Got curious about torsion in horses while reading All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot. The book takes place in the 1930s, but when I did a quick search it seems it is as deadly now.
ETA: By veterinary medicine I mean all treatments, including surgery, not just drugs.
In: 448
Dogs can also have torsion, and it’s particularly common in some breeds. I have lost two standard poodles to bloat, despite immediate medical care. One dog bloated twice; the first time, the vet was able to de-torse her, but the second, the torsion had already caused her stomach to begin dying. The other dog could only have been potentially saved with a specialized surgery that our emergency vet did not know how to perform, and we wouldn’t have had time to get her to another surgeon before her stomach died.
Bloat is horrible and strikes frighteningly fast. My second dog went from fine at 9pm to gone at 11pm. I was home and around her all evening, and the instant she started biting at her sides, I knew exactly what it was and rushed her immediately to the vet. Same story with the first dog, and it didn’t matter, because tissue death can happen so quickly with a severe torsion.
Prophylactic gastropexy (tacking the stomach to the abdominal walls) does exist, but was a big-deal open surgery several years ago. I’ve read it’s beginning to be performed laparoscopically now… but it’s still major surgery, with major recovery and complication potential. It’s also expensive and specialized.
Latest Answers