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A memorable Bishop trout trip Gun dog health: Beware stomach twist, it’s for real
BEWARE STOMACH TWIST, IT’S FOR REAL!
By Scott Haugen
“W e have five minutes to decide if we’re going to have them operate or put him down!”
Words I’ll never forget, coming from my wife on the telephone last September.
IT WAS A hellacious time, as a few hours prior we’d just returned to our home after having been evacuated for 11 days due to wildfires raging in our area. After unpacking what few belongings we grabbed on our way out the door, it was time to feed the dogs.
Kona, our 3-year-old, 62-pound pudelpointer, ate as he normally does; chewing every bite, taking his time. But halfway through dinner, Kona stopped chewing. His ears drooped and he hunched over. I tried
Two months after stomach twist surgery, Kona, author Scott Haugen’s pudelpointer, was back in the field, where he enjoyed dozens of hunts throughout this past winter. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
comforting him by rubbing his ears, which he normally welcomes, but he was having nothing of it.
Then Kona slowly hobbled into the yard and tried throwing up, but nothing would come up. His stomach felt tight to the touch. A few minutes later he slowly walked 20 yards further into a field, one where we often exercise and train. He laid down, which he never does, and again tried throwing up, with no success.
Kona started to moan, which he also never does, and I could see his stomach expanding and getting tighter. He followed me to the house, and by this time my wife Tiffany saw what was happening and had the truck started.
“I’m taking him to the vet hospital,” she said.
Our regular vet was closed due to the fires still burning out of control near them and when Tiffany called me on the phone, she was at the office of the veterinary surgeon.
Kona was in his prime, the most fit, best all-around dog I’ve ever hunted with anywhere in the world. The estimated $6,000 cost of the surgery wasn’t a question, and minutes after Tiffany called, Kona was being prepped.
THE SURGEON TOLDTiffany that Kona had suffered gastric torsion, or stomach twist. We’d never heard of this in dogs, only horses. But the more I talked to hunters around the country, the more I learned about stomach twist in dogs, and the more horror stories I heard. One breeder and trainer of Drahthaars I spoke with follows a strict feeding regimen specifically to prevent stomach twist, which includes feeding his dogs one time a day, at 8 p.m., and immediately putting them in their kennels for the night; he never feeds
them in the morning.
Gastric torsion is often blamed on dogs rapidly eating, but Kona never was a fast eater. Through much research, a summary of what I learned about this hidden killer is that it’s more common in deepchested, narrow-waisted dogs, but also not uncommon in Labs. I spoke with multiple folks who lost Labs to this, and a buddy’s older Doberman pinscher died from it the same night that Kona had had surgery.
I learned that gastric torsion is not hereditary, nor is it species-specific, or solely caused by eating fast. Bloating can also cause stomach twist to occur. ditch, but immediately doubled-up in pain. The man wasted no time getting to the truck and heading to the vet, but in less than 30 minutes his dog died, a result of gastric torsion. The stories go on, and few end like Kona’s.
Pay very close attention to your dog at all times, for no one knows it better than you. I watch my dogs eat every meal. I’m now more careful than ever of where I train and walk my dogs; I’m even leery of hunting them around other dogs.
Watch to see if your dog is stressed and gulping air, which can lead to bloating. If they are drooling and no food is in front of them, it might be due to their stomach being twisted to the point they can’t swallow. Body signs that signal discomfort, along with drooping ears, sagging eyes, and a tight, bloated stomach, can be signs something is wrong with the digestive tract; I noticed these in Kona.
Stomach twist is most likely to happen within two hours of feeding, so avoid running your dog for two hours after it eats. If your dog eats too fast, try a specialized bowl to slow it down. Above all else, notice if your dog is stressed and remove it from the situation before it escalates, if possible.
KONA’S SURGERY WENT great. The surgeon opened up his stomach, removed the contents, thoroughly cleansed it, sewed it closed, then stapled it to his abdominal wall with the hopes it won’t happen again. But the situation was so scary, we’re not taking any chances.
Two weeks after Kona’s surgery, Tiffany and I were offered jobs in remote Alaska. We declined because the nearest vet was 800 miles away, accessible only by bush plane. Our lives changed after Kona’s brush with death, for as the surgeon told us, “Five minutes later and Kona wouldn’t have made it.” CS
This might begin with a dog that’s simply nervous and breathing heavily, taking in too much air and causing the stomach to fill up. A stomach filled with air is a candidate for stomach twist. I have no doubt that Kona’s 11 days of moving and being around other dogs and stressed people during our fire evacuation is what led to his stress, thus a bloated stomach, and eventually stomach twist.
THERE’S NO WAY to prevent gastric torsion, and it can kill a dog within an hour. One hunter I talked to was duck hunting with his Lab. The dog retrieved a duck and hopped a small
Gastric torsion hits fast, and a few minutes of delay in getting to a vet can mean life or death. Fortunately, Kona’s masters’ close observations of their dogs and quick action led to a successful surgery and
recovery. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
Editor’s note: To watch Scott Haugen’s series of puppy training videos, visit scotthaugen .com. Follow Scott on Instagram and Facebook.