Gastric Torsion is a life threatening condition affecting deep chested dogs, it is more common in some breeds of deep chested dogs than others. If an attack occurs the dog must reach a vets IMMEDIATLTY, if the attack is not treated the dog will die.

Possibly the biggest precaution is to be aware that the condition exists and that deep chested dogs are vulnerable and to understand that a dog will not survive if it is not treated by a vet as soon as is absolutely possible.

It is not possible say things such as "It must be at the vets within 15 mins" it is possible to say that some dogs can die within 2 mins of the first symptoms showing and others might last ¾ of an hour, however if the onset has into ¾ of an hour even the fittest young dog is unlikely to survive the trauma of emergency surgery.

The symptoms can be that the dog is sick, not unusually in fairly close bouts BUT the bouts may be drawn out. One symptom is that the dogs stare seems somewhat vacant, belching beyond what is normal sometimes occurs, sometimes a dribble or froth in a dog which does not normally do that shows.

I would say that the slightest suspicion an owner has, even if the stomach is not swelling, is enough reason to get the dog immediately to a vet and this is where the owners actions can be the decieding factor between life or death

1. Drop any polite stiff Brit upper lip and throw good manners to the wind.
2. If you can carry the dog in do so.
3. If there is a que go STARIGHT to the front and don't waste half a min making excuses and apologies, it may cost a life.
4. Just speak loud and insistent to the nurse/ receptionist and make it clear the dog has a Gastric Torsion attack, you may find the nurse taken aback and might have no experience of the urgency of such an attack, just be clear and force full if that is the case.
5. If you are lucky it might be no more than an unusual attack of enteritis, if it is torsion, you have done all can.

My own dog did not make it a long time ago, I had never heard of the thing...maybe if...
Detailed info at links 1 & 2. Please read link 3 this link leads to a thread on another life threatening condition caused by swimming and ALL dogs are at risk, not just through swimming itself.

1.
http://www.lek.si/eng/animal-health/case/gastric-torsion/

2.
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/bloat.html

3.
http://www.champdogsforum.co.uk/cgi-bin/board/topic_show.pl?tid=67586#fnp

Davedee, yet another useful reminder from you! :) How awful that you have lost your friend in such a way.  Yes, as an owner of a Giant Schnauzer, this has crossed my mind too.
http://www.globalspan.net/bloat.htm  Have a look, this is in my opinion written very well and clearly.
http://www.vet.purdue.edu/epi/bloat.htm  for a scientific study.

As a feeder of raw diet, I am not surprised to learn that cereal-based diets are a risk factor. What also amuses me is that using an elevated bowl actually increases the risk of bloat, and yet so many people swear by these as the miracle prevention of bloat.
Dr. Glickman's (I think) team at Purdue University is the one you want to Google for, should you be interested.

Please note that, based on my rather extensive research into this topic prior to getting a Giant (so I would recognize the symptoms) has shown that an actual physical swelling of the abdomen is rarely present (contrary to what you would expect in "bloat"), and two of the tell tale signs most commonly present are the dog's reluctancy to lie down, especially on its side (the dog may attempt to lie dow, but demonstrate that this is uncomfortable) and the attempt to vomit , without producing anything. The dog may also stretch its chin upwards, as if trying to stretch its throat. In the more advanced stage of bloat, a normal gurgling (digesting) sound from the abdomen can't be heard, as the stomach has flipped over, and as it fills with gas, swelling may or may not be visible to the naked eye.  But the trouble is, as with pyo, that there are no fixed symptoms and symptoms can vary from case to case, so it can really be just down to the owner's gut feeling. (no pun intended)
You can also find on the net some info regarding first aid for bloat (if a vet can't be reached within minutes), which involves inserting a tube down the dog's throat (although how this works when the stomach has rotated, I don't know) or in a real emergency, owner's hand. You might want to get some professional guidance into this, before you go experimenting, though.

If you think your dog may have bloat, and your vet tells you otherwise, kick up a huge fuss and demand they do something NOW! My friend's Alsatian would be dead now, had his owner believed the first vet. She argued that this is not normal "upset tummy" for her dog and demanded to see a more senior vet, who diagnosed bloat and operated immediately- by which time the dog was drifting in an out of consciousness and had to be resuscitated on the operating table as the heart gave in. (and I think the owner needed sedation too! :)  ) The dogwas one of the lucky ones and made it, but only just. You know what is normal for your dog, so if you think your best friend is in danger, then he probably is.

As Davedee said, if you think something is not right, you must have the dog at the vet's within minutes- "wait and see", as they often tell you on the phone, will result in a dead dog.

*Soph is getting down from her soap box*

ps. I wonder if the standard is the same around the country, but we have such excellent vet care around here, they will see you in an emergency within 15 minutes, day or night, and my friend's Yorkie received an emergency operation quite literally in the middle of the night! How many of you remembered to send a Christmas card to you vet from your pet? Am I really sad if I did? :D

Hi Soph
Thats a real good link >http://www.globalspan.net/bloat.htm<

The algea post and what some had said really rammed it home just what dangers are common place and new owners have no way of knowing. I was shocked when I looked at the post head shakes and found out people were giving chocolate.

I think these links are so usefull for recent dog owners and can be put up once every so often for new people to know - why knew, I had had dogs in total for 34 years when the torsion hit my dog, I had never heard of it.

Hi Dave (?)
Your Algae warning came as total surprise to me, although come to think of it, it does make perfect sense not to let your dog swim in stagnant, filthy water. Mine does! I have been now keeping her away from her favourite the ditch, but luckily we have a stream thatruns all the way around our valley that she can paddle in safely. She also loves to drink from cows' drinking troughs (sp?), and has even head butted the cows  to make room for her to drink! Unfortunately, she also drinks from these in the winter and when they are not in use in the spring, and I now realize that this could be risky. In fact, the other day I took her for a 10 mile walk and took a backpack with water and a bowl for her (she runs like a lunatic for most of the 10 miles) so she didn't need to go to these filthy troughs. :D

Anyway, accidents do happen, but by keeping yourself informed and up to date at least you will know what to do when the disaster strikes!

ps. I dropped you a PM

Here is a link to a recent research paper discussing the diet-related risks of GDV , the 'discussion' is very helpful.
Sorry I can't do links yet but here goes.....

http://www.jaaha.org/cgi/content/full/40/3/92

Carol :)

Not just deep chested dogs, I'm afraid...see the articles on this page:

               http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles.htm

particularly this one:

               http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/on_my_soap_box_purdue_bloat_study.htm

with regards to the Purdue Bloat Study and this one Bloat and Allergies:The Relationship to Yeast Overgrowth and/or Pathogenic Bacteria:

               http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/bloat_and_allergies.htm

...interesting stuff...

Regards.