Bloat/Torsion - does it run in lines?

As bloat/torsion is quite common in GSDs, I would be interested to know whether it is known to run in certain lines?

Hypothetically, if a stud dog had suffered with a torsion, but survived, should he continue to be used for breeding? If so, would you be happy to have a pup sired by him, or would the risk be too great?

Thanks.

I was lead to believe that bloat is mainly caused by exercise (whether this is walking, running or even playing) too close to feeding, so I wouldn't have thought it would run in lines, but I will be interested to read if it is or not.

Not sure about that, when I worked at the vets, we had a Great Dane in twice and his sister with the condition.

I understand that deep chested dogs/exercising re feeding is a factor

I wouldn't touch such a puppy. Despite being heavily involved with service dogs since 1991, I know very little about it. True I am mostly working with puppies and bloat mostly strikes older dogs. However, I have other responsibilities that gives me exposure to working and retired dogs. If very many of them had bloat problems, I surely would have heard about a case. I never have in the Labs and Shepherds in the program. The school doesn't even warn people to be careful about it. They suggest feeding once a day. To me, the most logical explanation is that they have bred it out of their program along with other common health problems. If it is rare in some lines, it must be more common in others.

Thanks Jess and Steph.

I know it is thought that feeding/exercise etc could play a part too, but remember hearing (on here I think) that it could or does run in certain lines.

So, you are convinced Labman? I would be interested to know what the breeders in your training programme might have to say on the matter also?

This site maybe of use to you hun

www.globalspan.net/bloat.htm

there is evidence for and against that it is partly genetic. found this article, dont know if i agree with it entirely, but has some relevant points
Problems such as hip dysplasia and bloat clearly have a genetic component, but also an environmental component, and perhaps a behavioral one as well (which may also be partially determined by the genes). Gastric torsion is not a genetic disease, and it would be foolish to think that one can identify a single gene responsible for bloat. One might better compare a bloat attack to a bad case of indigestion in a human. Some people are more prone to such attacks than others, and there may well be an inherited component, but other factors play a substantial role. Research into bloat suggests that diet, behavior and conformation may all play a role.

Leaving aside the question of the role of genetics in behavior, the results suggest that the incidence of bloat increases with the size of the dog and the depth and width of the chest cavity. This is a conformational problem, not a genetic disease. Certainly the overall conformation is, ultimately, determined by the genes, but not by a single gene. There is no bloat gene we can identify and eliminate. There are probably dozens or hundreds of genes that go into determining the shape and size of the head, trunk and limbs. Wherever there is genetic variability, one can select for larger, smaller, narrower, wider, etc. Because the fancy as a whole decided that a taller, narrower Standard Poodle looked more "refined", more of that description were kept for breeding purposes and the population has been shifted toward a more bloat-prone conformation. [This is not exclusively a poodle problem. There are other large breeds in which it is even more frequent.]

When it comes to the question of correcting it, the solution, in theory, is simple. We stop breeding for a bloat-prone conformation and go back to a slightly smaller Standard with a chest cavity that is not so deep or narrow. Some may regard this as a retrogressive step, but we have to decide which we want to sacrifice.

I do not rule out the possibility that two dogs of identical conformation may have one or more genes that lead to one being more bloat-prone than the other. If we could identify these genes, we might be able to reduce the incidence somewhat while retaining some of the desired "refinement".

hi
i would of thought it may be in 'lines' as it is partly due to the conformation of the dog (of course other factors as well)

Kirsty as you are aware EPI runs in certain lines and there is a link between EPI and GDV (gastric dilation and volvulus).
Maybe there is also a link to megaesophagus which is definitely inherited.
I have been involved with GSDs most of my life and had my own for the last 28yrs+ never had one bloated yet on me and they have been English lines in the past and since the 90s WG lines, they have all been fed differently I initially used complete, then fed home cooked for 5yrs, raw for another 15yrs and complete again since Nov 07, I never feed before exercise but they always get fed on return in the mornings, in the eves it is a bit later.