# gastropexy or not to gastropexy...



## Poodle Lover (Mar 24, 2008)

I haven't done the procedure on either one of my dogs, but if I had to do their spay/neuter again, I would. It seems that bloat is quite common in spoos (unfortunately) and tacking the stomach might be prudent.


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

I have noticed NO difference in Lucy's eating habits or reverse eating (vomiting) :lol: If I wouldn't have ordered the gastropexy, I would never know that she'd had it done...

Because Lucy's still a pup - just 8 months old now; I still feed her multiple smaller meals per day anyway so that did not change after her surgery. I actually thinks she prefers to eat multiple small meals per day - she's not a gorger... she will only eat what's in her bowl and won't look for more until later in the day when she's hungry again.

I've read stories on this forum of dogs who actually bloated and then needed the surgery afterwards anyway - I decided that I'd rather have it done during the routine spay surgery (she was under anesthesia anyway and it was just a matter of the vet placing a few staples and then voila - we're done! ) 

If/when I ever get another spoo - I will do gastropexy when I have them altered... It's just a small form of insurance that IF bloat occurs - the stomach will have less of a chance to twist - which can cause horrible, plainful death quite quickly. I felt it was definitely worth it!!

Good luck with your decision!


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## debjen (Jan 4, 2010)

My lab has bloated twice .. the first time he twisted around his tack and had to be untacked to untwist the stomach..then they couldn't get the tack to hold the stomach the second time because the stomach was so fried .. so he had to have a 3rd surgery to retack his stomach..that was 5 years ago..since then he has eaten 3 times a day..luckily I am able to come home at lunch to feed..in fact since it is easier to feed everyone at the same time all of my dogs eat 3 times a day..(poor cavs share a 1/3 of a cup at lunch..barely worth the effort...LOL..anyway I really don't notice any difference in the way he ate before and after surgery.


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## cbrand (Aug 9, 2009)

No problems with Sabrina or Izze. They are both doing great. The tack buys you time in the event of Bloat. IMHO it is one of the best things you can do for a Standard.


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## neVar (Dec 25, 2009)

having lost a dog to bloat i will have it done with the puppy when she's spayed. even though i feel feeding raw my risk of bloat is greatly reduced it's worth taking that risk out.


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## Jessie's Mom (Mar 23, 2010)

debjen said:


> My lab has bloated twice .. the first time he twisted around his tack and had to be untacked to untwist the stomach..then they couldn't get the tack to hold the stomach the second time because the stomach was so fried .. so he had to have a 3rd surgery to retack his stomach..that was 5 years ago..since then he has eaten 3 times a day..luckily I am able to come home at lunch to feed..in fact since it is easier to feed everyone at the same time all of my dogs eat 3 times a day..(poor cavs share a 1/3 of a cup at lunch..barely worth the effort...LOL..anyway I really don't notice any difference in the way he ate before and after surgery.


thank you all for your input. just wondering if your lab already had the surgery before his first bloat? i'm confused cause it sounds like he did, but then not only bloated, but twisted in spite of the tack. thank you for explaining.


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## debjen (Jan 4, 2010)

Jessie's Mom said:


> thank you all for your input. just wondering if your lab already had the surgery before his first bloat? i'm confused cause it sounds like he did, but then not only bloated, but twisted in spite of the tack. thank you for explaining.


He did not have the surgery before his first bloat. The first time he bloated (with a twisted stomach) he was tacked during the surgery. The 2nd time he bloated (6 weeks later) and he twisted around the tack and it had to be undone. I actually got to watch that surgery so I saw that she had to untack him to untwist him. They couldn't retack him then because the stomach would not hold the suture so he had to have a 3rd surgery to have the stomach retacked about a month later. So in the span of 3 months he had 3 stomach surgeries. Would all this have been prevented if he had been tacked as a pup. I don't know. My dogs never seem to do things they way they are suppose to according to my vet..LOL..one of my cavs had an ear polyp that only cats are suppose to have..LOL..


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