Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with sudden bloated belly and vomiting had full stomach twist
By Lang, Antonia et al.·Published in Tierarztliche Praxis. Ausgabe K, Kleintiere/Heimtiere·2025·Kleintierklinik Ettlingen·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: [Diagnostic challenges of a 360° gastric dilatation volvulus in a dog: a case report].
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old mixed-breed female dog was brought to the emergency vet for sudden vomiting, a hard belly, and restlessness. X-rays showed her stomach was swollen, but it was hard to tell if she had a serious condition called gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV) or just a simple stomach bloat. Despite attempts to stabilize her, her condition worsened, and surgery revealed a complete twist of the stomach, which had died off due to lack of blood flow. Sadly, the decision was made to euthanize her due to the severity of her condition.
People also search for: dog vomiting and hard belly · GDV in dogs · emergency dog stomach twist · mixed-breed dog stomach problems
Abstract
An 8-year-old mixed-breed female dog was presented as an emergency case due to acutely occurring questionable vomiting, a tense abdomen and restlessness. Initial abdominal radiographs suggested a gastric dilatation. On the abdominal radiographs, no typical compartmentalization of the stomach was visible, and the pylorus appeared to be in a physiological position in the ventrodorsal view, making it difficult to differentiate the condition from a simple gastric dilatation. As the patient did not respond to stabilization measures and the stomach re-distended after gastrocentesis, a 360° gastric volvulus was suspected and subsequently confirmed intraoperatively. Due to complete necrosis of the gastric wall, the dog was euthanized.This case report aims to demonstrate that additional, less obvious radiographic features - such as marked gastric distension, esophageal distension, absence of small intestinal dilation, and a more central pyloric position - may provide important diagnostic clues when evaluating a 360° gastric torsion.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40513607/