New Thoughts about Bloat Prevention
The standard thought for many years has been that avoiding physical activity following a meal would help prevent bloat. For those that don’t know, bloat is when the dog’s stomach actually flips and thereby cuts off the blood supply to the spleen and other tissues. This is important information because standard poodles are one of the breeds more susceptible to bloat, due to their deep chest. I’ve never heard of a Doodle having this problem, however; since most doodles inherit the build of their poodle parent it’s always better to be aware of a situation and plan accordingly.
New research has shown that moderate exercise following a meal will in fact stimulate the digestive tract to get moving and reduce the risk of bloat. Another finding during the study, although inconclusive, suggested that dogs being fed moistened kibble developed bloat less than dogs eating dry kibble. The theory was that the wet kibble had already expanded so their stomachs expanded less following consumption. Again, this portion of the study didn’t show a tremendous amount of difference in the overall result.
In the final analysis they determined that a nice walk will help your doodle’s digestion, but you still want to wait an hour after a meal for a vigorous game of fetch or a long run.
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