Hi all,

Connie had mesenteric torsion, was operated on Mon/Tue and we got her home yesterday evening after 3 days in ICU. The doctor said it might happen again. She said there is too little information about causes and too few case studies on survivors. We are very scared. Does anybody have any experience with this? How do we lower the chances of recurrence?

Special thanks to Dr. Sherry Appel, Dr. Nicholas Sattelmaier, Dr. Graham Burns and the staff of Bay Area Veterinary Specialists.

Sorry to hear about her Ana. The only things I've heard were general ideas to prevent it, but to a dog that has had it, I don't know if its any help. I always rest my dogs after they eat for a couple of hours. I don't let them drink too much water during or after excercise, moderate amounts spread out a little, not just a long period of gulping. They used to say elevate the food bowl but the last thing I read said not to.

I'm sorry to hear it, Ana. Had to Google the condition to know what it was, it sounds like she's lucky to have lived.

I don't have any advice to offer, just my hope that she's feeling better soon.

Thank you Steve and Meredith. I read about MT a long time ago on this website, that's why I was so insistent they had to do something, not just supportive care.

Small portions, frequent meals, no dietary indiscretions - sure, will watch her like a hawk. Connie gets car sick often. I am worried that being car sick could trigger GI upset => gas => twist.

Have no idea what to do about her diet. She has been on raw so far - chicken, beef, organs. Dr. said no bones, said she has to dig them out of the intestines all the time She referred us to UC Davis, they have an excellent nutritionist that could personalize a program. Will be contacting them on Monday.

 Quote: Ana Kozlowsky

She referred us to UC Davis, they have an excellent nutritionist that could personalize a program. Will be contacting them on Monday.

Best advice I could imagine.



I'll go through whatever I have saved on mesenteric torsion and preventing recurrence tonight.

Thank goodness the dog was saved and is in recovery.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

I'll go though whatever I have saved on mesenteric torsion and preventing recurrence tonight.

Thank you, Connie, I hoped you would.

They didn't staple because they did not think the bowel was able to take it.

My raw-fed GSD bloated a year and a half ago--full torsion. They did emergency surgery to fix the twist, and a gastropexy to tack the stomach in place to prevent future torsion. Our vet who encourages raw feeding feels that the raw diet may have actually saved our dog. No carbs in his stomach meant less gas build up during the bloat. It gave us a little extra time, I suppose. But it was still mighty scary.

After that, out of an abundance of caution, the vet recommended that we continue with our raw diet--but to grind it. So that's what we do. It's exactly the same diet as before, we just run everything though the grinder, bones and all. We bought a good one--and haven't had any trouble grinding any manner of turkey, duck, chicken. It's actually kind of fun! My dogs love it, and it makes portioning meals easy too. They don't get the tooth and jaw benefits of raw whole bones, but they still get a great diet, prepared by me, made from ingredients I control.

Luca recoverd completely (it did take a while to regain the weight he lost being in the hospital for a week) and now he's fit as a fiddle.

I hope your dog's recovery is quick and uncomplicated.

I am glad your dog is fine now gives me hope. What grinder do you use, Tracy? I have been looking for one online for a while but decided against it in favor of larger chunks. Connie was waiting for her molar crown for a couple of weeks, then this, wasn't doing much chewing and now her teeth are turning yellow. Will resume brushing when she is better. How do we keep her teeth healthy if she cannot chew?

I've been thinking of stuffing one meal into a XXL Kong, perhaps mixed with Wysong's Denta Treat, and freezing it - it'll make Connie slow down, salivate and get those enzymes working on her teeth.

http://www.onestopjerkyshop.com/electric-meat-grinder-p-411.html

I have this grinder. Yes, it's expensive, but I have not regretted it.

My dogs teeth don't seem to have suffered any from eating ground raw. It still doesn't "stick" to teeth the way kibble does. And they have plenty of chew toys for chewing fun.

Nice. Does it grind turkey leg bones? Would love to put all of those cheap frozen Thanksgiving turkeys to good use. The dentist also recommends grinding all large chicken bones after they were frozen - makes them brittle.