Bloat, or gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV), is a serious, life-threatening condition seen in dogs. GDV mainly affects large deep-chested dogs, but it can affect any size of dog. It happens when distention of the stomach with food and/or air together with the momentum of this now heavy organ by movement (walking or running) causes the stomach to “flip” upon itself, closing both the in-flow and out-flow passages. The stomach then becomes more and more distended, causing pressure on the large blood vessels of the abdomen, cardiac irregularities, difficulty breathing, tissue death and toxin release.

Many people unknowingly buy sick puppies from America’s pet stores. It’s extremely unfortunate and happens to too many people. We want you to know that there are things you can do if you find yourself in this situation. The first and most important thing is to report your experience to the proper entities to help prevent it from happening to other customers — and to other puppies. Here are some suggestions:

It can be extremely distressing to share your home with an aggressive dog whose actions are unpredictable or even dangerous. In fact, we have many dogs with such issues here at the Sanctuary.

A visual barrier is a solid wall that prevents dogs from seeing what’s on the other side (see photo at right). Most often, visual barriers are used so that dogs can’t see other dogs, but occasionally they serve to block the dog’s view of human neighbors.