Saying prayers for your Great Dane! I know Danes are prone to bloat. Is she getting gastropexy surgery? I remember reading about how Dane owners often get that surgery before bloat occurs to prevent it.
Here's some info.
Torsion always happens first in GVD (gastric volvulous and dilation...aka "bloat" in the general term), then bloating. When the stomach torsions (flips over on it self) blood flow and escape routes for gas are cut off. Depending on the severity of the twist of the stomach cases can vary. From extreme cases where the stomach has turned greater than 90 degrees, major blood flow restrictions, tisse damage and necrosis, the dog needs er surgery asap or death comes quickly and painfully if the stomach were to rupture. Minor cases include those where the stomach twists less than 90 degrees which still restricts bloodflow but not nearly as bad. Sometimes these mild cases resolve on their own but most of the time they still need surgery and the likelihood of them getting GVD again is much higher.
The gastropexy surgery prevents the torsion or twisting from happening which is the deadly part of GVD. Just plain old bloating is a normal thing and is pretty much harmless. There really is no way of preventing bloating from happening even in a dog that has a pexyied stomach. But at least you'd have the peace of mind knowing that your dog would never torsion. |