Just wandering if at this age if one can bloat.
nurses once in a while. happy eating pooping was a swimmer now back to normal.running around and walking. not really any troubles.
but is on dry food with water in food. and water free choice.

I lost a 9 *day* old pup last litter..not exactly bloat but his lower intestine had twisted. He was to the vet within 40 min of symptoms.

I had a six week old puppy torsion and bloat in the middle of the night. I took him in to the Vet and x-rayed and stomach had twisted and was on wrong side of body. WE euthanized him. So yes it can happen but very, very unusual. Why are you worried about bloat though. Are you free feeding or something. The way you are feeding him is not going to cause bloat. Is he just eating more than you think he should and that is why you are worried. I personally would not free feed if that is what you are doing. I would contol his intake of food but be feeding small meals at least four times a day and in a week I would cut it down to three times a day. That food would be well soaked in water before I gave it to him and at this time I would also be controlling how many times a day he got to nurse because I would be working on weaning the bitch from the pups.
Don't know if that was what you were looking for or not.
JUdy

Don't pre-moisten food containing citric acid (preservative) if you believe the Purdue study on bloat as they say that this can cause bloat.

This pup is little over 5 weeks. Think she just eats to much. The food is semi moist with water and there is water in the bowl.Let me rephrase this.The pup in question was a swimmer. she is walking now and running.So can swimmers have a problem with digestion.? she is bright eyed bushy tail. Not in any pain. drinks eats etc.. but tummy is kind full looking. by morning she is normal. I know she is pooping ,

But not after eating she tries but nothing.
she is in with her swimmer brother who is not close to walking even with being taped.
No the mother isn't nursing pretty well dried up.
No she is not a free eater. 4 times a day being fed.

Actually the food doesn't get pre-moistened I just add water to the food.

I think intussuception(intestine telescopes into itself)is more common in puppies than bloat, but either could occur.

"Don't pre-moisten food containing citric acid (preservative) if you believe the Purdue study on bloat as they say that this can cause bloat"

I have heard this before and seen it on another thread.

When feeding grain free kibble it is recommended to feed with water to aid in digestion because of the hi protein.

So are you talking about only soaked (soft) food or adding water and feeding immediately? I do the latter.

Patty/Snowco - I'm wondering the same thing about the citric acid etc., but curious as to the reason people put water on the kibble....unless it is just to make it more palatable/tasty. I thought that it was supposed to aid in the prevention of bloat, (I was told this) but can't see how simply adding water and feeding immediately would do that. My dog (for a Lab) isn't really a fast eater, but wet or dry she eats it about the same speed. In fact if I just wet it and fed immediately she would be more likely not to chew it as well. I read on another website (I believe the fellow was a Vet) that food should be "soaked" (not just moistened) to allow it to expand before hitting the stomach and doing the expanding there... and possibly causing bloat... I think it said from the gases that come off the food during the expanding, but again others say that soaking destroys the nutrients in the food. Thus my name in this and the other post I started "Kinda Confused."

I was told to always saturate food for 15 minutes for adults or pups to avoid bloat. I did it for pups, never for adults and won't again. Some old time breeders believe in this, some don't and I don't think there is an exact answer. Use your common sense, if you see any signs of bloat get to the vet ASAP.

Exercise before and after meals should be limited, other than that I don't know what to believe anymore. Everyone has a different opinion it seems.

"Bloat is the second leading killer of dogs after cancer."

Labs rank 18th for getting bloat.

If your dog food contains citric acid you should not put any water on the food.

Any poorly digested carbohydrates can produce gas and should be avoided.

Oils added to the diet can slow digestion and can contribute.

Below quote from Ron Hines DVM PhD 4/21/06:

"A recent Purdue University Study shines much light on this perplexing disease. They found that certain factors increased the incidence of GDV. The first and most important factor was age. The older the dog was the more commonly they develop GDV. The second most common factor was having a relative that had developed GDV. This shows that genetics plays a part in the disease. The third factor was feeding the dog in a raised food bowl. Raising the food bowl is often suggested in large breeds that have trouble swallowing. So there may be some linkage between esophageal problems and GDV. There was a 2.7-fold increase in the risk of GDV in dogs that ate dry dog food that contained fat as its most common or first ingredient. The risk of GDV increased 4.2-fold in dogs that ate dry foods containing citric acid when the food was moistened prior to feeding. Dry foods containing meat meal with bone among the first four ingredients significantly decreased GDV risk (53.0%). Approximately 30% of all cases of GDV in this study were attributed to consumption of dry foods containing fat among their first four ingredients, while 32% could be attributed to consumption of owner-moistened dry foods that also contained citric acid. Citric acid in the stomach is conducive to gas formation. So choosing your dog's diet is probably the most important thing you can do to prevent gastric dilatation/volvulus bloat and torsion."

"Patty/Snowco - I'm wondering the same thing about the citric acid etc., but curious as to the reason people put water on the kibble....unless it is just to make it more palatable/tasty"

That is exactly why we have always added water (not soaked for adults).

I had one pup buyer tell me her pup wouldn't eat. found out she was feeding dry. Told her to add water and swish around to make gravy and feed immediately. Solved the problem.

Also I now feed grain free food and it says to feed with water to aid in digestion due to high protein.

My food does have citric acid. I'm sending an email to Natures Variety and see what they have to say about this and adding water.