J.M.Spencer@newcastle.ac.uk (J.M. Spencer) (02/12/90)
We recently discussed the issue of animals 'exploding' as a consequence of eating too much and/or eating the wrong thing. I was skeptical, but now have to eat my words, so to speak. A friend of mine owned an English Springer Spaniel which was obsessed with food to the extent that she ate virtually anything she found regardless of the state. She didn't retrive shot rabbits, she stopped and ate them. She was equally happy eating any rotten stinking carrion she could find. Last Thursday, she was fed her normal dog food, only a little more than usual. She wolfed the food down in seconds. Shortly after, it was noticed that she was bloated. My friend telephoned a vet for advice and was told it could wait until the morning. He sought a second opinion. The dog was taken to the surgery and aneasthetised. The vet stabbed the stomach in an effort to release the gasses. The dog was described as looking like she was about to drop 15 pups. She didn't recover. PM showed that the stomach had already ruptured. The vet stated that he has seen more than 15 dogs with this condition but only 2 have survived. He stated that it was a ferment- ation process. So, how does it happen and why does it happen when the same dog is fed the same food every day? Any answers?