Bloat (gastric dilatation and volvulus)

Bloat, or gastric dilatation and volvulus, is the stomach filling with gas and twisting on itself. It is acute, life-threatening and mostly a disease of large and deep-chested breeds; even with treatment about one dog in five dies¹. A prospective study of eleven breeds put the lifetime risk at roughly one in four for large and giant breeds and over 40 percent in the Great Dane; the breeds followed were the Akita, Bloodhound, Collie, Great Dane, Irish Setter, Irish Wolfhound, Newfoundland, Rottweiler, Saint Bernard, Standard Poodle and Weimaraner². Risk rises with age, with a close relative that has bloated, with fast eating, and with feeding from a raised bowl³.

The signs come on fast: a swollen, tight belly, repeated retching that produces nothing, restlessness and pacing, drooling, and then weakness and collapse. This is the emergency that cannot wait for morning. Go now.

Prevention is worth discussing for at-risk breeds. A gastropexy, which stitches the stomach to the body wall, prevents the twist and can be done at neutering or by keyhole surgery; it does not prevent the stomach from dilating but removes the fatal part¹. Feeding two or more smaller meals a day from a bowl on the floor and slowing a fast eater are the everyday measures³.

This is general information, not a diagnosis. Your vet knows your dog.

Sources

1. Gastric Dilation and Volvulus in Small Animals. Merck Veterinary Manual. Accessed 2026-09-22.
2. Incidence of and breed-related risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in dogs (Glickman LT et al.). Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 216(1):40-45, 2000 (peer reviewed). Accessed 2026-09-22.
3. Non-dietary risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in large and giant breed dogs (Glickman LT et al.). Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 217(10):1492-1499, 2000 (peer reviewed). Accessed 2026-09-22.