This is Jaeger and she’s here to raise awareness of gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV), otherwise known as ‘bloat’ or ‘twisted stomach’. Being able to spot the warning signs of GDV can literally be the difference between life and death so please read on.
Jaeger is a beautiful Doberman who suddenly started acting strangely for her mum; restless, stretching, play bowing and belching. Luckily for Jaeger, her mum was quick to act. She was aware that large breed and deep-chested dogs in particular are prone to getting bloat, which is when the dog’s stomach can fill with air and this can then lead to a GDV (gastric dilatation volvulus) where the stomach twists. This can be a fatal condition and requires urgent treatment from your veterinary surgeon.
Jaeger’s mum called the practice out of hours and spoke with Gill, the vet on call that night. Jaeger was brought straight to the surgery for Gill to assess her with Rowan, the Registered Veterinary Nurse on call with her. On assessment, Gill was concerned Jaeger’s abdomen was tense and suggested an X-ray to assess further. This confirmed that her stomach was full of air and she was admitted to see if a stomach tube could be passed to deflate it.
Unfortunately, as the X-ray shows, Jaeger’s stomach had twisted already and she required emergency surgery to deflate and untwist it, and perform a gastropexy, where the stomach is stitched to the wall of the abdomen to reduce the chances of this happening again.
This condition is very serious and Jaeger’s owners had a tense few hours while Gill, her fellow vet Josh and Rowan anaesthetised and performed surgery.
We are very pleased to say that thanks to the quick actions of Jaeger’s mum she made it through surgery and bounced back incredibly quickly. Jaeger was monitored closely overnight by Gill and Rowan who were thrilled at 2am when she got herself up to have a little wander outside. We are pleased to say a few weeks on Jaeger is fully recovered and back to her normal playful, loving antics at home!
