If there is one of the conditions to be aware of when having a large breed or giant breed dog, it is the dilation-torsion syndrome of the stomach (abbreviated as SDTE).
Knowing how to prevent it and recognize its symptoms is essential because it is always fatal without emergency surgical treatment in just a few hours.
Stomach dilation-torsion syndrome: what causes it?
This is a condition that mainly affects large dogs with a deep chest. In dogs with this syndrome, the stomach, in addition to ingested food, fills up with gas and liquid abnormally after eating. All of these will make your stomach bloat like a balloon. This swelling may be accompanied by an overturning (or twisting) of the organ, which prevents it from emptying through the oesophagus or the intestines. The dog is then on borrowed time. He has only a few hours left to live if nothing is done to save him.
If all the causes of this syndrome are not yet known, it is nevertheless believed that certain breeds are prone to it due to a weakness of the ligament to which is “suspended” the stomach, like a hammock suspended from the spine of the animal. Likewise, certain factors favouring the onset of the disease have been identified, such as:
- a large meal swallowed too quickly by the dog
- too much water or air absorbed
- too intense physical activity after a meal (game, race, etc.) or significant stress
Knowing these contributing factors is enough to remedy them to prevent the onset of TDS. So, these few tips should help you do that: - Do not give your dog his meal in one take, but give him his & nbsp; food ration in 2 or 3 meals per day at fixed times.
- Keep your dog calm during the meal by avoiding, for example, feeding him at the same time as other animals, which inevitably induces competition between them, whoever eats the quickest!
- Also, keep your animal calm, without physical activity for the next 2 hours & nbsp; his meal. Please do not ask him to play and avoid taking him for a walk after eating or with a leash to prevent him from running.
- Give him energetically dense foods to limit the size of the meal and avoid wet or household foods (cans and “soups” are to be avoided).
- Invest in an anti-gluttonous bowl to reduce the dog’s speed of ingestion.
- Place their food and water bowls at their height to avoid ingesting air at the same time as taking food or water.
- If your dog is anxious by nature, avoid feeding him during thunderstorms or fireworks. Stress plays a vital role in SITE.
Stomach dilation-torsion syndrome: knowing how to recognize it and react
This syndrome results in unsuccessful efforts to vomit, significant salivation (foam), a very swollen belly that sounds hollow if tapped with the finger, and a substantial deterioration in the dog’s general condition, which shows signs of pain. If this happens in your doggie, contact your veterinarian immediately, specifying your dog’s breed and indicating that you suspect a SITE. & Nbsp; This will give him time while you send your dog to his office to organize himself to intervene as quickly as possible. Indeed, the STDE is an absolute veterinary emergency that must be taken care of as soon as possible.
After the dog’s condition stabilizes, the veterinarian will need to perform surgery to try to save the animal, a rescue that is only successful 50% of the time. So be vigilant and remember that as with all illnesses and more particularly for SDTE, prevention is better than cure!
