When a dog bloats, quickly stabilizing its condition with treatment for shock may keep it alive. In cases like Yogi's, gastropexy surgery, a procedure that involves attaching the stomach to the abdominal wall, is usually successful in preventing a recurrence of the volvulus, but not necessarily the dilatation. Bloat is a top priority for Morris Animal Foundation. I Veterinarians know how to diagnose and treat bloat, but don't know what events trigger it. This study focuses on identifying the predisposing and precipitating factors, so that veterinarians and owners can determine if their dogs are likely to bloat and then provide preventative care.
Scientists believe that bloat is probably caused by many factors.
These risk factors include lifestyle or behavior, environmental exposure, or inherited characteristics. They want to know more about these risk factors and how they interact. Because dogs are likely to bloat again once they get the condition, scientists are studying long-term following to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments. Dr. Glickman's team analyzed information from twelve veterinary teaching hospitals from 1980 to 1989. They evaluated information that had been collected on the VNMB comparing 1,934 dogs with naturally occurring bloat and 3,868 dogs without bloat.