Anyone had a preventive gastropexy done?


Bianca CGC- TT HIC Thd- ♥

What big ears- you have...
Barked: Wed Nov 14, '12 7:37pm PST 
Just wondering if anyone had done a preventive gastropexy? If so, what did you think of it afterwards? Did you get it done during another surgery (like a spay)? What was the cost? Would you do it again?

Ginger, my previous dog (Golden Retriever) had to have emergency surgery due to gastric torsion when she was a senior, I was lucky in that I recognized the symptoms right away. I am planning to get a large breed puppy for my next dog and I know a lot of large breeds have a risk for bloat/torsion... Some of the breeds I am considering are especially prone to it. So I am thinking of possibly getting this procedure done and trying to find more info or whether it is a recommended procedure if done in a young dog as a preventive measure.
Chloe - 6/18/02 - 7/23/12

Anyone seen my- drool towel?
Barked: Thu Nov 15, '12 9:28pm PST 
Chloe had a preventative gastroplexy when she was about 3 years old. She was prone to regular "bloating". Every few days she would be in discomfort, her body would blow up like a balloon and we would have to try to relieve the pressure. (Preventative antacids didn't help). Anyway, we were very concerned that one day her stomach would twist so we decided on the surgery. The decision was fairly easy to make because of how often she seemed to start to bloat. She had already been spayed so we did it as a separate procedure. We were lucky in that our vet was located in a "teaching hospital" so we were able to have an intern do the procedure (with our vet at his side) at a cheaper cost. If we would have known of her tendency we would have had it done during her original spay. Afterwards we never worried about having to rush her to the vet due to a life threatening torsion and Chloe's bloating slowly decreased over the years. On the other hand: Our Wellington never has had the procedure and is still going strong. (And so far he has never bloated). dog

Member Since
Barked: Sun Nov 18, '12 6:26am PST 
We opted for a prophylactic gastropexy when our dog was spayed at 10 1/2-11 months (not sure it's recommended for younger pups). She's a breed prone to bloat and has some bloat in her pedigree (no direct relatives, but more distant aunts, uncles, and cousins). I'm glad we had it done; however, I'm not sure I'd do it as a single procedure unless there were additional factors (like with Chloe from the poster above).

We had the spay and 'pexy done laparoscopically; the total cost for the initial vet consultation, surgery, and follow up was about $1500. A traditional spay and 'pexy would have cost a bit less, but would the incision would have been very long (12-14") and the recovery time about twice as long.

One thing to remember (and if you've done research, I'm sure you know) is that the gastropexy doesn't prevent bloat (or torsion 100%). I see it as buying time to get emergency care. That was important to us as we both work full-time, so our dog is alone 5-6 hours a day.