Is There A Vet In The House?

[Jimmi]

I have a one-year-old Welsh springer spaniel, she’s just coming out of her first season so she’s been a bit cranky. Last week she was making a choking noise and then was sick a few times. We took her to the vets she was kept in, had x-rays and blood tests and was then operated on with suspected GDV. Turned out she was “bloated with wind” and that was it. So we still don’t have a proper diagnosis of what was wrong with her. Now I know I’m a cynical person by nature but it seems to me like she may have been cut open for no reason other than financial. The bill is currently £2500 which fortunately our insurance company are going to pay. I have had previous experiences with the vets where they were adamant my dog needed an operation and when taken to the RSPCA vet for a second opinion it turned out it was completely unfounded. Unfortunately I didn’t have the opportunity to do that on this occasion however I have asked for the x-rays to get them checked. Sorry for the long winded message, but I know there is a good mixture of people on this forum so thought I would put it here first.

 

[Phil_G]

Not a vet but our family business is a large boarding kennels so we're familiar with the unfortunate situation.
Deep chested dogs including Springers are prone to bloat, and GDV often but doesnt always follow so bloat alone may well have been your 'proper diagnosis'.
What was the operation, did they tether her stomach? If she is prone to recurrence it might be prudent to ask your vet about having a bloat needle and learning how to use it safely, as immediate release is vital. £2500 does seem a lot, I would have expected no more than half that amount but every case is different.
I wouldnt expect the xrays to show much unless there was a physical obstruction (a swallowed toy or fragment of something).
Hope she recovers ok and that it was a one-off.
Cheers
Phil

 

[Jimmi]

Hi Phil thanks For the detailed reply.The operation amounted to nothing,They opened her stomach because they thought it was GDV but apparently it wasn’t. She was taken in out of hours so I would imagine that is why the bill was so much.

 

[Phil_G]

That sounds unusual in that you wouldnt expect untwisting a GDV to necessitate opening the stomach... but maybe the sphincters needed opening back up. Neither you or I are vets so you have to have faith in their abilities. If you're not happy, I would change vets - you need that confidence. We still use our Sheffield vet rather than the local ones, even though its now an 80 mile round trip

 

[Ian28]

Dilatation is when the stomach becomes bloated, volvulus is when it twists on it’s axis causing obstruction both at the entry (cardia) and exit (pyloris) spinctres. Both are potentially life threatening and diagnosis usually relies on clinical presentation (non productive vomiting, depression, retching), ability (or not) of being able to pass a stomach tube along with radiography. It’s unclear whether all volvulus cases are preceded by bloat but most will develop bloat after twisting. This can be acute (usually when there are significant stomach contents) or chronic over many hours (if no stomach contents). If the clinical picture and imaging are suggestive then surgery is warranted, particularly if a stomach tube cannot be passed. Gastric dilatation is treated using decompression/shock rate intravenous fluids and often abdominal surgery to pexy (secure) the stomach wall to the body wall. This won’t prevent future dilatations but will reduce the risk of a more life threatening torsion developing. Gastric dilatation & volvulus requires the same as the above with the added complications of re orientation of the stomach along with possibly removal/inversion of diseased stomach wall and possible removal of the spleen if also affected.
Dogs with gastric dilatation +/- volvulus are often life threateningly ill and can deteriorate rapidly, in fact it’s not unusual for these cases to die shortly after presentation. Prompt intervention is always preferable to a ‘wait and see’ approach even if the diagnosis isn’t plain from the outset.
Glad your WSS is recovering well and apologies for the even more long winded response!