On Tuesday February 11th we lost a beautiful male Germans Shepherd because of Mesenteric Torsion. Jaeger was a two year old male in excellent health and condition. Jaeger was in training for Ring Sport. He was fed 2 times a day and had 1 hour rest before feeding and three hours rest after feeding. Tuesday when we took him out of his crate to start training he suddenly collapsed. We took him to our regular vet immediate and they performed blood tests, X-Rays and Ultra- sound. Nothing could be found. Jaeger getting worse I decided to bring him to an Animal Emergency Clinic where they performed an exploratory surgery. Diagnoses acute Mesenteric Torsion.
A mesenteric torsion is the twisting of the intestines around the mesenteric axis. The mesentery is the suspension system for the intestines. The many feet of the intestines are suspended by a pretty small mesenteric root that contains the attachment of the mesentery and the major blood vessels providing nutrients to the intestines. Occasionally, this system ca twist on itself causing serious, often fatal consequences.
The mortality rate is almost 100% and was once thought to be a rare condition, but evidence has brought to light the fact that this is occurring with ever increasing incidence and has been seen to occur more commonly in German Shepherds than any other breed.
I have found the following links to provide helpful and have giving me better inside about this horrible condition.
Mesenteric Torsion in a Dog _ Practitioners Corner
Mesenteric Torsion in a Dog - Clinical Report
An Approach to the Radiographic Evaluation of the Acute Abdomen
As this disease is very unknown of I want to share some information about mesenteric torsion. Jaeger symptoms were complete white tongue, Blackened dark gums, very increased heart rate and weakened pulse. My lesson learned is not to waste any time on X-Rays and Ultra-sound but immediate go do an exploratory surgery to minimize further risk. I will continue to research this disease and share all my findings and information.