Welcome Home Tiny! My new Saint Bernard Puppy :)

A gastropexy basically takes a small part of the stomach (called the pylorus) and attaches it to the body wall to keep the pylorus from rotating over the larger part of the stomach (called the fundus). Dogs can still get bloat (Bloat just means the stomach expands with gas) but this surgery is good for helping to prevent GDV (gastric dilatation and volvulus). This is when the stomach bloats and then rotates. It is a life threatening condition.

A pexy surgery is not absolutely necessary, but its something that I think should be recommended to owners that are going to put their dogs under anesthesia for spay/neuter anyway. It's usually not much more expensive and can really make a huge difference.

I remember back in my dog days, they had two smaller meals a day plus, no dry kibble. I would pour water on it and then pour it off. I didn't want it mushy but, wanted a bit of the "expansion" to have taken place before the dogs ate. Also didn't allow them to tank up on water immediately after eating.

Chickerdoodle13 said:

For bloat, I recommend getting larger, deep chested dogs gastropexied at the time of their spay or neuter operation. It's not a complete prevention against bloat, but it does help a lot. I would still continue to feed him small meals at a slow pace, and try to avoid lifted bowls as well.

He's a beautiful guy! To help prevent against large breed ailments (hip dysplasia, etc), I would feed him an amount that will prevent rapid growth and weight gain (I don't mean starvation, but rather you don't want to overfeed). Rapid growth of young large dogs is the number one cause of early onset signs of hip dysplasia and other musculoskeletal diseases. You can also give him some glucosamine type supplements, which can help protect the funcitonality of the joints.

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We've had Great Danes and my Honey was told to use a lifted bowl for feeding to prevent bloat......can you clarify please? We've not had any issues but Eve is only 2. We set her bowl on the Rubbermaid tote that holds her food and is on step. She's free fed.

Happy--your pup is adorable! My Honey's wanted a Bernard forever, but the fur and the drooling is just too much. I can handle the size of the Great Danes, in fact I love the big dogs, but the fur is a whole new dimension!

Sure, Donrae! I'll give you the title of the research article first, but then I'll give you the risk factors they listed.

The article is by Raghavan in JAAHA 42(1), 2006.

On the whole, management risk factors are weakly supported, as most of the studies looking into GDVs are done with questionairres given to the owners. However, Raghavan lists these as risk factors for GDV:

110% increased risk with raised food bowls
Feeding once daily
Feeding a large volume of food per meal
Feeding dry foods containingfats or oils among the first four label ingredients

Host factors seem to play a bigger role in the risk percentage of each individual dog:
Large breed size
170% increase in risk for each increase in chest depth/width ratio
63% increase in risk associated with having a first degree relative with a GDV
20% increase in risk for each year increase in age
15% risk increase in risk for each unit increase in speed of eating score
Nervous temperament

Some of the research out there about GDVs are fascinating and I was interested enough to do some extra reading. Hopefully this clears up a bit what I meant by raised food bowls being a risk factor (I also want to say the lecturer mentioned something about the fact that raised food bowls makes it easier for larger dogs to ingest air, but don't quote me on that)

Chickerdoodle13 said:

A gastropexy basically takes a small part of the stomach (called the pylorus) and attaches it to the body wall to keep the pylorus from rotating over the larger part of the stomach (called the fundus). Dogs can still get bloat (Bloat just means the stomach expands with gas) but this surgery is good for helping to prevent GDV (gastric dilatation and volvulus). This is when the stomach bloats and then rotates. It is a life threatening condition.

A pexy surgery is not absolutely necessary, but its something that I think should be recommended to owners that are going to put their dogs under anesthesia for spay/neuter anyway. It's usually not much more expensive and can really make a huge difference.

