Hiya,

I am the proud owner of a 9 week old IW puppy called Murphy :-), and before getting one i did ALL the research possible about everything, especially bloat,

I have read up on all the symptoms etc and I thought that if the dog did have a torsion and the stomach did flip, then it had to be stitched down (does anyone know the proper name for this just out of intrest?), does this mean that if this happens the dog will not suffer from a torsion again?

However I have another question ;-) someone told me that someone who they know had a IW, who had a torsion, the stomach flipped but they chose NOT to have the stomach stitched down! Is this actually possible? Or am I the victim of a not so quite no it all ;-0?!

Thanks to anyone who answers these questions I just want to know everything so I can protect my icle Murph!
Charlie xxx

Hi Charlie

It's a gastropexy performed on your dog when the stomach is stitched to the abdominal wall. It's a preventative measure to assist in avoiding torsion but not completely foolproof. The stomach is moving all the time and it's common for it to break free after this procedure has been done. I know for a fact it has happened in my own dog :(
I don't see any reason why you can't refuse for this to be done. It's your choice. I would always ask for it to be done in my own dogs if it happened again.
I haven't heard of anyone having a gastropexy prior to having a torsion in order to prevent it in the UK - but I believe it's an operation offered in the States for deep chested breeds.
Enjoy your puppy :)
Lara x

Hi Charlie, you can choose how you wish to have your dog treated, the vet will provide you with a range of treatment options at the time of consultation. These never come with cast iron guarantees. I lost an Irish Setter to bloat (Gastric Tortion)six months ago. I knew about gastropexy, but I was not offered it as an option in my dogs case, I already knew that it has quite a high failiure rate, so I don't think I would have chosen that treatment anyway. I chose to have the abdomen decompressed and washed out, and hoped it wouldn't happen again, but it did. It is my belief that Gastric Tortion runs in breeding lines, or rather that it is more common in some lines than in others. My other Irish Setter has never had an episode of this, but the boy that died suffered it on three separate occasions. Is the condition known among the ancestors or others of the same breeding? If so and your boy is at increased risk, I'm sure your vet would consider a request for gastropexy as a preventative measure if you can make such a case. I do however wonder if you could be worrying unneccessarily, and this is taking away some of the pleasure of owning a new puppy. Try to relax and take each day as it comes,just because Murphy is a IW, doesn't mean his fate is sealed.
Best Wishes, Dawn R.

The stomach does not always twist when a dog has bloat, which probably why the vet has not offered and operation for it, did they actually operate on your dogs at the time?
A friends great dane has had this 3 times in the last year now, each time we have been very lucky and she has been treated without surgery, using an injection to relax the stomach and allow the gasses to disperse.

Ingrid