How to prevent bloat and joint issues for my deep-chested dog?

In veterinary school, I was taught as well the the risk of GDV was increased by feeding from raised food bowls. Given that Jasper is a giant breed dog, it's not worth the risk of feeding him from a raised bowl. A GDV is deadly, sometimes even with treatment, and it's best to avoid any risk factors to prevent it from happening. There is a preventative surgery you can do when he's older to keep it from happening. It's called a gastropexy, and it's when the dog's stomach is sutured to his thoracic wall. It does prevent the stomach from rotating on it's axis. You can see if this surgery is an option for Jasper by discussing it with your vet.

You can ask all the questions you want! Bloat commonly occurs between the age of 7-12, but younger dogs can get it. You can prevent it by having a surgery done called a gastropexy, which is where the outer layer of the stomach is stitched onto the rib cage, preventing it from ever rotating. Check out this article from PetCoach on bloat for information on how to prevent it: https://www.petcoach.co/article/bloat-gastric-dilatation-and-volvulus-in-dogs/

Hi there. Since Shelby is a Great Dane, yes - I would recommend having a gastropexy done at the time of her spay. This is generally a very safe procedure with no significant downsides, and is very effective at preventing gastric torsion later in life. Pros: nearly 100% effective at preventing gastric torsion Cons: a bit of added expense, a slightly longer spay incision and slightly increased anesthesia time I recommend that all giant-breed females have this procedure done at the time of their spay, since the benefits far outweigh the risks and bloat/gastric torsion is a significant problem in these breeds. I hope that helps! :)

Feed a few smaller meals during the day instead of one large dinner. Restrict his activity for an hour after he eats (no running). If you see his belly area begin to get bigger, and he is trying to vomit, rush him to an emergency vet clinic right away. This is a tru emergency where minutes count.

Unfortunately I'm not aware of anything preventative for osteosarcoma. It does seem to run in certain lines, so you could ask if your breeder knows if there are any dogs who have developed osteosarcoma in your potential puppy's line. A prophylactic gastropexy would be a good idea - I often recommend performing the procedure at the time of spay or neuter.

Generally only dogs with a condition called megaesophagus where the food they eat gets trapped in the dilated esophagus and they vomit frequently after eating, and dogs with neck pain would benefit from elevated bowls. Some studies have shown that eating from raised bowls actually increases the amount of air dogs ingest when eating and increases the risk of bloat. I think the person who told you to raise the bowls was concerned re: bloat in your medium to large breed dogs. My best recommendation is that if your dogs eat very fast/scarf down their food, that definitely does predispose them to developing bloat which can be life threatening, and puzzle feeders available on Amazon for about $10-$15 that are bowls with ridges in them to slow down eating would be more beneficial than raising the bowls. Good luck!

Hello, Ivan’s breed is highly predisposed to gastric dilatation volvulus or a twisted stomach which is life threatening. Tacking the stomach is a life saving prophylactic measure. I strongly support this recommendation.