PITTSBURGH -- A bizarre disease is affecting large dogs in the Pittsburgh area and if it's not caught in time it can be deadly.

The disease is going undetected far too often.

Melanie and Mike Hornsby said their dog Lucky couldn't breathe. He was uncontrollably sick, with his stomach expanding by the minute.

The owners rushed Lucky to the emergency vet in Monroeville where x-rays showed his stomach literally twisted in half.

It was a case of the bizarre dog disease called Bloat.

"Essentially the stomach blows up, creates a number of problems. It puts the dog in shock and two it cuts off blood supply to the stomach," said Doctor Sean Smarick.

He said he sees about one Bloat case a week.

It's more common in large, deep-chested breeds.

The problem is that most owners don't know anything about Bloat.

Smarick said there is no clear cause, but when a dog appears very restless and keeps trying to vomit owners should be suspicious.

"If left untreated it is fatal. If treated successfully with shock therapy and surgery we're looking at an 85 percent survival," said Smarick.

While there are no know preventatives there are a couple of recommendations like avoid vigorous exercise before and after eating, also feed your dog several smaller meals instead of one big meal a day.

That is what the Hornsby's are doing with Lucky.

He has been back to normal since his operation and the couple is very relieved, especially because vets said he was minutes from dying.

Click here to read more about Bloat symptoms, causes and preventions.