The gastric torsion

Every owner of a large dog is terrified of this diagnosis: gastric torsion!

I would like to discuss the topic of gastric torsion in dogs with experts and doctors. The current reason for this is my eight-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog, Siska, who was recently diagnosed with gastric torsion.

Although I have a wealth of experience as a dog expert and was of the opinion that something like this could not happen to me, Siska suffered a torsion of the stomach on November 4, 2013 at 1:30 a.m.

I wondered how something like this could happen when we hadn't done anything different than usual. Unfortunately, a lot of false information is still being communicated, which is why it is important for me to contribute to raising awareness.

In such a critical situation as a gastric torsion, uncertainty and fear are quite normal. However, if you pay attention and sensitive attention to your animal, you can quickly recognize the situation and then fast There is a good prognosis that the dog will survive gastric torsion. Because: The first few hours are crucial!

Clinical symptoms

The typical main symptom is the swelling of the abdomen, which begins about one to two hours after the last feeding. The animals are restless and sit a lot. Sometimes they try tovomit or defecate. But every dog reacts differently. Remember: there are dogs that can take more than others! My dog Siska only tried to vomit, otherwise she lay down normally and was not nervous.

As the condition progresses, the abdominal circumference quickly becomes larger and drum-like. indifference which in a shock symptoms ((Was that the case with Siska? Continue describing the process with your dog, that's good))

Since I noticed the gastric torsion very quickly, I reacted immediately.

Called the clinic - organized someone to drive me, in the meantime I could watch my dog and calm him down - arrived at the clinic - immediately got an X-ray and went to the operating room. Only the quick recognition and action saved Siska's life. Of course, the excellent team from Frankenthal also helped.

shock symptoms

Symptoms:

- increased heart rate, increased respiratory rate

- fast, weak pulse

- pale to whitish mucous membranes

- cool or cold body ends (legs, tail, paws, ears)

- Apathy

- additionally in case of allergic shock: severe restlessness, itching, hives

Shock symptoms are often only mild and not all of them are always present.

causes for a shock can be:

- Blood loss (external or internal)

- cardiac insufficiency (cardiogenic shock)

- burns

- severe pain

- allergic reaction

- psychological stress

Measures:

- shock position (flat, butt slightly raised)

- in case of unconsciousness: recovery position

- eliminate possible causes of shock

- heat retention

- veterinarian

As already said, every minute counts! However, it doesn't help anyone if you panic! So it's important to stay calm and work through the following points in an organized manner. This emergency list should be in every household and within reach at all times!

• Which clinic has 24-hour service?
• How far is the journey there? ((Why?))Because every minute counts and every wrong turn can be fatal
• telephone number of an emergency center
• Name someone who might drive you. ((What does name mean here? Discuss with someone that he or she is available at 3 a.m. if something happens with my dog?))In an acute situation, the person concerned should never drive alone

What is gastric torsion?

The stomach joins the esophagus and flows into the duodenumIn anatomical terms, it looks like a larger object that is strung on a string and can swing freely.

In the medical sense, gastric torsion is a twisting that leads to a closure of the stomach outlet. The gases released by the chemical decomposition processes taking place in the stomach fermentation gases can neither escape through the anus (butt) nor through the mouth and lead to flatulence. With increasing flatulence, the stomach compresses both blood vessels (especially the portal vein) as well as nerve strands and that diaphragmThis increasing lack of blood supply leads to a rapid lack of oxygen in all organs and results within hours (2-4) in a circulatory shock and then to Death.

Very important: The rotation takes place mainly in the evening hours.

In which dogs are gastric torsion more common?

Large dog breeds with deep chests are often affected, such as Great Dane, setter, German Shepherd, Bernese Mountain Dog, St. Bernard, Doberman, Boxer. However, it is by no means impossible that medium-sized or small dogs can also be affected. The risk of the disease increases with age and stretched gastric ligaments.

All other suspected risk factors cannot be clearly proven. One common assumption is that gastric torsion is preceded by a dog eating a lot and then immediately romping around uncontrollably. The animal's movement causes the heavily filled stomach to move more slowly, sometimes even rolling over to the side (similar to a swing), and thus the stomach to rotate around its axis. However, studies have shown that gastric torsion affects calm dogs more than temperamental dogs.

There can also be genetic reasons for gastric torsion. If there are cases in the family of the parents, whether grandpa or grandma, it can be inherited.

Partially digested food can lead to increased gas and thus to a displacement of the stomach, which can lead to twisting even with little movement. Too much water in the stomach (e.g. drinking too much)((how does "too much" water get into the stomach?)) is also a source of risk.

Dry food is occasionally suspected of increasing the risk of gastric torsion. However, this is not the decisive factor. As I said, several factors come into play, such as the age of the dog, the amount of food, the amount of water the dog drinks, and whether the dog has a history of gastric torsion. ((which one then?))

It is recommended to divide the daily food ration into several small portions. This does not eliminate the risk of illness, but it cannot harm the dog in any way.

A fatal misinformation recommends the long soaking of the food. Bacteria can form here, which then lead to gas formation in the stomach!

ATTENTION!

Diagnostic

A reliable diagnosis is usually provided with a right-hand X-ray As a result of the gas formation and the displacement of the expansion of the stomach outlet – which in the majority of cases occurs to the right, above and forwards – a fold appears that runs from the front-bottom to the back-top. This phenomenon is also known as “compartment formation” and gives the stomach a “pointed cap-like” appearance. In English-speaking countries, this is known as a “double bubble”. If there is compartment formation, a gastric torsion can already be clearly distinguished from a simple stomach overload. In the case of the – albeit very rare – rotation against However, it cannot be observed in a clockwise direction. Compartment formation is generally not detectable in a left-facing X-ray. When lying on the back, the antrum pyloricum (the stomach outlet), which is normally located on the right, is located to the left of the midline. Other criteria are a displacement of the intestine and the spleen backwards and the tapering of the posterior vena cava at the diaphragm passage as a result of shock. In severe and long-standing cases of gastric torsion that have already led to the death of the stomach wall, gas can form in the stomach wall. In this case, the prospects for recovery are already poor.

treatment

The only treatment option is to surgically reposition the stomach into its normal position. First, the stomach is degassed, the stomach contents are removed and then the twisting of the organ is reversed. Finally, the stomach is fixed in the abdominal cavity to prevent further torsion (twisting). For this fixation, the stomach is connected to the abdominal wall in the area of the ribs, the lateral abdominal muscles or the linea alba sewn.

forecast

The results of the therapy depend greatly on the time at which treatment begins. If the operation begins up to six hours after the rotation, the prospects for healing and survival of the dog are good. After that, the survival rate drops significantly. lethality (mortality rate) for gastric torsion is 15% to 33%

Thanks to

I would like to thank Dr. Wendel and the small animal clinic in Frankenthal for their support with this text and especially for the excellent care of my dog Siska.