Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (GDV)
Thursday March 26, 2009
For those of you who have dealt with Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (GDV), I do not have to tell you how scary it is. This serious health condition, also referred to as bloat, results from a dog's stomach filling with gas and/or food and expanding, then twisting. It is painful and extremely life-threatening.
Most owners of large and giant breed dogs like the Great Dane have heard of GDV. While this condition is most common in bigger dogs, it can technically happen to any dog. Be sure you know the warning signs of Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus and how to proceed if your dog is affected. Every minute counts!
Have you had a dog with bloat? Please share your story with readers like you.
Image courtesy of Georgia Veterinary Specialists
Comments
Our 11yo GSD developed GVD. I knew as soon as I saw him what it was. Successful surgery revealed parts of a racquet ball in his stomach. Heart damage occured from the obstruction and he was put n meds for his arrythmia. Deep chested breeds are particularly vulnerable to bloat.
We lost our beloved Woody (Old English Sheepdog)to this horrible ailment. It was very sudden, painful for the poor sweetie, and tragic. We were all so sad and shocked. I have heard that keeping them from heavy activity for an hour or two after eating and drinking helps, but other than that I don’t know how to prevent it. Any ideas out there? I now have another large dog and don’t want to loose him either.
We lost our male Irish Setter last summer to bloat. He was in intensive care being treated for ideopathic hemolytic anemia. During his stay he bloated & torsed. It was caught immediately since he was under 24 hour observation. Since he had the hemolytic anemia, there was no viable treatment for the bloat & torse. It was awful. I wouldn’t wish it on any one. What made it even harder was that he was starting to respond to the treatment he was undergoing for the hemolytic anemia.
The scary thing was that 5 months later our female Irish Setter bloated. We got her in immediately for treatment. We were lucky–she did not torse. After she recovered from the bloat, we had our vet do a gastropexy. That will not prevent bloat, but at least her stomach will not torse.
We unfortunately lost our 9 yr female akita to bloat. We didn’t know Nikita was ill. We only found out after returning home from being told of a death in our family. I rushed Nikita to the nearest Emergency Vet Clinc but they could not even save her with the techniques they tried. It was decided she had to be euthanized. My husband and I suffered a great deal that day, we lost our baby girl but we still have her mate.
Now I am so petrified that Harvey will suffer the same fate as Nikita did. We do everything possible to prevent any problems for him. He
gets medication given to him before meals to coat his stomach. We feed him more often but much smaller meals. His dishes are elevated. What more can we do?
We plan in the future for the next pair of pups, to have the operation to tack their stomaches so that the dogs will at least not have that one problem. It is not a condition or sitiuation I wish on any animal or owner. It was a horrific ordeal for My baby. I just wish we had be home sooner and knew so we could have gotten her the medical attention at the time.
Elevated bowls are now thought to cause bloat. Feeding a truly premium diet, not just one that costs a premium, with premium ingredients can help. Stress is believed to be a factor in some bloat cases. St Poodles are very hi on the list for bloating. Free feeding can limit the incidence of bloat and also reduce resource guarding. Drinking excessive amounts of water after exercise or when under stress may also cause bloat (or some think it may be a symptom) Being involved in rescue I have been party to two dogs who died w/bloat…both came out of a stress situation, dog pound, lack of exercise while there, crummy food while there, and then stressed in the new situation, drank lots of water and torsed…one had surgery, one did not. Neither survived. Limit stress, supervise dogs after kenneling closely, don’t over feed or over water when a dog is stressed. I am sorry to read about the dogs lost with bloat, it is truly heartbreaking.
My uncle’s beautiful greyhound died of bloat a few years ago. It seemed to come on very suddenly and the dog received care quickly – but it was too late.
I wasn’t aware of how to prevent this condition – and since I have a large boxer/bulldog who likes to gulp his food and then sprint around the back yard – I think we are going to have to make some changes in his habits!
