# Our 6 yr old SP survived torsional GDV



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I am so glad all is now well - and quite understand your fears. Perhaps a large mini might be the answer?

Your story is a lesson in recognising when things are wrong,even if the symptoms don't exactly match the classic presentation. She sounds a lovely girl - you must be counting your blessings!


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## peppersb (Jun 5, 2011)

Wow. Thanks for telling us about your experience. I am so glad that your girl survived. I had no idea that bloat could present with the symptoms you describe (or lack of symptoms). I was with a friend when her golden retriever bloated, and her stomach went from normal to very distended within an hour and she was in extreme pain. (Fortunately, she also survived.)

Best to you and to Bella.


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## DCspoo (Apr 19, 2015)

How scary! Those were the symptoms for our Spoo, though usually his stomach would go hard too. First sign was that he wouldn't settle or lay down, and tail went down. Kodie made it through two actual bloats (no torsion), and numerous times where he was on his way to a full bloat and gas-x came to the rescue. 

For us Gas-x was the key to keeping him safe. One with every meal, and anytime he looked uncomfortable he got a couple gas-x. Our specialist told us that unless we gave him a ton of them there was no harm in giving him a couple if we felt a bloat was happening. We never had a full bloat if we gave gas-x. It is very scary though and required vigilance.


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## gitane59 (Dec 9, 2010)

The fact that she did not have a bloated hard distended abdomen nor any vomiting attempts at all on the Sunday afternoon or evening gave us no clue that she had a twisted stomach.
On route to the ICU emergency VET Monday morning she did attempt to vomit unsuccessfully twice but that symptom showed up almost 12 hours after she first appeared unsettled and unwell and her stomach was still not distended to any noticeable degree at all which is what initially confused the emergency intake vet tech's until they saw the xray we had taken with us.


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## Verve (Oct 31, 2016)

I'm so glad that things turned out well for you and Bella. I had a very similar experience with my first poodle Mojo and GDV when he was 8. His only sign was that he was very restless during the night and wouldn't settle (and wouldn't let me sleep). I finally took him in because the emergency vet was only a block away. It was clear that the vet tech was skeptical, but the vet did an x-ray and saw torsion. 

I think bloat and torsion can present very differently in different cases. The vet said that lack of distention isn't uncommon in very narrow deep-chested dogs, and Mojo's chest was like a blade. 

As for getting a second standard poodle, many breeders now recommend doing a prophylactic gastropexy when the dog is spayed or neutered. The dog can still bloat, but it greatly reduces the risk of torsion, which is what kills.


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## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

What a frightening experience.....and such a blessing that your little friend survived.

I went through a bloat experience, without torsion, with my girl Iris and it presented much the same as your Bella. It was quite the scary situation. I always carried gas-x with me after that. She lived another 6 years to the age of 14 without another such event.

I love Spoos so much that I have another, but will be vigilent. There is some evidence that this condition can be inherited so inquire of the breeder to see if she has had any bloat/torsion in any of her dogs.

I am so happy for you that you still have your beloved Bella. May you have many more uneventful years together.

Cathy

P.S. A really GREAT Spoo breeder who is a member of our forum, is Cherie Perks, Arreau Standard Poodles. She is in Ontario........hint, hint, hint.....for when you search for your next Spoo!


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I'm so glad your Spoo Bella is recovering so well. That was scary and clearly shows how we always need to be vigilant to small changes in our pets behaviors and follow through when things just don't seem right.

I don't know much about bloat/torsion but I have read where members here have had gastroplexy to avoid it. I would ask your vet about that preventative surgery if you get a new spoo. Also you will have some experience with this surgery since Bella has just had one performed on her.

Mpoos have a lower risk - so you could consider a mpoo.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

That is so scary! Thank you for sharing your experience and I am very glad she survived without any organ damage. Hope Bella's recouperation goes smoothly.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Oh boy!!!! How lucky are you that is was caught and Bella survived!! I lost my Mom's heart dog, whom I inherited after Mom died. He was like a living, breathing connection to my Mom, so his loss was profound. He bloated once and we pulled him through at home with tons of GasX, but 5 weeks later he bloated again and I had him euthanised. He was 14 1/2 with a murmur and would likely not have survived the surgery. So I am thrilled to hear of your beloved girl's survival.

We do not have bloat in our lines, unless you go quite far back in the pedigree, but we do recommend people have their puppy's stomach tacked when they spay or neuter, just to be on the safe side.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

gitane59 said:


> The fact that she did not have a bloated hard distended abdomen nor any vomiting attempts at all on the Sunday afternoon or evening gave us no clue that she had a twisted stomach.
> On route to the ICU emergency VET Monday morning she did attempt to vomit unsuccessfully twice but that symptom showed up almost 12 hours after she first appeared unsettled and unwell and her stomach was still not distended to any noticeable degree at all which is what initially confused the emergency intake vet tech's until they saw the xray we had taken with us.


