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An excess of Baker's...

Lisa_T

Lisa_T

Well-known member
Um, I think Amber has managed to get hold of the box of Baker's dog food in my laundry room. And shredded it. And, presumably, eaten the food. I'm sure Holly helped. It was the 2kg box that was probably about half full.
Is gorging on dog food likely to hurt them?!
 
Hi Lisa,

Just keep a very close eye on both of them. A few months ago Scout was at my Mom's house while I was at work. She had her usual 1/2 cup of dry food and then when my Mom wasn't looking, she ate her dog's 1/2 cup of dry food. Scout wasn't quite a year old then.

When I got home she was acting strangely. I ask my Mom what she did today, she didn't mention the extra food. Then Scout stood up and acted as if she was going to vomit, nothing came up. She did that three of four times. Nothing came up. I was getting ready to rush her to the vet's I knew something was wrong. Then out if came, so much food, I couldn't believe it. Three or four times. That's when my Mom told me she ate both bowls of food.

On the other hand Breeze ate five bagles that she stole off the kitchen table last week and two weeks before that a whole bag of miniature marshmallows and she was fine. She been quite mischievous lately.

I hope your two are ok keep us posted.
 
Yes, gorging can cause bloat (which is life-threatening) and other problems. My brother's lab just had to be hospitalised because she got into the shed where the food was stored and got seriously ill. Cost them $400 and a day/night having her stomach pumped and staying at the vets in intensive care.

If anyone ever fears their dog has seriously overeaten, call the vets and get advice -- my bro almost lost his lab and an hour or two would have made the difference between her being alive and being pts.

Bloat is more common in large deep chested breeds but spaniels like springers are at higher risk and cavaliers are a deep chested breed as well. Most of the time overeating isn't going to be a problem but if it is a significant amount over a regular meal I'd def. always call the vets immediately unless all the food is vomited back up right away.

Bloat is a Tricky Problem for Dogs


Printer-Friendly Version Pet Column for the week of October 23, 2000
Office of Public Engagement
2001 S. Lincoln Ave.
Urbana, Illinois 61802
Phone: 217/333-2907

By Carrie Gustavson
Information Specialist
University of Illinois
College of Veterinary Medicine

People can pig out on Halloween goodies, or anything else for that matter, without it coming
back to haunt them. But, for some dogs who overindulge, even on plain old food and
water, their stomach may inflate like a balloon and twist on itself -- a canine horror story.
Food is sometimes the cause of a dilated stomach, but often a dog's stomach will
mysteriously dilate, or bloat, for no known reason. Either way, bloat is a medical
emergency, and the puffed-up pooch will need veterinary help as soon as possible.

Bloating and twisting of a dog's stomach is a serious condition veterinarians call gastric
dilation volvulus, or GDV. Overeating, especially in predisposed breeds, may cause GDV,
but often there is no underlying cause, making this disease one that is baffling to
veterinarians and to owners alike. "A dog with GDV will have a distended abdomen and
may appear restless and depressed and have dry heaves," says Dr. Cathy Greenfield, small
animal surgeon at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Urbana. "A
common history is that he may have just eaten or drunk a large amount of food or water.
But most of the time there is no underlying cause for GDV."

While the exact cause of GDV is unknown, a dog's anatomy is thought to play a significant
role. Since the stomach of a dog is securely fixed only at one spot near the top, when the
stomach is full or dilated, it can easily rotate on that one fixed axis. If that happens, not only
is the stomach distension painful, but the blood vessels that feed the stomach are kinked
and stretched as the stomach twists. With reduced circulation to the stomach, the lining of
the stomach can die or be damaged enough to allow bacteria and toxins to enter the
bloodstream.

In addition, the distended stomach can put pressure on major veins, blocking blood flow
back to the heart. Without the normal blood flow to the heart, blood pressure will plunge
and a dog can easily go into shock.
Click to expand...

Link to rest of article: http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/index.cfm?function=showarticle&id=5

Hope they are OK this morning. :flwr:
 
If I may, I would suggest purchasing a pet food container. There are lots of them available, but the best are the ones with a lid that screws on and is advertised as airtight. There are a couple big advantages: the dogs can't get into them like they can a bag, they keep the food fresh for longer and they are insect/rodent proof.

You can get all different sizes. We have 3 of them, the biggest holds probably 40 to 60 ponds for the food we feed on a regular basis, and 2 that might hold 15 to 20 pounds for puppy food or when a dog has to be on a special diet. It's really a good investment.
 
I think, actually, that there was significantly less food in the box than I believed (it's the emergency food for weekends at my parents- their normal food is in a plastic container a la Bruce) because neither has shown any ill effects whatsoever. I didn't give them breakfast this morning and they were ready for their dinner this evening. Amber is currently having fun with a starbucks takeaway cup that had chai latte in it.
 
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