Canine Gastropexy

Canine gastropexy is a veterinary surgical procedure in which a dog stomach is surgically anchored to the right side of the abdominal wall so it cannot twist. It is performed to treat or prevent gastric dilatation volvulus, a life-threatening condition in which the stomach fills with gas and rotates, cutting off blood flow to vital organs and risking fatal shock. The procedure is most common in large breed dogs prone to this bloating condition and can be done prophylactically in high-risk animals or after emergency treatment of an active volvulus to prevent it happening again; dogs that receive a gastropexy after a volvulus episode have a far lower recurrence rate than dogs that do not. It can be performed through open abdominal surgery or laparoscopically.