps her stomach. Withhold food for 12-24 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in her normal diet. I will also give you that symptoms of bloat just in case, but as I said, it's very unlikely that this amount of cat food will cause bloat. Signs of bloat include attempting to vomit but being unable to, enlarged abdomen, pacing, restlessness, looking at her stomach, labored breathing, and excessive drooling. If you see any of those signs, rush Lady into a vet immediately. Otherwise, she should be ok :-)

The most common signs of bloat are retching without bringing up any material and restlessness. Bloat is a broad term for both a simple gas or food distension of the stomach or a GDV (gastric dilation volvulus) where the stomach gets filled with air and twists on itself so that the stomach contents cannot be emptied. I highly doubt that your 6 week old puppy is experiencing a bloat at such a young age. More common causes of a round and more firm abdomen include a parasite infestation or simply a full stomach after eating. Drinking excessive amounts of water can indicate urinary tract diseases (infection, crystals, etc.), or could be a variation of normal as she is growing. If she also begins urinating large volumes frequently or you observe any blood in her urine, take her to the vet for an exam and urinalysis. If your puppy is lethargic or trying to vomit or retch, certainly speak with her vet immediately. Otherwise, determine how much food she should be eating by examining the chart on her bag of dog food and divide this quantity into 4 smaller meals throughout the day so she is less likely to overeat at any point. Speak with your vet about having a stool sample analyzed for the presence of parasites. Make sure she has been dewormed several times. Products, such as Panacur, are available over the counter from most pet stores and provide broad spectrum deworming, even in puppies as young as 2 weeks old.

It may be that Teddy just ate too much. Keep a close eye on it, and if he starts trying to throw up but can't, has excessive drooling, starts pacing, or is anxious, have him seen by a vet immediately.

If your puppy is in a lot of [pain](https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-subtle-signs-your-dog-is-in-pain) and is struggling to walk or is having breathing problems, you should take her to your vet without delay. If the belly is swollen but the puppy is not in discomfort, you may monitor her for a few hours to see how she goes. Consider smaller, more frequent [amounts of food ](https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-much-to-feed-a-dog-to-meet-his-energy-needs)for the next few days instead of larger meals.

8 week old puppies, even large breed ones, have pretty tiny stomachs, and they also have poor abdominal musculature development at this stage. Those 2 factors can cause you to really be able to see their abdomen bulging when the stomach is full or water or food. So that might be one reason you're seeing this. The other reason could be that Mishka has intestinal parasites. They are very common in young puppies, so if she hasn't been dewormed, this should be done, at least twice (3 - 4 weeks apart). It's also a good idea to have your vet check a stool sample. You can buy dewormer over the counter in most pet stores; follow the directions on the package.

If she is resting quietly, not vomiting, and having no breathing issues then she is probably fine for you to just monitor her now. I strongly suggest you don't feed her anything for 24 hours but make sure she has plenty of water available to drink. If she is having any troubles then she needs to go to the emergency vet. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

With the bloat your dog would not be sleeping, he would be restless, panting and not be able to settle . It is most likely that he has some form of tummy upset , keep an eye on your dog' s feaces. If unable to sleep and starting to retch without bringing up anything, it could be a bloat.