Gastric Dilation/Dilation-Volvulus (GDV)

BLOAT!
Bloat is one of the TRUE emergencies in veterinary medicine. Bloat can NOT wait. I have seen Hit by car animals weeks later for assessment of broken bones, dislocated joints, and were treated with success. A bloat that waits WILL NOT SURVIVE!
Bloat is not specifically a Standard Poodle Problem but is a common concern in all large, deep chested breeds. It is much less likely seen in the minature and toy poodles, although in rare situations it has been seen. It seems that the large dog's anatomy predisposes it rather than a specific genetic line of animals. Other factors that have been implicated include exercise after eating, gulping food with the inadvertant swallowing of air, and even a dry food diet. No one, however, seems able to predict which dogs will bloat or when it will occur, and more often than not, no specific change in diet or habit or exercise can be pointed to that would help explain the timing of this horrific event.
Whatever the cause, a dog who bloats will usually be depressed, weak, and in a great deal of abdominal pain. Nonproductive vomiting will often be noticed by the owner as will a "full" appearance to the abdomen. This gas filled, tympanic stomach can often be felt with a resulting groan of pain by the victim. As the stomach stretches with gas and fails to empty, there is a tendency for this irregularly shaped balloon to twist. This cuts off the passages in (esophagus) and out (duodenum) from the stomach, resulting in food, saliva, digestive enzymes, gas, all being trapped in the stomach. The twisting can also cut off blood supply through the crimping of blood vessels running to the stomach and/or spleen and/or pancreas. The giant bloated stomach will physically put pressure on other organs in the abdomen including the diaphragm, which can make breathing less effective. The decreased oxygenation through decreased breathing efficiency will result in further damage to organs already experiencing limited blood flow. Pressure on the major arteries and veins of the abdomen itself will worsen things further. As tissues begin to degrade and die, toxins and oxygen radicals will be allowed to enter the blood supply (enterotoxicity)or leak out into the abdomen itself (peritonitis). This process occurs very suddenly, taking a normal dog who was running through the fields and reducing it to a weak and pitiful state within hours. Shock and death are common.
Treatment constitutes an emergency and time is of the utmost importance. Even with quick response and a qualified veterinary team, the outcome is often bad. Even dogs who seem on the outset to be fairly stable, may have severe damage to internal organs from twisting of blood supply (ischemia). This is not always predictable based on how they are acting as they enter the hospital, and there is little time to quibble over treatment options. Stabilization and surgery are necessary in most all cases. The costs are high, and the prognosis is not good. One would assume that prevention is of primary importance to avoid having to face this devistating problem, but sadly, there are no guarantees on how to prevent it. The most universally accepted attempt at prevention is following Grandma's advice of waiting 30 minutes after eating before exercise. Even this doesn't seem to always be successful.
The take home message is not to sit and worry about things that can not be controlled. Be familiar with your animal so that if he/she looks bloated and is acting sick, this comes to mind and you DON'T wait to have it addressed. Your only hope if it turns out to be bloat is quick action. While there is no specific hereditary known, I think like with any major medical problem, it is always wise to ask questions of the breeder about their experiences with bloat. I can not say that a dog who has had bloat and survived or who has bloat in their background is more likely to pass along some "bloat" gene than any other Standard Poodle... but you can bet that the safest thing is to avoid families with this problem if possible, unless the benefits of owning a dog from such a history greatly outweighs your concern over this problem.