If you are anything like me, then you are a sucker for a home remedy with your dog.
Home remedies really appeal to me because they avoid the trauma of taking my dog to the vet, avoid the cost of a visit to the vet and they use more natural products than the medications that most vets use.
But, it is important to know the limits of home remedies and to recognise when we need to take our dog to the vet.
And dog bloat is a case in point.
The question isn’t should I take my dogs to the vets? It is how quickly can I get my dog there?
And I want to discuss how serious dog bloat is by answering the question, can I use baking soda for dog bloat?
What is dog bloat? Causes and symptoms
I hope that you are reading this because you are finding out about diseases that your dog might suffer from rather than reading this because you think that your dog might have bloat.
Dog bloat is an awful condition.
It happens when a dog’s stomach fills with air or liquid, which makes the stomach expand.
This puts pressure on other organs which can stop the blood flow to and from the heart
It is a medical emergency and according to one vet it still kills around 30% of dogs that have it.
It is sometimes known as Gastric Dilatation- Volvulus (GDV) complex.
[2] What are the symptoms of dog bloat?
Bloat is a condition which evolves very quickly.
It is really important that you identify possible symptoms early on and get your dog to the vets as quickly as possible.
[1] Enlarged swollen stomach- will be painful to touch
[2] Anxious pacing
[3] Trying and failing to vomit
[4] Lots of saliva and drool.
Three known causes of dog bloat?
For such a serious and life threatening condition, vets are not entirely sure what causes it.
And there are lots of unsubstantiated claims with regard to it.
Scientific studies have shown that there are three known risk factors.
[1] Large and giant breeds of dogs with deep chests and narrow waists
I will list specific breeds later on in this article but it is important to say that any dog can suffer from bloat.
[2] Littermate
Dogs with a littermate who have suffered from it are at greater risk
[3] Age
As a dog gets older, the risk of bloat gets higher.
Other causes that are widely discussed but have so far not been proved by any scientific study , include:
[1] Nervous dogs
[2] Dogs who eat very quickly
[3] Dogs that only eat one meal per day
Is baking soda a cure for dog bloat?
Absolutely not.
The only way to cure bloat in your dog is by rushing them to the vets.
The vets will either pump your dog’s stomach or perform emergency surgery to “untwist” the stomach.
There are no known home remedies for bloat.
And if you do get distracted and try any home remedies then all you are doing is increasing the chances of your dog dying a very painful death.
Are there breeds of dog that are more vulnerable to bloat?
As I have already mentioned, certain breeds of dogs are more at risk of developing bloat.
These are larger breed dogs that have deep chests and narrower waists.
Susceptible breeds include:
- Great Danes
- Boxers
- Weimaraners
- Standard Poodle
- Irish Setters
- Akitas
- Basset Hounds
- St Bernards
- Rottweilers
Can I sprinkle baking soda on my dog?
Just because baking soda shouldn’t be considered as a treatment for dog bloat, doesn’t mean that it hasn’t got any other uses with your dog.
In fact there are quite a few handy ways that baking soda can be used with your dog.
To be on the safe side, your dog should never ingest baking soda (and by that I mean drinking or eating baking soda.)
But don’t let that put you off as there are plenty of ways that you can put baking soda to work with your dog, such as for a home remedy for fleas.
Will a dog with bloat poop?
Another common question that dog owners ask when they are desperately looking for symptoms of bloat in their dogs and trying to work out if they should rush their dog to the vets is, will a dog with bloat poop?
And the answer to this is “no”, a dog with bloat will not be able to poop, belch or even fart because of what is happening to the stomach.
If you want to read more about why a dog with bloat will not poop, then please read this article.
