Bloat or Torsion in GSDs

[xcaliburfarms1]

I've been in GSDs for over 40 years off and on and have yet, knock on wood, to have a GSD experience this condition. BUT, I have heard of so many who have had dogs go through this, have surgery, or even die from this. I've also heard so many schools of thought as to why the GSD is one of the top five breeds to experience this condition. If there is such a factor as Dark DNA upon which attaches the marker for the incidence of a predisposition for a dog to carry or experience an incidence of bloat/torsion. then perhaps somewhere there is a database of dogs known to have experienced B/T or who have been related directly to a dog that has had B/T. Does anyone here wish to divulge names of dogs that may have experienced or been related directly to GSDs with Bloat or Torsion? This information would be of interest to other GSD breeders or people who may wish to acquire a GSD who might wish to have this info so they would not have a dog in their life that would inherit this predisposition and then lose their beloved pet. Life is short and I've had many more deaths of dogs with inherited conditions that I wish I had known about and perhaps I would not have suffered the loss of those dogs...I could have made an informed decision instead that would have prevented so much pain. Thanks to anyone who wishes to put the info out there for compilation of such a database. There is OFA who compiles a similar list of hip and elbow dysplasia and others who compile lists of dogs with heart defects, eye disorders, etc. Perhaps it is time we compile this list as well.

[Whiteshepherds]

I found this database. Can't tell if it's new or not. Bloat is in the database.
German Shephrrd Dog Breed Betterment Registry
http://www.gsdbbr.org/

There's also a genetics database for white shepherds, bloat is also on that database.

[hunterisgreat]

The simple fact is there isn't any clear understanding yet of the cause other than a strong correlation to chest depth particularly relative to waist size, and activity before and after large amounts of food & water consumption. Even then, dogs still get it when you didn't break any rules. Its simply a fact of life that you are taking on risk when getting a large dog, in the same you are taking the risk of broken bones in the very danty boned dogs, that a very high drive dog can have EIC (excercise induced collapse). Danes are estimated to have 1/3rd get bloat. If you get a dane, you have to all but prepare for bloat. There is lots of conflicting info (feed elevated, don't feed elevated, diet type, etc). If your dog has ever burped, then you know they are swallowing air. If they are swallowing air, the risk of bloat is increased

The good thing about bloat though (if there is a good thing), is if you're that paranoid, you can preemptively prevent it with a simple surgical procedure for ~$500.

My dog had torsion bloat, and there is no history in his lines of it. Never had any GI problems before or after. I believe the exceptional leanness I was keeping him at (recommended by trainer) led to his waistline being very small compared to chest, and this contributed significantly.

To compound the problem... so many people don't even know what it is, and as such when their dog up and dies abruptly, it may not be ID'ed as bloat, so we don't even have really good figures on how prevalent it is.

I believe the only way to "breed it out" is to breed smaller chested, smaller GSDs. But then we aren't breeding GSD's anymore. There is no such thing as risk-free in life. We will always have to accept a certain amount of risk

[hunterisgreat]

Yikes.. just read a study showed the average weight for dogs with bloat is 58lbs (across all breeds of course)

[Samba]

Every good GSD warrants a gastropexy here. Fortunately it is less than half of 500.00. Darned torsion..grrrrr.

[wildo]

Originally Posted by Samba

Fortunately it is less than half of 500.00.

-off topic-
May I ask why you didn't just say it is less than 250.00?? hahahahaa!!

[hunterisgreat]

Originally Posted by Samba

Every good GSD warrants a gastropexy here. Fortunately it is less than half of 500.00. Darned torsion..grrrrr.

Really? Thats the annoying thing about vets.. prices fluctuate so wildly from place to place for the same service

I will probably do this with all future male GSD's. Females I don't know if the risks out weigh the benefits.

[Samba]

I don't know how frequent it is in females.
I have known one Female GSD and one Swissy bitch that torsioned. My friend did her two females and my vet pexied his girl. My females aren't pexied and I do worry.

[hunterisgreat]

Originally Posted by Samba

I don't know how frequent it is in females.
I have known one Female GSD and one Swissy bitch that torsioned. My friend did her two females and my vet pexied his girl. My females aren't pexied and I do worry.

The stats range from twice as like for males, to 4 times as likely. Def much more likely at any rate. I may do my female sometime this year. Dog expenses are stacking up on me. Possibly have to do crowns on my male's canines

[Nelly]

If it gets to the point where dogs have to have preventative surgery because people are afraid their dogs might bloat isn't that a sure sign of the breed's deteriorating health ??

Is it better to ask what type of environment and selection pressure there has been/currently is that allows dogs with all sorts of issues to be bred from that in decades past would either have had a hard time living or would have died without all the medical advancements available today.

I don't have any stats on bloat in wild dogs or large working breeds in a non- western environment but it would be really interesting information to find out. If bloat was such an issue in those type of dogs, you'd think populations would have trouble thriving.