Stomach Turns on Barrel Chested Breeds

[bustersmom]

Just an fyi for the group since i had no idea this was common in older Bassets.

Saturday Buster was acting weird and walking around the apt. like crazy. He is 15 years old and a bit sight challenged (see "eye problem" posting).

He was vomiting clear stuff and bloated out around his chest area.

Turns out his stomach had turned on him and it happens to barrel chested breeds (bassets, boxers, danes, etc).

If it happens it's a timing issue, you have to catch it quick and get them to surgery or they are goners. And if they do need surgery and are older there is a TINY chance they'll make it through.

Buster made it (he's a stubborn fighter) and he's home, but what they did do was tack his stomach to his rib so that it wouldn't happen again.

IMPORTANT NOTE: It's somewhat recommended that if you do need your dog to go under for some reason and they're already poking around in there, it's a good idea to do this tacking of the stomach as a preventative so that it doesn't happen to your dog.

[Mom2Scully]

Hi and welcome to the board!

I'm very glad your Buster made it through his surgery, and I hope he recovers well. It must've been a very scary experience for you, and him! When we got Scully the breeder actually warned us that bassets were prone to this stomach turning and bloat. Have never heard about tacking of the stomach as a preventive measure though, so thanks for the heads-up.

Would love to see a picture of Buster! We love to see pictures around here. ;D

[Southern Bassets]

Welcome to Basset Friends!

Thanks for the heads up. I never even heard of such a thing?

I'm so glad that Buster made through ok. As you'll see we tend to worry about eachothers bassets around here.

[pw30]

A friend of mine has an Irish Wolf Hound (my next dog) and he had the same problem. I guess it's very common in larger breeds as well. They just made it with their dog because they did not know what the problem was. This was a good reminder for all of us. Thanks.