Irish Setter: Can I prevent osteosarcoma and bloat with gastropexy?

Hi there. Since Shelby is a Great Dane, yes - I would recommend having a gastropexy done at the time of her spay. This is generally a very safe procedure with no significant downsides, and is very effective at preventing gastric torsion later in life. Pros: nearly 100% effective at preventing gastric torsion Cons: a bit of added expense, a slightly longer spay incision and slightly increased anesthesia time I recommend that all giant-breed females have this procedure done at the time of their spay, since the benefits far outweigh the risks and bloat/gastric torsion is a significant problem in these breeds. I hope that helps! :)

You can ask all the questions you want! Bloat commonly occurs between the age of 7-12, but younger dogs can get it. You can prevent it by having a surgery done called a gastropexy, which is where the outer layer of the stomach is stitched onto the rib cage, preventing it from ever rotating. Check out this article from PetCoach on bloat for information on how to prevent it: https://www.petcoach.co/article/bloat-gastric-dilatation-and-volvulus-in-dogs/

You can have a preventative surgery called a gatropexy to prevent against bloat. This sutures the wall of the stomach to the wall of the thorax to prevent it from twisting. Don't use an elevated bowl to feed Mazikeen. Do not exercise until an hour after eating, and do not feed her for an hour after exercising. Feed her at least twice a day. As for joints, when she is a year old, you can start giving her supplement like Dausquin or Cosequin.

Seven isn't too old for surgery, there are dogs who have successful surgery that are even older than Penny. You can have a gastopexy done on her. There are the typically risks of surgery such as infection, excessive bleeding, and in rare cases, death. Your vet can explain the risks to you. Before doing surgery, I strongly recommend having blood work and a urinalysis done to make sure that everything is functioning normally. I hope this helps!

Hello, Ivan’s breed is highly predisposed to gastric dilatation volvulus or a twisted stomach which is life threatening. Tacking the stomach is a life saving prophylactic measure. I strongly support this recommendation.

I think the gastropexy is a good idea. Bloat is very serious, and quite deadly, and dogs can die from it even if they get treatment. Since he's under anesthesia already, you might as well have it done to protect Cooper. While the cone of shame sucks, it's only two weeks. It's the best thing to protect his incision.

Feed a few smaller meals during the day instead of one large dinner. Restrict his activity for an hour after he eats (no running). If you see his belly area begin to get bigger, and he is trying to vomit, rush him to an emergency vet clinic right away. This is a tru emergency where minutes count.