Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica logoLink to Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica
. 1995 Jun 1;36(2):175–184. doi: 10.1186/BF03547687

A Retrospective Study of Conservative Treatment of Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus in the Dog

A V Eggertsdóttir 1,✉, L Moe 1
PMCID: PMC8095445  PMID: 7484545

Abstract

A retrospective study of 103 dogs with gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) treated conservatively during the period 1985–1989 was performed. The date and number of recurrences, and the date and cause of death along with breed, age and sex were collected from clinic records and from a questionnaire sent to the owners (77% response). The treatment consisted of emptying the stomach with a stomach tube, gastrocentesis if necessary and treating shock.

All of the affected dogs were from moderate to large sized breeds and the study showed that particular breeds appear to be predisposed to GDV. The average age was 7.2 years and there was no gender predisposition. Sixty-six per cent of the dogs survived the initial treatment and 50% of the dogs were still alive 1 month after treatment. Thirty-nine dogs (71%) received recurrence between 5–760 days after initial treatment. Fifty-six per cent had recurrence within 3 months and all except 2 dogs, within 1 year. Data for the time of death, regardless of cause, was available for 68 dogs. Of these 59 (81% ) died within a year after initial treatment. Conservative treatment was found to be an adequate life-saving procedure in the acute stage of GDV, but could not alone prevent recurrence of the disease.

Keywords: torsion, syndrome, non-surgical treatment

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1.2 MB).

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank our colleagues W. Bredal, A. Indrebø and S. Thoresen for constructive criticism and support.

References

  1. Baumberger A, Lakatos L. Der Magenblähungs-Ma-gendrehungs-Komplex beim Hund: Behandlungsergebnisse und Rezidivhäufigkeit (Gastric dilatation-volvulus in the dog: results of treatment and recurrence rate) Schweiz. Arch. Tier-heilk. 1981;123:429–433. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Betts CW, Wingfield WE, Green RW. A retrospective study of gastric dilation-torsion in the dog. J. small Anim. Pract. 1974;15:727–734. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-5827.1974.tb05658.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Burrows CF, Ignaszewski LA. Canine gastric dilatation-volvulus. J. small Anim. Pract. 1990;31:495–501. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-5827.1990.tb00671.x. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  4. Dann JR. Medical and surgical treatment of canine acute gastric dilation. J. Amer. Anim. Hosp. Ass. 1976;12:17–22. [Google Scholar]
  5. Eggertsdóttir AV. Mageutvidelse/magedreining (Gastric dilatation-volvulus) In: Indrebp A, editor. Hund- Avl og Helse. Smâdyrpraktiserende Veterinærers Forening. 1991. pp. 143–148. [Google Scholar]
  6. Ellison GW. Gastric dilation volvulus: surgical prevention. Vet. Clin. N. Amer, small Anim. Pract. 1993;23:513–530. doi: 10.1016/S0195-5616(93)50302-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Fjeld TO, Eggertsdóttir AV. Ventrikkeldilatasjons/-torsjonssyndromet hos hund: en retrospektiv Studie av operativt behandlede kasus (Gastric dilatation-volvulus in the dog: a retrospective study of surgically treated cases) Norsk Vet.-T. 1988;100:281–287. [Google Scholar]
  8. Frendin J, Funquist B. Fundic gastropexy for prevention of recurrence of gastric volvulus. J. small Anim. Pract. 1990;31:78–82. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-5827.1990.tb00726.x. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  9. Funquist B. Gastric torsion in the dog. Nonsurgical reposition. J. small Anim. Pract. 1969;10:507–511. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-5827.1969.tb04068.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Funquist B, Garner L. Pathogenic and therapeutic aspects of torsion in the canine stomach. J. small Anim. Pract. 1967;8:23–32. [Google Scholar]
  11. Funquist B, Obel N. Gastric torsion in the dog. Nonsurgical treatment by spiration of gastric contents during repeated rotation of the animal. J. small Anim. Pract. 1979;20:93–101. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-5827.1979.tb05944.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Leib MS, Blass CE. Gastric dilation-volvulus in dogs: an update. Comp. Cont. Educ. 1984;6:961–969. [Google Scholar]
  13. Leib MS, Konde LJ, Wingfield WE, Twedt DC. Circumcostal gastropexy for preventing recurrence of gastric dilation-volvulus in the dog: an evaluation of 30 cases. J. Amer. Vet. Med. Ass. 1985;187:245–248. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Lippencott CL, Schulman AJ. Gastric dilatation-vol vulus-torsion syndrome. In: Ettinger SJ, editor. Textbook of Internal Medicine. 3rd. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Co.; 1989. pp. 1278–1288. [Google Scholar]
  15. Matthiesen DT. The gastric dilatation-volvulus complex: medical and surgical considerations. J. Amer. Anim. Hosp. Ass. 1983;19:925–932. [Google Scholar]
  16. Meyer-Lindenberg A, Rahlfs I, Harder A, Fehr M. Langzeituntersuchung zur konservativen und operativen Behandlung mit Rezidivprophylaxe bei der MagendilatationZ-torsion des Hundes (A longitudinal study of conservative and surgical treatment and recurrence rate in dogs with gastric dilatation-volvulus) Kleintierpraxis. 1993;38:71–82. [Google Scholar]
  17. Muir WW. Gastric dilatation-volvulus in the dog with emphasis on cardiac arrythmias. J. Amer. Vet. Med. Ass. 1982;180:739–742. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Whitney WO, Scavelli TD, Matthiesen DT, Burk RL. Belt-loop gastropexy: technique and surgical results in 20 dogs. J. Amer. Anim. Hosp. Ass. 1989;25:75–83. [Google Scholar]
  19. Woolfson J, Kostolich M. Circumcostal gastropexy: Clinical use of the technique in 34 dogs with gastric dilation-volvulus. J. Amer. Anim. Hosp. Ass. 1986;22:825–830. [Google Scholar]

Articles from Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica are provided here courtesy of BMC

RESOURCES