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Thanks for clarifying, that makes a lot more sense and actually doesn't sound like a bad surgery. I just always worry because sometimes people do dumb or unnecessary things, you know? Like for example devocalizing animals and declawing cats or things that seem good but may hurt em, etc. I know it's not really comparable and that you know what you're doing/wouldn't suggest something dumb but hopefully you know what I mean. Now that you clarify though it does actually seem like a good option. And the raised bowl thing is really interesting. Do you think I should move Gator's bowl to the floor? I had thought being lower and inhaling food they could inhale air too? Maybe it depends. Luckily though Gator just picks rather than inhale. We used to fill a pan thing all the way up with like 8, 10, 12 cups, really full, but then we started measuring daily portions (although I temporarily stopped measuring shortly after but I've been now for a little while) then we got a new bowl that holds less. Now I've been putting 5 cups in but depending on the brand (we rotate) it could be 4 or 6, really never 6 though. He sometimes doesn't eat or would take a few days to eat even that but now he's been eating a lot. He still usually leaves a cup or two in the bowl for the next day. I've been refilling it every night though so I'd guess he really only eats 3 to 4 cups. But like I said he has been eating more, for a while it was 2 or 3 if that. Maybe it has something to do with winter coming up because he doesn't really get exercise. We're lucky though, he was 137 in February (he was a little fat hah) then I managed to get him to lose over the summer but either way he's probably 130 now so aka a huge dog and he eats very very little for such a big boy. It helps though that we've had him on quality food since maybe June or even sooner

Thanks for the info Chickerdoodle! Always nice to pick your educated brain

I was reading your response out loud to my Honey and we both laughed at the "nervous temperament" part. Eve has pretty much one period of activity a day, the rest of the time is reclining on the sofa, as a Princess should. Since we free feed she eats when she wants, and has never been a bolt eater. She is narrow and deep, though...but she's already been spayed. I'll sure keep that in mind down the road, I think Honey plans on always having a Great Dane. Although I made a mistake showing the pics on this thread.....no Bernards!

No problem! Glad to share info when I can.

I think if your dog has done well up to this point, there's no problem with just continuing what you've been doing. I think the main thing is for owners to be aware of the condition so they can get their dogs to the vet as soon as they see signs.

I don't think I would recommend to an owner to put their dog under anesthesia just for that procedure (anesthesia, is afterall, risky on its own), but if the dog is under anyway, epecially if they are already in the abdomen, its something to consider. Gastropexy's are usually performed after GDVs are fixed anyway.

That makes a lot of sense.

donrae said:

Thanks for the info Chickerdoodle! Always nice to pick your educated brain

I was reading your response out loud to my Honey and we both laughed at the "nervous temperament" part. Eve has pretty much one period of activity a day, the rest of the time is reclining on the sofa, as a Princess should. Since we free feed she eats when she wants, and has never been a bolt eater. She is narrow and deep, though...but she's already been spayed. I'll sure keep that in mind down the road, I think Honey plans on always having a Great Dane. Although I made a mistake showing the pics on this thread.....no Bernards!

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Your Eve sounds exactly like our Gator haha we free feed too but I've bewn measuring it instead of filling the bowl completely lately, so I put 5 cups in for the day and refill it either that night or the next day. I would guess even with less food in it he still mostly only eats 3 or 4 cups of it. He finishes the next day though but I refill so don't really know for sure. But he also only has one period of activity lol sometimes two. But he just sleeps all day and then bugs me to play, I try to say yes lately but if I don't he comes back later. He also loves to go outside and lay on the hill and watch his property. Sometimes you practically have to drag him off the couch though. It makes it hard to exercise him because except for the few times he wants to play, he's asleep, and even then, if you ignore him he goes back to sleep, so if I have a bad day or anything and am not feeling up to it, he doesn't care, which isn't fair to him. He hasn't been on a walk in a while. But then he's just been more hyper hah and the weird thing is, he doesn't need to be dragged off the couch for those, he loves walks, but he won't go ask. Although, my brother used to take him every night around 8 or 9 and he'd come bug you and would not stop until you took him so maybe I need to start a routine with him. And I do think he has some anxiety but only in certain situations and usually he's sound asleep lol hes half Black Lab half Great Pyrenees si the Lab I think adds a bit more energy hah