Bloat/Torsion

By Barbara Lee Williams

I came into the German Shepherd Breed as an active participant in the show scene in 1954….I do not recall ever hearing the term ‘Bloat” in reference to dogs, prior to the 1960’s. Were we seeing Bloat/Torsion and not recognizing it for what it was…as many did not have autopsies performed on their dogs when they died or found them dead.

The first time I ever heard the word used, ‘Bloat’… was in reference to the death of a very beautiful Axel vd Deininghauserheide daughter.., who had been exhibited on the West Coast, where I had seen her, imported by Ernest Loeb. I was told,( I do not know for a fact.) that she died .in his Kennel from ’Bloat’…That was in 1961 I believe. I only know this because I had written to inquire about a puppy from her and was told of her very untimely death due to ‘Bloat’. I had to ask, " What’s Bloat?? “

Then, in the late 60’s and 70’s, we suddenly had many beautiful show winning stars’ dying young from Bloat/Torsion.. and the long. pitiless, endless list, began to march on and on and on….new names added on a regular basis……I studied the pedigrees… intently, feeling with an uneasy certainty ,that what we were seeing had genetic implications for the German Shepherd Breed. My close friend, Marty Lou Plinski, and I began researching and collecting pedigrees and information on Shepherds who had suffered with Bloat/Torsion and making Genetic charts and keeping track of certain sires where the incidence was unusually high in affected progeny. This deadly problem reached close to epidemic proportions.

The tragedy is, and has always been, , that most people, were so mesmerized and so seduced by the beautiful progeny they were getting from these dogs, even though in many cases they had in common, first generation sires and dams, relatives and siblings, who had been stricken with Bloat, including Gastric, Mesenteric and Splenic.

They chose to turn a blind eye and deaf ear, and kept inbreeding and practicing close linebreeding back into those same lines, without benefit of outcross breedings now and then. …firmly establishing the ‘Founding Father’s Effect’ in the American Bloodlines. Many blamed the Bloat/Torsion problem on diet and stress, etc. not willing to face the genetic implications that had become so devastatingly plain to those few of us who were paying attention to the Red Flags all over some of these pedigrees of those Shepherds stricken with Bloat/Torsion.

It was a time of covering up the eyes and mouths and ears, and playing the 3 Monkeys. ”See no Evil…Speak no Evil… Hear no Evil’’. What did that attitude accomplish? A virtual genetic predisposition firestorm that engulfed many of the most prominent and influential American bloodlines with an inherited predisposition to Bloat/Torsion. Now we look back and say, what happened? I believe if you look seriously and intently and study the pedigrees of those who were lost to Bloat/Torsion or suffered Bloat/Torsion and were saved surgically, you will see for yourselves the obvious connections.

We still have many today who do not believe that Bloat/Torsion, whether Gastric or Mesenteric, is inherited. They believe it is from environmental influences, such as running and exercising directly prior to, or after, feeding. Or it is the Kibble or something else that they are eating or not eating that is causing them to Bloat and Torsion ??. Or it is STRESS from going for a Car Ride? Or to a Dog Show or Event?? Or maybe, from being separated from their owners ? They offer a long list of endless possibilities, except the most obvious one…Which is : A Genetic Predisposition to Bloat/Torsion when exposed to these environmental experiences, of which all would be absolutely harmless to a dog who is NOT genetically predisposed to Bloat/Torsion

Many Authorities have supported the theory that B/T is caused strictly by these environmental and outside influences along with beliefs that this Bloat/Torsion is to be expected from a highly nervous, erratic personality type Shepherd. By refusing to study and research the pedigrees of the affected and afflicted, ignoring that B/T often occurs in the coolest and calmest and most steady of character and temperament individuals, and accepting only that it is an unpredictable and wholly random deadly disease which can strike suddenly, to those who ignore the warnings of feeding their dogs in elevated food dishes, or providing water after exercise on a hot day and allowing the dog to drink it’s fill, etc.. and on and on…with endless warnings and conditions being applied and advised to thwart the deadly bloat from rearing it’s ugly head. However, if a dog has NOT inherited a predisposition to Bloat/Torsion, they can most likely indulge in any of the warned against activities and conditions and thrive without ever experiencing Bloat/Torsion. It does not matter if they are nervous, high strung or cool as a cucumber personality… if they inherit the predisposition to Bloat, they are like a ticking genetic time-bomb waiting for the fuse to light and then explode.

EXACTLY What is that fuse?? What lights it?

That has been the cause of great concern and conversations among many people for many years, amateurs and professionals alike.

I would just like to offer my thoughts for what they are worth...after years of being involved with the disease and hopes for a cure.

I believe it is inherited as a Genetic Predisposition to Bloat/Torsion as a Dominant with Limited or Incomplete Penetration.

Incomplete Dominance. The trait may be Dominant with Variable Expressivity…which means that if either parent is affected, all puppies have a susceptibility to the disorder, but not all will be affected equally.

Alternately, a Dominant trait may have Incomplete penetration. If Penetration is 75% for example, only about 3 quarters of the pups who inherit the trait will express it. But they carry the gene or genes for the predisposition to Bloat/Torsion, but may not be affected themselves, but still pass it on dominately. So what you see isn’t always what you get.

This fact alone gives us the impetus to carefully research pedigrees and recognize the affected ones and breed as far away from them and their first generation relatives as possible. The implication of the increase in EPI (Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency) which is now considered genetic in the German Shepherd Breed and only a random disease in other breeds, gives us pause to think…and be very concerned.

I tend to believe that EPI is a strong possible factor in lighting the ‘Fuse‘ for Bloat/Torsion, whether it be Gastric or Mesenteric…Plus in Gastric Torsion we may find a connection with the Pyloric Valve, particularly in Pylorospasms and a possible narrowing of the Pyloric valve itself, or it’s failure to remain open or close off at inappropriate times which possibly might cause a back-up of stomach fluids, recent food intake, or just Gas, as often the stomachs are empty with dogs that have Gastric Bloat/Torsion. I would hope research would be conducted explore that possibility.

In Mesenteric Torsion, where the intestine is involved, one often finds a case history of a poor eater, suffering with SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrow) or IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) which often leads to Bowel Inflammation and EPI is often involved as well. EPI is not easily to identify and requires some rather intensive and expensive tests. However any dog whose Complete Blood Panel shows a low average range of Pancreatic activity, should go ahead and seek the answer with more sophisticated tests. There are supplements, Viokase, etc. which can be given to dogs who need help. But there is no cure for EPI and it is an inherited disease in German Shepherds. It is considered to be a Familial Disease, meaning it runs in Families.

Splenic Torsion is another complicated disease, that is going to require a lot of serious study and research as well, to find the answers. The Spleen is often removed when a dog has surgery for Gastric Bloat/Torsion as it is so often quite involved and damaged in Gastric torsion.

I am not a Veterinarian nor a Geneticist and these are simply serious observations…gathered over 50 years. Respectfully Submitted and Written by Barbara Lee Williams.. With Hope they are of benefit and will at least lead to Breeders being aware of the Genetic Implications of Bloat/Torsion in German Shepherds.

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