Gastric Dilatation or “Bloat"

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Dear Dr. Hannon,

I have a thirteen year old basset hound. We always board him when we go out of town. They had to keep him an extra few days because they said that his heart had stopped because his stomach swelled. They told me that due to the fact that he was a deep chested dog and that he got over excited, his heart had stopped. This has never happened before. I was not really happy with the explanation that was given to me by his veterinarian. Is there a better explanation you can give me for this problem that they called “normal” with deep chested dogs?

Thank you,
Kathy

Dear Kathy,

I am sorry to hear about what happened to your basset hound. I cannot give you an accurate assessment of your pet’s incident without reviewing the medical records, but I can give you some information on what I believe is the condition you described.

Deep chested breeds, bassets included, are predisposed to a condition called gastric dilatation, or “bloat”. This is a phenomenon that is usually associated with exercise after a large meal or drinking a lot, but it can also occur if the dog swallows too much air, or sometimes it just happens spontaneously. The dog’s stomach swells with gas to many times its normal size, and often it will flip over as well, which is called a volvulus. Many veterinarians refer to a gastric dilatation with volvulus as GDV, or “turned stomach”. This is a very serious and life-threatening condition, and it is often fatal if not treated quickly. Once the stomach distends with gas, it puts pressure on the other abdominal organs, such as the liver and spleen, and it also makes it difficult for the dog to breath. As the stomach enlarges, or if it turns, it often loses blood circulation, and part of the stomach wall may deteriorate, leading to the possibility of rupture. The stomach can also release certain proteins into the bloodstream, called cardiotoxic factors, that can affect the way the heart beats, or even cause it to stop. Dogs with this condition often go into shock as well.

Bloat and GDV must be treated as an emergency. The first step is to stabilize the patient and correct the shock, by administering IV fluids and steroids. The next step is to deflate the stomach. X-rays are usually taken to see if the stomach is rotated, and then the dog is sedated to pass a stomach tube if the stomach is not rotated. Sometimes in a very critical animal, the stomach can be deflated by passing a catheter into the stomach through the dog’s side. An electrocardiogram (ECG) can be performed to see if the dog’s heart is beating normally. Once the patient is stable, then it has to go into surgery. The stomach has to be de-rotated and sutured to hold it in a normal position. If a stomach tube could not be passed before, one is now used to completely empty the stomach. The liver, spleen and other organs are also evaluated, and often times the spleen has to be removed because of damage. After surgery, most dogs are hospitalized for several days for recovery. They have to receive IV fluids, antibiotics, and medications to help their gastrointestinal tracts heal and their hearts beat normally. Treating this condition can cost up to several thousand dollars, and even with aggressive treatment, this condition has a guarded prognosis.

Kathy, I don’t know if this is the condition that your dog experienced, but it sounds like it is the most likely situation based on what you described. To have a dog experience bloat or GDV is not ever considered normal, but bassets are one of the several breeds that are predisposed to this condition. And it is never normal for a dog’s heart to stop. If your basset hound experienced a cardiac arrest regardless of the cause, then he is a very lucky to be alive. Either way, he needs to be rechecked by a veterinarian to make sure that he is okay, and you do need to find out exactly what happened to him. If he did bloat and he did not have surgery, then his chances of doing it again are extremely high. Good luck with him!

- David Hannon, DVM

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