DON'T GET YOUR TUMMY IN A TWIST
Dr Jules Wilson MRCVS of the Maunu Rd branch of the Northland Veterinary Group HAS THIS SAY...
It's been a quiet weekend and I am just settling down in front of the TV when the phone rings. The worried voice on the other end explains the events of the past 3 hours: "I fed Pluto at 6 O'Clock and he seemed fine then, but he has been trying to vomit for the past hour or so and now his tummy has swelled up like a big balloon, he doesn't look at all well....."
"OK Mrs Bertonside I think you should bring Pluto down to the clinic right now, it sounds as though he may have a gastric torsion...."
And so begins a six or eight hour period of stress and trauma for all the parties concerned.
Those two words GASTRIC TORSION strike dread into the heart of any vet covering out of hours duty. Not only does it guarantee many hours of sweat and worry, these patients often die despite all that we can do for them.
The classic story with these dogs are of a "deep-chested" breed ( most commonly German Shepherds, but setters, greyhounds and wolfhounds are also considered "high risk") who has been fed in the last few hours. Often the scenario is of a large volume meal, frequently including "spoiled" meat or bones, followed by bouncy exercise.
No one really knows what happens in the abdomens of these dogs: Do they slurp lots of air in as they eat? Does the food in their stomach ferment after being eaten? Are they sniffing nitrous oxide or other "recreational" gaseous substances?
The end result is always the same: the stomach fills rapidly with gas, the poor dog feels as though he is swelling fit to burst and tries, unsuccessfully, to evacuate his stomach. The swelling continues, there is no where for the gas to go to, the dog rolls over and dies.
It is quite a spectacular series of events. The gas of unknown origin inflates the dog's stomach like some grotesque beach ball in the middle of its abdomen. This has two major effects: firstly it stops most of the blood from the back end of the body from getting back to the heart and, secondly, it stops the heart from pumping new blood to the back end of the body or anywhere else in the end. So we are in a situation of a heart pump struggling to work and unable to move its fluid load forwards or backwards, it's a "bloody bottleneck" as the traffic police would say. Other effects include feeling really sick as the stomach is so bloated, breathing difficulties as the lungs are unable to expand and dizziness from poor blood supply to the brain.
All the above is called "gastric dilation". The final "twist of the plot" happens when the dog starts to bounce about after eating his big dinner. The swelling gasbag of a stomach twists around, securely sealing any exit either up or down the gut. this last bit is called "torsion". Thus the whole
situation is referred to as "gastric dilation and torsion".
Sadly many of these dogs are dead even before they arrive at the clinic. Those who are alive when they reach the clinic are in for a very difficult time.
The treatment of these bloated dogs is difficult, dangerous and drawn out. Many hours are spent trying to stabilise the condition, untwist the disctended stomach ( in danger at any moment of bursting) and trying to rescue the traumatised heart, while also trying to secure the unstable
gasbag so that rotation does not happen again.
As with many of the problems we encounter, the best way of dealing with them is to
PREVENT THEM FROM HAPPENING.
PREVENTION
1. Be aware that deep-chested breeds like German Shepherds are considered "high risk" for gastric torsion.
2. Try to feed these dogs two small meals daily rather than one large one.
3. Avoid feeding them food that is "off"
4. Do NOT exercise these dogs two hours either side of a meal.
ACTION
1. Act quickly if you think your dog's tummy is starting to swell, death can occur very quickly indeed.
2. Phone the emergency vet and transport the patient to the vet clinic as soon as you can
No vet wants to see a bloated dog brought into the clinic and no pet owner wants to see the agony their beloved dog goes through with this dreadful condition.
As the BBQ and Christmas season approach so does the increased danger period for these dogs.
Be mindful what you feed your pets and act quickly if you suspect the worst.
Jules
Issue Nov 2007
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