Quote Originally Posted by StaffyDaddy View Post
Puppies often get excited and want to play play play and it's important to keep the dog inactive for a reasonable amount of time before and after a meal.

I have had Collies for 15 yrs and have had 2 bloat experiences. Unfortunately both cases were several hours after a meal! The first bloat case was on a 7 month old male Collie. I caught it early on, and took him to the ER vet... he was saved, and was actually only hospitalized for a total of 36 hrs (and $1200) because I caught it so quickly. He was neutered a couple months later. Then, almost exactly one year later his father (who I co-owned but he lived with the other owner) bloated and died at age 7.

Both these dogs bloated more than 5-6 hours after eating. I've know of other dogs who have bloated (Collies, danes and other breeds). Based on what I have seen, I believe MOST (though, certainly not all) bloat cases are genetic. Short of tacking the stomachs before bloat happens (like many Dane people do) if it's going to happen, you cannot prevent it. You might be able to lessen the chance, but you can't prevent it 100%.

JMO...