A "large amount" of food will vary depending on the size of the dog. A small dog, like a Pug or Chihuahua, can bloat from eating 2–3 times their daily intake. A large breed dog, like a Lab or Great Dane, may need to ingest 3–5 times their normal food intake to cause their stomach to bloat.
If a dog eats too much or too quickly, canine bloat can occur. During the passing of the food to the stomach, there is a buildup of gasses, and the stomach begins to blow up like a large balloon. As gasses continue to build up, the stomach stretches beyond its limits and prevents blood circulation to the heart.
The condition has been reported to most commonly occur two to three hours after eating a large meal, although bloat and GDV can occur at any time. Additional facts about GDV: Dogs weighing over 100 pounds have approximately a 20% risk of bloat during their lifetime.
Stomach distension alone is referred to as a “simple bloat”, or dilatation. This simple bloating can occur on its own and may resolve on its own.
"Overall, about 5.7 percent of dogs will develop bloat," Romine says. "But that goes up to 20 percent for dogs weighing 100 pounds or more. Great Danes have the highest risk of all—42 percent of them develop bloat if they don't have a preventative gastropexy."
An x-ray can indicate if a dog has simple bloat, where the stomach appears very distended and round and is usually full of food or gas. X-rays also show if bloat has progressed to GDV and the stomach appears very distended and has what looks like a bubble on top of the already swollen stomach.
The two most obvious symptoms of bloat are a distended belly and unproductive belching. A distended belly will present as an obvious change to the shape of your dog's abdomen. It's hopefully something you've never seen before, and if you do notice it you should get your dog to a vet immediately.
But you don't want to overfeed at a single meal because this can increase the risk of GDV/bloat. For this reason, meals are spread out to two or three per day. Typically I do not recommend feeding more than 2.5–3 cups per feeding.
If you notice that your dog is not acting normal, has a bloated belly, tries to vomit, circles like he cannot get comfortable, and has trouble breathing, you need to get your dog to a veterinary emergency hospital right away. This may be a life-threatening illness called bloat.
Waiting 30–60 minutes is best, so they are not panting and taking in air while they are eating.
When feeding kibble you should soak the kibble in water until it expands – this will decrease the risk of bloat and also add moisture to the diet.
Without treatment, GDV is a fatal condition. A dog with bloat may only have an hour or two to live.
While there are mild cases of bloat in dogs, this should still be considered a serious medical issue. Without the appropriate treatment it could be fatal. As such, even if the symptoms don't seem severe, you should take your dog to see a vet as quickly as possible.
Assuming your dog has a typical activity level, toy breeds should have about ¼ cups to 1 cup, small breeds should have about 1 cup to 1 2/5 cup, medium breeds should have about 2 cups to 2 2/3 cups, and large breeds should have about 2 4/5 cups to 3 cups. -Senior dogs should be fed a little less than adult dogs.
Toy Breeds (3-6 pounds): 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup per day. Small Breeds (10-20 pounds): 3/4 cup to 1 1/2 cups per day. Medium Breeds (30-50 pounds) 1 3/4 to 2 2/3 cups per day. Large Breeds: (60-100 pounds) 3 to 4 1/2 cups per day, plus 1/3 cup for every 10 pounds over 100 pounds.
If you can't feel their ribcage there's a good chance they are overweight. Other signs of overfeeding include loss of energy, or a change in bowel movements. If their stool is normal in the morning but softer by the evening you may need to recalculate their portion sizes.
It occurs primarily in large, deep-chested breeds. Bloat occurs without warning and is very difficult to treat. It does not seem to affect one sex more than the other, but is more likely to occur as a dog ages. Bloat commonly occurs in dogs between the ages of 7 and 12 years.
Kibble is the most commonly fed type of diet, and unfortunately for our dogs, once it enters the dog's stomach, it starts absorbing stomach acid and begins to swell.
The treatment for bloat is a stomach pump to relieve the gas and if the stomach is twisted, surgery to untwist the stomach. In some cases of bloat the pancreas and spleen are also affected and additional surgical intervention is required.
Your vet will first release the build-up of gas and air inside the stomach to stop the tissue in the stomach from dying and take pressure off surrounding organs. This can be done using a tube and stomach pump, but surgery is sometimes needed. It's possible to untwist the gut at this point as well, but not always.
The two most obvious symptoms of bloat are a distended belly and unproductive belching. A distended belly will present as an obvious change to the shape of your dog's abdomen. It's probably something you've never seen before, so if you do in fact notice it you should get your dog to a vet right away.
"A good rule of thumb is to feed the dog about 75 percent of the amount of food they eat if you gave them as much as they wanted at any given meal," Richter says. "In other words, feed them 25 percent less than if you allowed them to eat until they were full. The goal here is to keep them a little bit hungry."