Animals – Gastric torsion needs fast action

If your dog suddenly develops a large gassy abdomen and difficult breathing, get them to the vet immediately as this is an emergency where minutes matter. And make sure the vet knows you are on your way.

When dogs play or roll shortly after a meal and drinking water, the stomach may become like a pendulum, spinning around itself on its long axis and closing off its entrance and exit. The food inside ferments, gas is released and the stomach expands. The stomach wall is stretched, flattening blood vessels and blocking off nutrient supply to the cells causing death of the stomach wall. Toxins are released into the circulation and the animal goes into shock, with blood pressure falling within hours.

Wide-chested dogs like rottweilers, mastiffs and German shepherds are more prone to this condition, especially if they gorge themselves on rubbish, afterbirth or dead animals. After gorging, they vomit and this twists the stomach, but it can happen in any dog.

Treatment at the vet involves intravenous fluids to stabilise the blood pressure, giving an anaesthetic and opening up the abdomen, relieving the pressure from the stomach and untwisting it. If the stomach looks good, we attach a small section of it to the abdominal wall to prevent a recurrence. If only a small section of the stomach is unviable, it can be cut out, reducing the stomach size, but if a large area is unviable or other organs like the spleen or small intestine are also involved in the twist, it may be kinder to euthanise the animal, as it is unlikely to survive.

As an emergency procedure, if the animal is struggling to breathe with this condition, you can insert a needle for injections into the gassy area in the abdomen to relieve some pressure. However, this may cause further damage, so check with the vet first when you call them.

Some of the things that can go wrong include puncturing the spleen resulting in bleeding into the abdomen. If the intestine is punctured and its contents leak out it will result in infection and delay healing. The same may happen when the pressure of the stomach is released and it collapses away from the body wall, so it is best to have surgical treatment at the vet clinic as soon as possible.

The most recent animal admitted to Wellsford Vets with a gastric torsion was a huntaway who had been fed normally and then kennelled as per usual. Unfortunately, by the time she got here first thing the next morning, most of the stomach wall was dead, parts of the intestine and spleen were looking bad, and it was unlikely that she would recover. We sadly humanely euthanised her.

So, please just check the dogs an hour or two after feeding and kennelling to make sure they are okay. It may just save their lives.