Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Risk factors linked to mesenteric volvulus in military working dogs
By Andrews, Shane J et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2018·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Investigation of potential risk factors for mesenteric volvulus in military working dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at military working dogs and found that certain factors can increase the risk of a serious condition called mesenteric volvulus (MV), which can cause severe abdominal pain and bloating. German Shepherds, older dogs, and those with a history of certain surgeries or gastrointestinal issues were more likely to develop MV. Interestingly, dogs that had a preventive surgery called gastropexy (which helps prevent another condition called gastric dilatation-volvulus) were at a higher risk for MV, although this surgery is still recommended for preventing more common issues. The findings suggest that while gastropexy is helpful, it may have some complications that need further investigation.
People also search for: German Shepherd mesenteric volvulus risk · dog abdominal surgery complications · military working dog health issues
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To identify risk factors for mesenteric volvulus (MV) in military working dogs (MWDs). DESIGN Retrospective case-control study. ANIMALS 211 MWDs (54 with and 157 without MV [case and control dogs, respectively]). PROCEDURES Medical records (cases and controls) and necropsy reports (cases) were reviewed. Signalment, pertinent medical and surgical history, behavior and temperament characteristics, feeding schedules, and training types were recorded. Weather patterns for regions where dogs resided were researched. Data were evaluated statistically to identify potential risk factors for MV. RESULTS Risk factors significantly associated with MV included German Shepherd Dog breed (OR, 11.5), increasing age (OR, 2.0), and history of prophylactic gastropexy (OR, 65.9), other abdominal surgery (after gastropexy and requiring a separate anesthetic episode; OR, 16.9), and gastrointestinal disease (OR, 5.4). Post hoc analysis of the subset of MWDs that underwent gastropexy suggested that postoperative complications were associated with MV in these dogs but type of gastropexy and surgeon experience level were not. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Data supported earlier findings that German Shepherd Dog breed and history of gastrointestinal disease were risk factors for MV. The MWDs with a history of prophylactic gastropexy or other abdominal surgery were more likely to acquire MV than were those without such history. These findings warrant further study. Despite the association between prophylactic gastropexy and MV, the authors remain supportive of this procedure to help prevent the more common disease of gastric dilatation-volvulus.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30211640/