Gastric Dilated Volvulus aka Torsion or Bloat
"Gastric torsion is a type of disease affecting mostly large, deep-chested dogs and unfortunately common in curlies as well. The condition develops quickly, is extremely painful and, if left untreated, quickly leads to the dog's death" -Tiina Illukka, Breeder and Vet
Gastric torsion is mainly associated with a structural issues (deep chest etc.) in large dog breeds and it is often not seen as a hereditary trait. However there is evidens that those dogs with GDV affected close relative are at a higher risk to bloat. For this reason and at the initiative of the Club members, the Finnish Curly Club's breeding committee created a survey related to the topic. The aim is to carry on with the work that Karleen Swarztrauber started a few years back (see References), raise awareness and gather knowledgebased information for the curly owners, so if at risk they can monitor their dogs more carefully. One can find the survey at the end of this page.
Anyone who owns, has owned or knows or has known a curly that has either suffered or died from gastric torsion may answer the survey. We encourage to participate in the survey, even if one cannot answer all the questions.
The breeders and anyone interested, the list of dogs entered can be requested at:
jalostus@kiharakerho.net
BACKGROUND
Gastric dilated volvulus (GDV), also called "bloat" or "torsion", is when a dog's stomach fills with gas, food or liquid and then twists around itself, closing the passage from the stomach to the esophagus and intestines, and also closing the blood vessels that carry oxygen to the stomach tissue. Torsion develops without warning and can progress quickly. Abdominal swelling alone is called dilation. When the stomach twists on itself, it is called torsion, which results in the rapid destruction of the tissues of the stomach, spleen and intestines.
On average, 25% of large and giant breed dogs experience torsion, assuming an average lifespan of 10 years. One third of these die. Attempts have been made to solve the causes for many years, and there are many stories going around. In light of current science-based information, in addition to the dog's structure, first-degree family relationship (parent, sibling, offspring) to an affected dog is a risk factor. Foods that contain a lot of fat or soy also increase the risk. In addition to the composition of the food, the number of meals per day and the speed of eating are important, with one meal and fast eaters having a higher risk than those who eat several times and slowly. Stress, hyperactivity and anxiety have also been found to have a risk effect.
Studies show that the number of cases of torsion varies enormously between large and giant breeds. Almost half of Great Danes experience it in their lifetime. However, this extremely high risk does not occur in the corresponding giant breeds such Irish Wolfhounds, St. Bernard dogs and Newfoundland dogs.
For long there was no information on the lifetime risk of torsion in CCR’s. Karleen Swarztrauber did an international survey a few years ago, the link to the original article published about the results of that survey can be found at the end of this section. The final conclusion of the survey can be summarized as follows:
The results were very similar to those of a previous multi breed study by Glickman, 2000 et al. indicating that this CCR study is valid despite the small number of dogs (127). Based on the CCR survey, the lifetime risk of torsion is only 7%. This result is much lower than other breeds of similar size (around 23%). The mortality rate of 34% was the same as in the larger study (29%). Based on both materials, it would seem that torsion occurs more in males than in females, but the difference is not statistically significant. However, there was a statistically significant higher risk of torsion if a first-degree relative had been affected.
FROM A TRUE STORY...
"Feeding was perhaps later than usual, I gave regular dry food at 7 PM. The only difference was that I gave it completely dry, when I usually add a little lukewarm water to it. Teddy apparently went to drink water from the lake after that. When we started to settle down to eat dinner, we noticed that Teddy was nowhere to be seen. When he was called, it slowly came gurgling inside, drooling and trying to vomit and looked very sick. Alarm went off in my head! [--]
Gastric torsion is truly a nightmare for the owner. There may not be any preceding symptoms. The mechanism is unknown, but some kind of stress is often found in the background. This is probably also the case with Teddy, traveling, staying overnight in strange places, CCR clubs summer camp meeting and bitches in season there, etc. Teddy is unusually calm and experienced traveler, after all he has traveled to Cruft's twice by car with strangers. However, in my own mind, this danger of torsion has always haunted somewhere deep in my mind. [--] In terms of generality, I can say that there has been more torsions in my dogs than, for example, epileptics. You hear about the cases alarmingly often on international CCR forums, and many of them have not ended happily." -Tiina Illukka, Breeder and Vet
References:
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/bloat-in-dogs/
Karleen Swarztrauber (MD, MPH): Estimated Lifetime Prevalence Of Bloat In Curly-Coated Retrievers Using International Survey Data Of Owners. Curly Commentator, 2023. https://www.ccrca.org/downloads/Bloatarticle.pdf
Incidence of and breed-related risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in dogs. Lawrence T. Glickman, VMD, DPH et al. JAVMA 216(1) 2000.
Gastric Torsion – Curly owners nightmare. Breeder, Vetrenarian, Tiina Illukka, Kihara -gazette 4/2023