Gastric dilatation volvulus - do you know the signs?

[Chepsi]

I'm sitting here stroking my lovely dog who is recovering from surgery for GDV for the second time. The vet said he is lucky to still be here and I'm so grateful that he is.

This morning DDog was pacing and seemed a bit off, I thought he was just a bit desperate to go outside but when I let him out he tried to vomit but produced nothing, then tried to poo with no results and that's when I noticed his abdomen was quite swollen. DDog then lay down on the floor and refused to move. That's when I knew for sure what was happening. I rushed him to the vets and he had emergency surgery.

It was horrible, waiting for news, hoping that he made it through surgery. He did and now he's home. He is in a lot of pain, even with all the medication he's been given. His spleen was removed and his stomach was tacked in a different position. Hopefully this will never happen again.

I have always been careful about preventing GDV, even before the first bout of it. I follow all of the advice and yet it still happened. Twice. Thankfully spotting the signs and the prompt treatment from the wonderful vets saved his life.

While any breed can suffer from GDV it is larger breeds with deep chests that are more susceptible to it. Great danes, standard poodles, dobermans, etc. Please take a few minutes to read about the signs, symptoms and prevention tips.

GDV wiki

Vets Now

PetMD

Today was awful, seeing my DDog in such agony was heartbreaking. If this post brings awareness to even one person, helps prevent one dog from dying from this horrible condition I'll be happy.

[Chepsi]

Thank you, Bitey.

[BiteyShark]

So glad you spotted the signs and hope he has a speedy recovery back to his usual self.