Donnelly Hannah, Dunne Karen
Department of Agriculture, Food and Animal Health, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Dundalk, Ireland.
Vet Med Sci. 2025 Jul;11(4):e70377. doi: 10.1002/vms3.70377.
Prophylactic gastropexy reduces the occurrence of gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV) in dogs, but ethical concerns exist due to its invasiveness. Research on veterinary professionals' opinions of the procedure is lacking, with no data having been published either in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) or further afield. This study was designed to bridge this knowledge gap, by identifying current practices in the ROI and examining veterinary professionals' views of the procedure.
A cross-sectional study was conducted with 43 registered veterinary practitioners (VPs) and 45 registered veterinary nurses (RVNs) in the ROI, on their current practices and views on prophylactic gastropexy. Data was analysed using Microsoft Excel, with descriptive statistical analysis of quantitative data and qualitative data subjected to thematic analysis.
Two themes relating to prophylactic gastropexy were identified: enabling perceptions and disabling perceptions. Enabling perceptions included reduced risk of GDV, cost-effectiveness, improved quality of life and reduced anaesthetic risk. Disabling perceptions included anaesthetic and surgical risks, inability to prevent gastric dilation, potential gastropexy breakdown, cost and post-operative complications. In addition, ethical concerns were raised regarding the procedure's invasiveness, its potential interference with natural selection and the fact that it could encourage the use of surgical solutions to problems created by improper breeding practices.
Due to ethical issues associated with the procedure, the decision to perform a prophylactic gastropexy relies on multiple patient factors, the procedure's invasiveness, the timing of the procedure and its impact on future health. This study failed to account for the owner's perspective, necessitating further research.
预防性胃固定术可降低犬胃扩张和扭转（GDV）的发生率，但因其具有侵入性而存在伦理问题。目前缺乏关于兽医专业人员对该手术看法的研究，爱尔兰共和国（ROI）及其他地区均未发表相关数据。本研究旨在通过确定ROI的当前做法并考察兽医专业人员对该手术的看法来填补这一知识空白。
对ROI的43名注册兽医从业者（VPs）和45名注册兽医护士（RVNs）进行了一项横断面研究，了解他们对预防性胃固定术的当前做法和看法。使用Microsoft Excel对数据进行分析，对定量数据进行描述性统计分析，对定性数据进行主题分析。
确定了与预防性胃固定术相关的两个主题：促成性认知和阻碍性认知。促成性认知包括降低GDV风险、成本效益、提高生活质量和降低麻醉风险。阻碍性认知包括麻醉和手术风险、无法预防胃扩张、胃固定术可能失败、成本和术后并发症。此外，还对该手术的侵入性、对自然选择的潜在干扰以及可能鼓励使用手术解决方案来解决不当繁殖做法造成的问题等提出了伦理担忧。
由于该手术存在伦理问题，决定实施预防性胃固定术取决于多个患者因素、手术的侵入性、手术时机及其对未来健康的影响。本研究未考虑主人的观点，因此需要进一步研究。
