Reply #27: The first time I didn't know what it was [View All]

He distended but didn't twist, so they could just deflate him. But they warned me it would happen again. It was more than a year later, and he was already 14. I took him to a different emergency clinic, and this time I was on top of it much faster because I knew right away what it was. But I wasn't sure if he could handle the gastropexy at his age. The surgeon told me she had done lots of older dogs. Most often it happens in the evening- and the problem is if people wait overnight its too late. But she did a great job - plus she got to completely inspect all his internal organs during the surgery and find no signs of tumors or anything else wrong, at least visually. He didn't have a normal heartbeat for 24 hours. But he got through it, so the rest is just grace.

The deep chested dogs are most prone to bloat- but the vets told me it occasionally happens even in a small dog like a beagle or even in cats. So its partly anatomy. Age makes it a lot more likely too. And for some reason, German Shepherds are very prone to it.