Preventative
Gastropexy (Twisted Stomach / Bloat)

Prophylactic Gastropexy

A gastric dilatation and volvulus or GDV can be prevented by attaching the surface of the stomach to the inside of the abdominal cavity. This is called a gastropexy. There are different techniques for this but the recent recommendation from specialist surgeons and university teaching hospitals is a technique called an incisional gastropexy. We use this technique because it has less complications than older techniques such as the belt loop gastropexy. An incisional gastropexy can be performed at any age but is recommended at the time of sterilization so that your pet doesn’t have to have a second anaesthetic and surgery.

Emergency Signs Of GDV

• Initially your dog may appear restless and uncomfortable an hour or two after eating.
• The abdomen starts to enlarge as the stomach fills up with gas.
• The abdomen starts to get very big and hard and if you tap your fingers on the dog’s belly it feels like a drum.
• Your dog may be trying to vomit but nothing is coming up.
• Your dog may be trying to vomit and just bringing up saliva.
• The gums will be quite pale.
• Excessive drooling sometimes develops.
• Breathing will be fast and shallow.
• Heart rate will be greatly elevated.
• Your dog will be very distressed as this progresses with pacing and panting.

Tips For Preventing GDV

• Feed your pet smaller meals 2-3 times a day instead of one large meal.
• Don’t exercise your pet after eating.
• Feed wet food or a combination of wet and dry food to reduce the quantity of dry food ingestion.
• There are special bowls to slow down how fast your dog can eat. Slow eating helps.
• Consider prophylactic surgery. This can be done anytime but is a simple addition at the time of sterilization.

Experienced GDV Surgeons

We certainly hope this doesn’t happen to your pet but if you have an emergency, our veterinarians are experienced at diagnosing the difference between “bloat” and GDV and we are experienced at GDV surgery to maximise survival outcomes. Unfortunately a GDV is often fatal. It is best to prevent this happening in the first place.