I was recently told that dogs that are "high-chested" are at risk of having their stomach going into their chest and twisting after they have vomited, resulting in death. I have a chihuauha and was told it was a high-chested breed. Is this true? Should I be concerned about this? I've done some research on the subject and have come up empty handed. If this isn't true. Then is there any instance that this twisting of the stomach can possibly happen? Thank you!

I believe that bloat is what you are referring to, someone may have a better site that describe it.
Bloat in Dogs (http://www.globalspan.net/bloat.htm)

Bloat is common in larger breeds particularly boxers and Great Danes. I never hears of it in the smaller breeds such as the chihuahua.

The site in bushgs post is very informative. Deep chested dogs are at risk . This site gives the breeds at risk. My German Shepherd had bloat with twisting when he was about 5. He had emergency surgery to untwist his stomach. It is so important to get to the vet asap. If you wait to long even surgery can not help. The surgery was successful for my dog. They adhered his stomach with some type of patch to help prevent it from happening again.

I really question any site that leave Boxers off the list of dogs subject to bloat. It is much easier to find a site that has information about a subject than to verify it is worth reading. The web is a vast repositry of disinformation.

I really question any site that leave Boxers off the list of dogs subject to bloat

Labman the site that I put up, did list boxers, It is the 9th one down.

Breeds At Greatest Risk
Breeds most at risk according to the links below:

Afghan Hound
Airedale Terrier
Akita
Alaskan Malamute
Basset Hound
Bernese Mountain Dog
Borzoi
Bouvier des Flandres
Boxer
Bullmastiff
Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Collie
Dachshund
Doberman Pinscher
English Springer Spaniel
Fila Brasileiro
Golden Retriever
Gordon Setter
Great Dane
German Shepherd
German Shorthaired Pointer
Great Pyrenees
Irish Setter
Irish Wolfhound
King Shepherd
Labrador Retriever
Miniature Poodle
Newfoundland
Old English Sheepdog
Pekinese
Rottweiler
Samoyed
Shiloh Shepherd
St. Bernard
Standard Poodle
Weimaraner
Wolfhound
Sighthouds
Bloodhounds

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This site lists breeds of greatest risk . Not the only breeds. Most good Breeders and vets will give you some great information about your breed and potential problems assocatied with the breed. Having a regular vet keeping up on your pets health is important. The are many sites with breed specific info. But many dogs are of unknown mixtures.

''It is frequently reported that deep-chested dogs, such as German Shepherds, Great Danes, and Dobermans are particularly at risk. '' OK, so I didn't dig deeply enough. One of the reasons I hate to see links like that posted is that I don't have unlimited time to spend checking them out. Over the years, most of the links posted here lead to garbage.

Tperti, I did not mean to post such garbage for you to read. My intentions were for you to understand what bloat was. Maybe you need to contact a vet and they can better tell you than any site on here or if it can affect the dog that you have. In my defense I did look on akc's website no mention of bloat. I also looked on Merrick's Vet Manuel also no mention for bloat pertaining to dogs. That is why I posted this site. Good Luck

This isn't worth us all getting our knickers in a twist over for goodness sake. At least bushg recognized what it was that Tpertl was talking about. Yes, I would feel more comfortable seeing a link that was created by a vet. That list doesn't mention Pitbulls, Staffies, or Bull Terriers, all breeds that are also at risk for getting bloat.

Tpertl, you have nothing to worry about with your chihuahua. It is very rare that a chihuahua will get bloat. I really don't know about the high chest theory because if you look at any dog, they all have high chests. Bloat also doesn't cause the stomach to go into their chests. The stomach twists in upon itself. It does usually occurs in large breed dogs. Actually, boxers and associated breeds such as the ones I mentioned, are the usual ones that fall victim to this. The most common cause of bloating is due to a dog that has a tendency to eat their food too quickly and then run around/exercise immediately after eating. If your little chihuahua eats too fast, put a small rock on her food to slow her down or spread her food out on the floor or a cookie sheet. This will slow down her eating. Then, don't encourage her to run around for about 20 minutes. I am sure you have nothing to worry about, so please relax.

I am posting this study done by a vet for those who are interested in bloat, I am not a vet nor can I determine the validity of this article/study. It would be interesting if someone could find a study that was done in more recent years.Canine Bloat - Tufts Breeding & Genetics 2003 (http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx?CID=TUFTSBG2003&PID=5091&O=Generic)

It most common in larger breeds. I have never in my life heard of Chihuahas of being at risk for bloat. Even my Great Pyrenees didn't have risk for it. My Great Dane most definitely does, but your Chihuaha should be fine.

It most common in larger breeds. I have never in my life heard of Chihuahas of being at risk for bloat. Even my Great Pyrenees didn't have risk for it. My Great Dane most definately does, but your Chihuaha should be fine.


I had a GSD bloat some years ago. He eventually had surgery to staple his stomach to his ribs but even that doesn't guarantee it won't occur. He actually twisted three times in all but lived to be almost 13.

I was at the Vet's office when a woman carried in a Shih Tzu that had bloated so maybe other factors can be at play.

I know Vets don't agree - I had one tell me that bloat and torsion bloat are different. Not every dog that bloats actually twists and so I should refer to it by the "correct" name when giving my dog's history. I also had a Vet tell me it's purely genetic and if it's in the cards nothing can prevent it; I've been told to raise the food and water bowls so my dogs (I currently have 2 very large dogs) don't take in air; I had another Vet tell me that is not good because the height of the bowls forces my dogs to take in air!

I also worry every day about my GSD - I do my best so she doesn't eat or drink and then race around but I always worry it's in her line. When my previous GSD bloated and I contacted the breeder we could not find another case in the line - I guess it was just him.

A frightening aspect for pet owners because you sometimes just have no time!