Yes...this has been the case for both dogs I've had that have had GDV. And in both cases, due to a lack of a distended abdomen and no vomiting attempts, the vets did not believe that the dog was suffering from GDV. For my second dog, a rigid belief by the resident that a dog with GDV will have a)a distended abdomen and, b) a history of retching, led to the death of my 5 year old dog.

If there is anything to be learned, it is that an x-ray should always be insisted on if there is even the slightest possibility of GDV, since many vets have such a rigid belief of how it should present. Trouble settling is the most consistent symptom I've seen.. 

I am so relieved to know your dog survived. Bloat is such a tragedy!


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## gitane59 (Dec 9, 2010)

Thank you for the all the responses. We feel truly blessed and fortunate for the local VET that did the initial xray and for the BluePearl clinic in Southfield Mi that did the surgery. There was no question about whether to do an xray or not and once BluePearl saw the xray they to took immediate action. Considering how long from the start of her unsettled discomfort to the time of surgery almost 14hrs we feel very lbessed to still have Bella with us. 
We only heard of precautionary Gastropexy being done at time of neutering/spaying after she was fixed, but if there is a next time you can be sure we will do it at that time.
The SPoo is like no other bred I have experienced and I hope to convince my wife to adopt another SPoo sooner than later in spite of this scare.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

gitane59 said:


> Thank you for the all the responses. We feel truly blessed and fortunate for the local VET that did the initial xray and for the BluePearl clinic in Southfield Mi that did the surgery. There was no question about whether to do an xray or not and once BluePearl saw the xray they to took immediate action. Considering how long from the start of her unsettled discomfort to the time of surgery almost 14hrs we feel very lbessed to still have Bella with us.
> We only heard of precautionary Gastropexy being done at time of neutering/spaying after she was fixed, but if there is a next time you can be sure we will do it at that time.
> The SPoo is like no other bred I have experienced and I hope to convince my wife to adopt another SPoo sooner than later in spite of this scare.


Yes....extremely lucky. Mine was in severe shock in about 2 hours from the first sign of GDV with 90% necrosis of his stomach. Nothing could be done and he was euthanized only 3 hours after the onset of symptoms. He had joyfully eaten his breakfast 5 hours before he was euthanized. That's how fast it can happen. 

Yep, good idea to do a prophylactic tack. I've done some with spay/neuter, and I've also had it done on two already spayed/neutered dogs. For the already spayed/neutered, it was done laparoscopically.


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## sidewinder (Feb 3, 2016)

Thanks so much for posting this! It's a heads up for me since I had no idea that you could have torsion without the bloat symptoms! My first spoo bloated 3 times when she was 15. The first time, we rushed her to the emergency vet where they did surgery to relieve the torsion and tacked her stomach. $3000. The second time she was with my married daughter for the weekend, and went to the emergency vet again. Another $2000. 

The third time, I told her we couldn't afford another vet bill like that, and I cuddled and babied her all night. I wish I"d known about gas-x then!! Gradually, the bloat went down and she was fine in the morning. After that, I did some research and put her on a raw diet. She never bloated again, and lived to age 18!

My pup Mackey will be gastropexied when we have him neutered in a year or so, and I'm (mostly) feeding him raw.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Raw is a great thing to feed, but just an FYI, my dog who bloated and died was eating raw. Also, Gas-X is fantastic, but does you no good if the dog has torsion.


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

Some proprietary dog foods are conductive to bloat. Place a known volume of the food you feed in a container with a 10% solution of Hydrochloric acid (spirits of salts) This approximates the stomach acid of a dog. A dogs stomach acid is stronger than a human's with a ph of 1-2. Some kibble will swell up to 4 times when treated so. This can bloat a dog. A dog fed raw meat will have a more acid stomach. Many kibbles do not stimulate enough acid and are not digested properly as a result. There is some evidence that exercise immediately after a meal can be a cause of bloat. My poodle Grace will want to run and jump after a meal.
See: Untitled Document
Eric


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

The most up to date research suggests that how, what, or when a dog eats likely has little influence on whether the individual dog experiences GDV or not. (It is more likely to be related to gas or food bloat). 

AKC Canine Health Foundation


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## gitane59 (Dec 9, 2010)

*Update for setback*

Unfortunately Bella has developed an infection on the incision the past 36 hrs. I could tell she was not quite herself yesterday morning but could not tell why. Last night she basically refused to east at all at supper. Last evening while grooming her I happened to rub the incision quite firmly and she flinch very noticeably and when I rub her again my fingers were moist. I had popped an infection blister. Another trip last evening to our vet for antibiotics. Vet checked the incision over very well and felt nothing out of the ordinary except for this infection at the top of the incision right on the chest born plate. So now we wait for 24-48hrs for the antibiotics to kick in and hopefully begin to clear this up quickly.
Wish I could figure out how to edit the thread title for "updated"


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Prayers and best wishes to you and Bella. Hoping the infection clears up quickly and she is at 100% real soon!


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## West U (Jul 30, 2014)

I know how you feel...thankfull, terrified, and lucky. I have been through several situations like yours with dogs and horses.


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