Our 11 year old Akita came down with bloat, fortunately we knew the signs and rushed her to the emergency vet. The surgery was successful and she went on to live another six years. While it was heartbreaking waiting to see if she would survive, at the same time I was grateful that we had the resources to pay nearly $2,000 for surgery, what do people do that don’t have the money? In Ontario the Farley Foundation has been set up to help with vet expenses, I think every province and state should have something like it.
our 11 1/2 yr old golden retriever is luckily recovering from gastroplexy and stomach surgery 2 weeks ago.Then complications come a week later with an infection causing us to almost loose her.We thank our vet who worked quickly to save her.Now she is slowly back to recovering.
She had previously been treated for gstric dilation a few years ago,and we watched her carefully.This time it happened all so fast within a matter of 1 hour she went from looking very uncomfortable to having a hard time breathing and blowing up like a balloon. we rushed her to the vet who advised she needed GDV surgery or euthanise her. We went for surgery. He found a mass in her stomach on top of the GDV and couldnt remove it with a tube so had to cut open her stomach also.Thank goodnes it wasnt a tumor but a hair ball the size of a small cigar.She is alway licking her front paws so now he recommended keeping her hair very short. We need to make her eat slowly and small amounts of food besides of the medication. This is our first situation dealing with GDV and I agree it is a very very scary situation for the dog and for us.
I had actually never heard of bloat before, but have now learned. We were dogsitting our friend’s Weimereiner and he just wasn’t himself and he was gagging and pacing and then we noticed him stomach. We called our vet and contacted the animal ER. They said to bring him in and we got there as quick as we could. The dr. told us they would have to do surgery because his stomach had bloated and twisted. We were so lucky we got him there as quick as we did. Our friend was luckily contactable because the surgery was going to cost somewhere between $3500 and $4000 dollars and I was glad I didn’t have to make that call. But I’ve definitley learned a lot from this – particularly what bloat is and what to look for. Also, when dogsitting, always have a emergency plan in case something like this happens.
My mini SharPei bloated and I do work for a Vet, but had never seen this. I read about it for years and thank goodness I am obsessed with reading about dogs and health as when I saw the signs and having the Doc’s Cell number, he tubed her, sent her home for me to watch for a short time and within 45 minutes, she went into surgery and he saved her. She was only 6 months old and now is in perfect health and the Doc seems to think it is a one time thing. The strange thing is, she acted like an invalid doing what she should, resting after eating and stretching after eating and the day of stitch removal, she perked up and was herself again. But, she still does naturally what she should to prevent it…very smart little Pei girl with a very quick smart Vet who has made his helper a very dedicated employee. He did not charge a dime tho I nagged him that he well earned whatever it cost.My Pei and I are both very lucky.
My 8 and a half year old German Shepherd just died from GDV. Like everyone else has said, he was a happy healthy dog one minute and then became slightly restless and tried to vomit a couple times. Then he vomited white foamy vomit and nothing else (Hallmark sign)- I didn’t know at the time thou, unfortunately. No whining, whimpering, pacing, just panting – but it was hot and humid that night, so it would be normal for him to pant. It wasn’t until he refused to get up that I knew something was wrong. Unfortunately, too late. He was euthanized on the OR table due to a dead stomach.
Ive been racking my brain for what caused it. He was a slow eater and grazed his food- eating little bits throughout the day (bowl on floor), he was not a boisterous dog – slow and steady, he didn’t gulp his water. I don’t know how I could have prevented this. Prior to bloating he was resting comfortably (no stress) on the deck for a couple hours and then everything suddenly changed. I don’t get it.
Dave,
I feel for you. My female (5 years old)GSD died yesterday. She was fine until about 2am she started pacing…laying down then getting up…restless. I figured she was hot because the heat kicked on. Then she vomited about 7am, but she wasn’t lethargic was walking around fine. Didn’t want to eat but I thought was because she had a stomach ailment. I let her out at 7:35am and went to work. My husband came home from work around 4:30pm and she had passed away. I feel like it is my fault for not taking her to the vet. I can’t quit crying.