"Because it's such a devastating condition, there has been a lot of research involving exercise, food and environment, but it often comes back contradictory, It's hard to know what sets it off, but if we knew how to prevent it, we'd be doing it."
If you have a high-risk breed, Jankowski recommends the following measures to help decrease the chances of your dog getting GDV:
• Feed multiple small, frequent meals rather than one large meal.
• Avoid stress around mealtime. If you have multiple dogs, this could mean separating them during feedings.
• Don't feed from elevated bowls – a recent study showed that dogs fed from raised bowls had a higher risk of GDV.
• Old suggestions of limiting exercise before and after meals have recently been shown not to be helpful.
• Since there is a genetic component to GDV, dogs with close relatives that have had GDV should not be bred."
Point by point - I always feed at least 2 meals a day maybe I should consider splitting Loki's meals into three. The dogs always eat in their own crates, no stealing no stress. I have never used elevated bowls. Now here is were I'm not sure what to think, I've heard so much recently that there is no connection between food, exercise and torsions and that is probably right .. but would you go running after a plate full of food? I will continue to stick to my routine of 2 hours between food and walks .. I'd sooner know I'm doing everything even if I am being over cautious. As regards to breeding, another difficult one, as torsion's generally happen to older dogs then dogs or their siblings are highly likely to have been bred from before the torsions. Luckily for me, Loki has never and will never be bred from ..
There are no further preventative measures that can be taken other than gastropexy which is where the stomach is tacked to the right side of the abdominal wall, so it cannot shift or twist. Blade had this done after his second torsion. (At the time it was not normal practice to do it after the dog had had a torsion, it is now) Of course this not a 100% guarantee and people around me will recall a bitch who had had gastropexy following her first torsion died of a second torsion. They owner and I had words somewhere along the line as he bred from the bitch in-between the two torsions which I found just shocking.I can't currently find the post where Loki had the first bloat. I do remember it was in snow and I think it was in early 2018 or maybe late 2017. As he won't eat any vegetables I'm thinking of maybe adding something like charcoal to his diet, something to help his digestive system and hopefully reduce the amount of wind/gas he produces. All can do now is hope and be vigilant.
