Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook.pdf - Mr. Walnuts

266 •DOG OWNER’S HOME VETERINARY HANDBOOK
no veterinarian is available, because the needle could damage other tissues as
it is pushed through the body wall.
If you can pass a tube, you should still try to reach your veterinarian for
follow-up treatment to prevent a recurrence. Being able to pass a tube does
not always rule out volvulus. Occasionally, the tube passes even though the
stomach is twisted.
A diagnosis of dilatation or volvulus is best confirmed by X-rays of the
abdomen. Dogs with simple dilatation have a large volume of gas in the stomach,
but the gas pattern is normal. Dogs with
volvulus have a “double bubble” gas
pattern on the X-ray, with gas in two
sections separated by the twisted tissue.
Emergency therapy is directed
toward correcting shock and dehydration
with intravenous fluids and corticosteroids.
Antibiotics may be needed
to control infection. Ventricular
arrhythmias are common. They
require heart monitoring and the use
of anti-arrhythmic drugs.
If the dog has a volvulus, emergency
surgery is required as soon as
the dog is able to tolerate the anesthesia.
The goals are to reposition the
stomach and spleen, or to remove the
spleen and part of the stomach if
The tube is inserted in back of the
canine teeth and advanced to the mark
just measured.
Before passing a tube into
the stomach, the tube is
marked by measuring the
distance from the nose to
the last rib.
these organs have undergone necrosis.
Future recurrence can often be prevented
by suturing the wall of the