Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), commonly called bloat, is a rapidly fatal emergency in dogs — particularly in large, deep-chested breeds — where the stomach fills with gas and twists, cutting off blood supply.
GDV causes acute, severe suffering — dogs experience intense pain, distress, and rapidly deteriorating cardiovascular function as the condition progresses. Death without emergency surgery is virtually certain within hours. Even with prompt treatment, mortality rates remain around 10 to 30 percent depending on how quickly the dog reaches surgery. The preventability of GDV in high-risk breeds through prophylactic gastropexy makes the welfare argument for routine surgery compelling: the procedure itself carries low risk and can be performed concurrently with desexing. Awareness among owners of at-risk breeds is poor, and delayed presentation to emergency vets — often due to non-recognition of symptoms — contributes significantly to welfare-preventable deaths.