Partial Gastrectomy as Treatment of Gastric Volvulus Results in 30 Dogs

Of 285 dogs with gastric volvulus treated surgically, 30 (10.5%) required partial gastrectomy because of necrosis along the greater curvature of the body or fundic region of the stomach. Initially, the 30 dogs were treated with intravenous administration of lactated Ringer's solution, antibiotics, and corticosteroids. The stomach was decompressed with an oral gastric tube or by percutaneous gastrocentesis. Diagnosis of gastric volvulus was made by abdominal radiography and confirmed at surgery. At surgery, the stomach was decompressed and repositioned. Gastric viability was determined by evaluation of serosal color and perfusion, vascular patency, the degree of active bleeding from the incised gastric wall, and by palpation of the gastric wall; intravenous fluorescein dye evaluation was performed in some dogs. Twenty‐seven dogs developed postoperative complications, 19 (63%) of which died. Eleven dogs recovered.