Understanding Canine Bloat For Better Treatment

Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine Press Release

Laura Nelson, assistant professor in the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences (SCS), has been awarded a 2-year, $233,774 grant to fund research on the causes of Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) in dogs. The grant was awarded by the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation (CHF) on October 4, 2013.

GDV, or bloat, is one of the leading causes of death in dogs, second only to cancer for some breeds, and the number one killer of Great Danes. Despite its prevalence, the cause of bloat is unknown.

When a dog gets bloat, gas fills the dog’s stomach, the stomach twists completely around, the gas has no way to escape, and blood and air supply to the stomach are cut off. As the stomach swells, it presses against the abdominal wall and pushes against large blood vessels. Shock is usually the cause of death. The whole progression can happen in a matter of minutes or hours, and surgery is required to save the dog’s life.

While the cause of bloat is unclear, there is a strong predisposition in some dogs and it is generally thought that GDV is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors.

“Not every dog is going to get it,” says Nelson. “But there is a strong predisposition in some dogs. Older, nervous, and large and giant dogs breeds—particularly Great Danes (and similar deep-chested dogs)—are most prone to bloat. But we still don’t know what causes it. That’s what we want to know—why some dogs get bloat while others don’t.”

Nelson’s team is investigating the relationship of motility—contractions responsible for the digestion of food—with increased GDV risk, and hopes to define the biochemical and genetic alterations that may be associated with hypomotility—abnormally weak contractions. A new diagnostic tool, SmartPill®, makes possible noninvasive assessment of motility. The SmartPill® is an ingestible capsule with an instrument inside that measures acidity and pressure. The team will measure the time it takes the capsule to pass through the dog’s system and the pressure spikes along the way.

In addition to investigating gastric motility as a predictor of GDV, researchers will evaluate the expression of the hormones motilin and ghrelin—regulators of GI motility—as a predictor of predisposition to GDV. This information will support an investigation of the disease’s genetic foundations.

“The strong breed and familial tendency to bloat points to a strong genetic predisposition to the disease,” says William Horne, chair of the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences. “If we can identify a causal gene mutation associated with high risk of GDV, this could lead to developing genetic tests that would allow breeders to make informed breeding decisions.”

In the short term, the research findings may provide clinicians with data that would allow them to make informed decisions about when to use preventative medications or conduct targeted prophylactic surgery—gastropexy—in at-risk dogs. This procedure surgically attaches the stomach to the abdominal wall in order to prevent twisting. It is an effective procedure that is well tolerated, but, Nelson notes, it is an invasive procedure that may not be necessary in some dogs. There currently is not a good way to determine who to recommend it for.

“There is nothing more frustrating than throwing treatments at something when you don’t understand why it happens,” says Nelson. “With bloat, it happens and you treat it. But it would be so much more satisfying if we really understood why some dogs get bloat, and then be able to make more informed treatment decisions and possibly prevent the disease altogether,” says Nelson.

Nelson, the primary investigator of the project, is joined by a team of co-investigators from the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine: John C. Fyfe, DVM, PhD; Dr. Joe Hauptman, DVM, DACVS; Kent Refsal, DVM, PhD; William Horne, DVM, PhD, DACVA; Bryden J. Stanley, BSc, BVMS, MACVSc, MVetSc, DACVS; Michele Fritz, LVT; and James Galligan, PhD.

Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=36021

Posted by chesliepickett on Oct 14 2013. Filed under Health & Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.