Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Meteorological influence on the occurrence of gastric dilatation-volvulus in military working dogs in Texas.
- Journal:
- International journal of biometeorology
- Year:
- 2008
- Authors:
- Moore, George E et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Comparative Pathobiology · United States
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) is a serious condition where a dog's stomach expands and twists, which can be life-threatening. A study looked at whether changes in temperature and air pressure could influence the chances of GDV occurring in military working dogs in Texas over six years. They found that GDV happened on 57 days, mostly during the colder months of November, December, and January. Interestingly, days with higher maximum temperatures seemed to lower the risk of GDV, while large drops in temperature and higher air pressure were weakly linked to an increased risk, but these changes weren't reliable predictors. Overall, the study suggests that while weather factors may play a role, they are not definitive causes of GDV.
Abstract
Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) is a life-threatening condition in dogs and other species in which the stomach dilates and rotates on itself. The etiology of the disease is multi-factorial, but explicit precipitating causes are unknown. This study sought to determine if there was a significant association between changes in hourly-measured temperature and/or atmospheric pressure and the occurrence of GDV in the population of high-risk working dogs in Texas. The odds of a day being a GDV day, given certain temperature and atmospheric pressure conditions for that day or the day before, was estimated using logistic regression models. There were 57 days in which GDV(s) occurred, representing 2.60% of the days in the 6-year study period. The months of November, December, and January collectively accounted for almost half (47%) of all cases. Disease risk was negatively associated with daily maximum temperature. An increased risk of GDV was weakly associated with the occurrence of large hourly drops in temperature that day and of higher minimum barometric pressure that day and the day before GDV occurrence, but extreme changes were not predictive of the disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17690918/