Luchy, a young German Shephard Dog, came to the clinic recently for his desexing surgery. At his pre-operative consultation, his owners and veterinarian also discussed a condition called gastric dilatation and volvulus (also known as GDV, or bloat). GDV is a life-threatening emergency where the stomach gets bloated with gas and twists on itself, cutting off the blood supply and sending the dog into shock. When this happens, affected dogs have to be rushed to the nearest emergency hospital for surgery to untwist the stomach, something many affected dogs unfortunately don’t survive. Veterinarians have studied GDV, but still don’t know what causes it. It affects many deep-chested breeds, including Great Danes, Standard Poodles, and German Shephard Dogs. In dog breeds at risk of this condition, there is only one effective method of prevention – a surgery called prophylactic gastropexy. This surgery involves tacking the stomach to the body wall, so that even if it starts to fill with gas, it can’t flip on itself. The surgery reduces the chances of GDV from up to 80% down to less than 5%, and it can be done at the same time as a spey or neuter. Luchy’s owners wanted to ensure he wouldn’t have to experience an emergency like GDV, so they decided to have the procedure done. Here we can see Luchy 10 days after his operation, having made a full recovery! After some initial rest, pain relief, and frequent feeding of small meals, Luchy can now go to back to his normal routine, and his owners have the peace of mind that they prevented a terrible emergency.
