Patt here, I agree with Pat and others, most dogs will not bloat, (isn't the stat less than 2.5 % of Berners bloat?) BUT IF there is a tendency to bloat in an individual dog, then that stat becomes 100% and then I choose to go with the odds of the Purdue bloat study. There are so many factors regarding bloat, known and unknown. My Decker dog has bloated 5 times, 3 individual emergency episodes, and a cluster of bloats in a row, even after gastropexy. His bloats have been determined to be triggered by anesthetic (no more knocking off every lump and bump for him!). Decker's best friend FCR died of bloat after a normal day, nothing different in his life that day except death. Another friends dog (GSD) bloated after playing with the garden hose, shooting the stream down her throat (torsion and the whole deal). Another friends FCR bloated on an empty stomach. I choose to play the "Perdue" odds, hoping for the best. No bloats in 3 years now. Dog dishes are on the floor, the bloat king gets fed small meals every 4 hours (yes we feed in in the middle of the night), and we feed a food that fits the parameters of the latest Perdue Bloat Survey stats...Decker will be 9 in September! I am glad he made it past 4, the age of his first bloat. Hugs to all Patt Wiegand pet gifts for pet lovers www.canterbury-tails.com
