GDV aftercare

It is crucial that the steps in this handout are followed closely to ensure that:

1. Your dog's stomach tack heals well and attatches to the wall so is not a reoccuring GDV
2. The incision along the abdomen heals well, to avoid infection and scarring
3. Your dog is able to successfully eat and digest food normally

Activity and Exercise:

1. Restrict activity to short leash walks, and NO running or jumping for 14 days
2. Keep confined in small areas when no one is around to monitor them
3. If your dog has excessive amounts of energy, your doctor may prescribe a sedative or tranquilizer to help keep them calm.

If you are unable to monitor and give proper aftercare to your dog it is recommended that they stay in hospital during their healing process. Diet Changes and Restrictions:

1. Feed several small meals throughout the day instead of one or two large meals
2. Avoid stressful meals - keep other animals, children, and people away while eating
3. Do not use an elevated bowl
4. Restrict activity just before and right after meals
5. Feed a prescription diet specifically or gastro-intestinal disease - EN or LF can be purchased upon discharge

Other Post Operative Instructions

• Sutures or Staples are removed in fourteen days
• Use all medications as directed, start immediately
• Do not allow pet to lick or scratch at the incision site; to avoid an E-collar or T-shirt should be used
• Any redness, irritation, or pain at suture site should be reported and checked immediately
• At day 14, when your pet has their sutures removed, a doctor will check the incision and determine whether your pet is ready to resume full and regular activity
• Keep the incision site clean and dry at all times

Failure to follow correct post-operative care can result in loose sutures, infection, bleeding, gasto-intestinal problems, or repeat stomach rotation, resulting in another surgery. If your pet seems lethargic, has swelling or redness at the site, has a painful abdomen, is vomiting or stops eating, or anything else that is concerning to you do not hesitate to call and speak to a doctor as soon as possible to prevent further complications. Gastropexy (stomach tack) can prevent future rotation of the stomach, but bloat is still possible and should be reported immediately. ​

GDV Gastric Dilation Volvus Post-Surgical At Home Care Emergency surgery is only half the battle when your dog has encountered bloat. Attention to detail and follow through is crucial for surgical success and the care of your dog. First, you may be wondering what has been done as surgical treatment, or what even happened at all.A quick and easy explaination of a GDV is this: 'Bloating' happens when a dog's stomach twists, causing both sides of the stomach to close off, which causes gas pressure to build up inside the stomach - this is why your dog's abdomen might have felt tense. In order to correct this, our surgeron has gone into the abdomen and manually twisted the stomach back in the correct position. After a dog has been exposed to this condition the stomach is more likely to twist another time, so to avoid this our surgeron has attatched, or 'tacked', the wall of the stomach to the abdominal wall which will help keep it in place for the duration of the dogs life.

Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus: "Bloat" Surgery Aftercare and Take Home Instructions