Who is our resident Scottish vet?

[Chris Wilson]

I know we have a very helpful vet from Scotland here, but I can't remember his name, despite buying something from him. If he's reading this I have a question below, or maybe someone has his user name?

Most of our dogs are deep chested breeds which can be prone to bloat or bloat due to torsion. Our old vet once described which side to stick a knife in, just behind the rib cage in a serious emergency when getting the animal to a vet isn't practical within a relatively short time scale, and a ge-gassing tube can't be got into the stomach because of torsion. Is it the left or the right side, and why does it matter, is it because of the liver's position?

Ta!

And no, it's not something I want to try, but apparently it can be a life saver, we once VERY nearly lost a dog to torsion as my wife didn't recognise the symptoms until it was very far gone, but our vet saved him and he had another few good years with us. He said that another 30 minutes without attention would have seen him off.

[Ian R]

Stevie Kid

http://www.mkivsupra.net/vbb/member.php?u=3217

[Steviekid]

The main body of the stomach sits on the left hand side of the dog and this is the side you'd usually stick a needle to let some air out unless there's a severe torsion and the stomach is sitting towards the other side. It's fairly easy to tell where to go as it will be very swollen and rock hard. As long as you go far enough back you should miss the liver. The position of the spleen varies as it's closely attached to the stomach and can therefore twist with a torsion (hence why it often needs removed during corrective surgery).

I'd use something with a hollow bore rather than a knife if possible. When letting the air out with a stomach tube or needle it's important not to let the stomach down too quickly because if the blood that has been prevented from draining back to the heart because of the bloat is released all at once, you can get sudden cardiac failure. :)

[Chris Wilson]

Thanks Steve, can you get a large bore needle or something more suitable, to keep in the medical cabinet, just in case? What would you ask for? Appreciate the reply, if I do it irreparable damage I won't pursue you, don't worry ;) Being in the sticks makes finding a vet pronto a bit tricky at times, so we try to learn sensible emergency first aid now, where possible.

[Steviekid]

Thanks Steve, can you get a large bore needle or something more suitable, to keep in the medical cabinet, just in case? What would you ask for?

If you remind me what your address is I'll send you a couple. :)