Bloat is a life-threatening condition that acts rapidly and can
lead to the death of your dog within hours if the condition is
not recognized and treated immediately. Unfortunately, the cause
of bloat remains unknown at this time, but you can learn to
identify its symptoms before it may follow its deadly course. It
first helps to understand exactly what this condition is and how
it can hurt your dog. Dogs first experience a rapid and abnormal
expansion of the stomach with gas. If this happens to your dog,
the pressure can be so intense that its stomach could actually
rotate. The rotation may then close both the entry to and exit
from the stomach. That would put your dog in very serious
jeopardy, since blood flow might also be restricted. What could
follow is an increase in pressure inside your dog's stomach, and
compression of its surrounding organs. Eventually, shock could
occur as a result of the restricted blood flow. Here are a few
key facts about bloat: Early Warning Signs Since bloat is a true
medical e