Wilf’s Story
70+ kg of Irish Wolfhound collapsed in a back-garden sounded like an emergency that could not wait. Donna had to finish scaling and polishing another dog’s teeth whilst Ian and Eileen rushed over and found Wilf sprawled out and looking very poorly indeed. He had a distended abdomen, was trying to vomit, had pale gums and a very fast and weak pulse. These were the signs of a Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus (also known as GDV or Bloat). This really was a life threatening situation and every minute until we could get him back to the vet’s was vital. Somehow he was picked up and driven back to the clinic where treatment was started.
All Ian’s evening appointments were cancelled as he knew he was going to be busy for the rest of the day and probably most of the night. Wilf was in a lot of pain so immediately given pain relief and an x-ray was taken. This confirmed the condition demonstrating a swollen gas-flled stomach with the pylorus (the end of the stomach) in completely the wrong place. Some gas was taken off his stomach to ease the pressure on his internal organs and he was immediately prepared for surgery in the theatre.
(In this X-ray you can see an enlarged gas-filled stomach to the left of the picture which has twisted so the pyloric region, normally at the bottom, is at the top of the picture. Gas filled loops of small intestine are seen to the right of the picture and his spleen is seen at the bottom.)
At surgery his stomach was further deflated, de-rotated and because of blood clots in the main vessels, his spleen was also removed. Like humans, dogs can survive without their spleen. Ian also performed a gastropexy to permanently secure Wilf’s stomach to his abdominal wall. This is done as a procedure to help prevent a GDV happening again. A gastropexy is often recommended for very deep chested dogs such as Irish Wolfhounds when they are young for exactly this reason. Ian is now performing this procedure via key-hole which makes it a very non-invasive procedure.
Wilf was kept in overnight for fluids, medications and ECG monitoring. However, his recovery was phenomenal and he was sent home the following morning . Wilf has come back to see us and he is doing amazingly well. He is active, bouncing around and very happy. He’s not even been licking the wound on his stomach. He really has been so brave and so lucky that we were able to care for him in time.
A worthy recipient of the Big Bear Award for bravery… well done Wilf!
This is just wonderful news and shows the hugest committment by all the staff. Probably not the same but my horse had 3 twists in her gut and sadly didn’t survive. Well done Wilf and to all at Vet4Life. Ta dah!!
My staff were brilliant! We were supposed to be on a Staff night out but everyone was quite happy to have takeaway and watch Wilf in recovery. Donna worked in spite of a very sore back that kept her off work for the next few weeks and Eileen cared for him in recovery all the way through the night. I can’t thank them enough.
Different bits on the gastrointestinal tract can get twisted in the horse and what ultimately happens often depends on which bit twist and for how long before surgery can correct the problem. I am sorry to her about your horse. Wilf was very lucky, his owners recognised there was a serious problem and we got to see him straight away.
Is this the same as Gastric Tortion in German Shepherds? This is a nightmare for GSD owners,has any more research been done as to the causes of this terrible condition?
Yes this is the same. It is a terrible condition. I would strongly recomend securing the stomach to the abdominal wall (Gastropexy) via key-hole. In that way if the stomach does baloon up it is very unlikely to twist which is when the real problems start.
As to the cause, I think it is an anatomical issue as much as anything else. If there is lots of space for the stomach to twist it may just do that one day. Of course there are other factors such as exercise after a big meal (which is to be avoided) but I don’t think the research has shown any particular cause.