Bloat preventative surgery

[babybluetx23]

My husband said he saw something in the forums about a surgery that vets can perform to prevent bloat? Does anyone know anything about this at all? I have done a search on Bloat in the Forums but I can not find ANYTHING about it. We are going to have Harley spayed here in a few weeks and I was wanting to have the bloat prevention done then as long as they had him under (if it exists)
Thanks!

[jakesfostermom]

Babybluetx23 - I don't know about rotties - but our lab pup, that is part of the government's canine explosives detection program, will have this surgery if she makes the final cut, before she goes out into the field. Lackland AFB routinely does this surgery on all their military working dogs, after loosing far too many to bloat. As I understand, they stitch the stomach to the body internally to prevent it from flipping. I was most impressed with the small amount of information we received. If you want me to see if I can get additional info, let me know - I'd be happy to ask.....(I hope this is what you were asking about)

[babybluetx23]

I FINALLY found the answer I was looking for!!!!! YIPPIE! It is called Gastropexy......Here is a link that has Info about it!
http://www.vetsurgerycentral.com/proph_gastropexy.htm

From what I understand, it is a small incision made in the abdomen. They basically tack the stomach in place so it can not twist and be Fatal.

[babybluetx23]

Originally Posted by jakesfostermom

Babybluetx23 - I don't know about rotties - but our lab pup, that is part of the government's canine explosives detection program, will have this surgery if she makes the final cut, before she goes out into the field. Lackland AFB routinely does this surgery on all their military working dogs, after loosing far too many to bloat. As I understand, they stitch the stomach to the body internally to prevent it from flipping. I was most impressed with the small amount of information we received. If you want me to see if I can get additional info, let me know - I'd be happy to ask.....(I hope this is what you were asking about)

Sorry I didnt see your post before I posted! hehehe Yeah I would love as much information as possible. Unfortunatly we lost our lab/chow mix to Bloat right before we got Harley. We were SO devistated. We didnt know anything about Bloat. When we called the emergency vet clinic they made it sound like all it was, was an upset tummy. When we woke in the morning she had already gone to the bridge. I dont EVER want to have to go through that again, so If I can prevent it, I would like to do that.

[jakesfostermom]

Cynthia - we take her back to base next week, so I will ask the vet there for additional information. I'm so sorry about the dog you lost to bloat! I'm fortunate that it has never happened to any of my dogs - but friends have had it happen and like you, they were devastated! I was so impressed that a procedure had been developed to prevent this. I hope MARYDVM will post if she knows anything - and thanks for the link - that is a good source of info!

[chivas]

Bloat is not a big problem in rotties - actually ive never seen it IN a rottweiler that i have personally known and I have known about 25 of them.

[mmgy]

I've written about it several times.......it's commonly known as stomach tacking. My bloodhound friend tacks all her dogs when they're neutered, and has had her intact dogs tacked as well. Can't recall if I've known a tacked rottie, but I've known shepherds and berners to be done.

[lblax]

in my lifetime ive never known anyones dogs that ive known have bloat......a little common sense with feeding excersize and water drinking easily prevents it

[Judi W]

I don't know of any responsible vet who would perform that surgery on a breed that is not prone to bloat or from a family that did not have bloat prevalent even on affected breeds.

[moondog]

I lost an Irish Setter to bloat and it was by far the most horrible experience I've had with a dog's health. I've never seen a dog develop such extreme and excruciating pain and suffering in so short a time in my life and I hope I never have to see that again. She was at the vet within 20 minutes and beyond saving less than an hour from onset.

While I do agree that taking care to use common sense can help improve your odds, for this dog it had nothing to do with a failure to use common sense in feeding, exercise or water consumption. It was a genetic flaw, period.

Once you've been through it, it makes you a bit paranoid. That said, unless I had a breed with a predisposition to it, like my Irish Setter had, I would not do a stomach tack. I don't know, it just seems a little too paranoid a stance when talking about a Rottweiler. It would make more sense to repair all those ACL's before they tear and no one is doing that!

[Judy Chrusch]

Oh boy can I sympathize with moondog on this one . I too lost a dog to bloat, a GSD :( and back in the 70's I was too stupid and didn't even know what it was which was also a heartbreaker. People need to know the signs and get help ASAP and sometimes even when you do do everything right, it happens and maybe had I known the signs and symptoms maybe my boy could have been saved :( . To this day I beat myself up about past mistakes . Know the signs first and foremost and even if you can't save them all, you can at least know the signs and have it checked out.

As far as rotties, I personally have never heard of bloat in them but there's always a first time. Taking the necessary precautions is also important as far as exercise before and after meals and excessive drinking.

Because of losing one to bloat, I hate when Czar eats, goes outside and sees squirrels, rabbits, whatever and hops and runs around like a nut after them, that freaks me out, having already lost one. As far as a prevention surgery, NEVER!!

Judy

[mmgy]

One of the biggest health/nutrition nuts I know lost a 9 year old rawfed rottie to bloat in November. But, he'd had a lifetime of digestive issues that could never fully be resolved.

[Brooke&Ryan]

Interesting. I never knew that there was a surgery that prevented bloat. Interesting discussion.

Brooke....

[moondog]

Stomach tacking doesn't prevent bloat. Bloat is severe gastric distention. What tacking does is improve the chances that the twisting of the stomach which seals off an escape route for accumulating gas and other stomach contents does not happen. If the distention is severe enough, even a stomach tack is not a guarantee that torsion will not occur, it can pull those anchors out. The stomach can burst, too!

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/bloat.html

[mmgy]

Originally Posted by moondog

Stomach tacking doesn't prevent bloat.

Exactly. One of the tacked bloodhounds has suffered bloat symptoms several times in the last several years. What the tacking does is buy them enough time to get to the emergency vet, or give him pepcid or gas-x to relieve him when it's mild.