Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Prevention of Stomach Flip in Dogs - These Easy Strategies May Save the Life of Your Best Friend

Let's take a look at the reasons for stomach flip in order to learn how to prevent its occurrence.

dog food for sensitive stomachs

Your dogs stomach has an enormous capacity to take in food, to stretch and grow to take in as much as possible.

Dog Food For Sensitive Stomachs

This is part of his ancestors heritage.

Before civilisation dogs did not have access to regular meals and there was competition at the table when food was around. So once a group of dogs had found their prey they stuffed themselves as much as possible. After supper each member of the family went to a quiet place to digest - often bringing up the food from inside the stomach to re-eat it in peace.

This behavior was also useful to bring up the young: Parents would go out hunting and bring back food in their stomachs to feed their pups.

This age old habit can still be seen in brood bitches much to the dislike of their owners who often do not understand why the dam brings up her own food in front of her puppies.

Since stomach flip most often occurs when the dog has a full stomach the first line of prevention is this:

Do not allow your pet to eat as much as he can! Rather feed him two to three times a day so his stomach is never packed. Make sure his food is always fresh and up to scratch, never feed him anything that has gone off or is on the verge of fermenting. Do not feed him on anything which may upset his stomach.

If you feed him on dried food: Remember dried food does expand when you add fluid and even a small looking quantity of food pellets may take up a lot of space inside your dogs stomach.

Never exercise him after a meal but make sure he gets time to rest and digest. Do not feed him before any strenuous activity. Remember, he was made to digest his meal lying down and not running around. Do not play with your dog for some time after a meal.

If you have two or more dogs they often want to play right after their meal - do not let them

The reason for all these precautions is this:

If your dog rolls over on a full stomach his stomach might not be able to follow the movement of the body. As it stays in place it gets cut off from the gullet and the small intestine. Food inside the stomach can not be passed on anymore but digestion continues.

The digestive process produces digested food as well as gasses which can not leave the stomach so it just builds up inside causing a lot of pressure.

Your dog tries to vomit but can not get rid of the food since the gullet is blocked.

Imagine the pain and suffering this causes him!

If he does not get help in this situation, he will die within hours.

So in order to protect his life why not consider putting him under the Stomach Flip Prevention scheme?

It may take some getting used to but as they say: Prevention is always better than cure!

Prevention of Stomach Flip in Dogs - These Easy Strategies May Save the Life of Your Best Friend

Dog Food For Sensitive Stomachs

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