Canine gastropexy is a surgical procedure performed on large breed dogs to prevent "gastric dilatation", commonly known as torsion bloat

Bloat

Bloat is a medical condition in which the stomach becomes overstretched by excessive gas content. It is also commonly referred to as torsion, gastric torsion, and gastric dilatation-volvulus when the stomach is also twisted. The word bloat is often used as a general term to cover gas distension...

. Torsion bloat is a life-threatening condition in which the stomach

Stomach

The stomach is a muscular, hollow, dilated part of the alimentary canal which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract in some animals, including vertebrates, echinoderms, insects , and molluscs. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication .The stomach is...

 flips over and expands, trapping air and gases in the stomach. Because circulation

Circulatory system

The circulatory system is an organ system that passes nutrients , gases, hormones, blood cells, etc...

 to the stomach and spleen

Spleen

The spleen is an organ found in virtually all vertebrate animals with important roles in regard to red blood cells and the immune system. In humans, it is located in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen. It removes old red blood cells and holds a reserve of blood in case of hemorrhagic shock...

 are cut off the dog goes into shock and dies.

In gastropexy, the stomach is tacked to the right side of the abdominal wall, so it cannot shift or twist. The procedure can be conducted laparoscopically as well.

Gastropexy is an effective preventive against death from torsion bloat in large dogs. In studies of dogs treated for bloat, of those with gastropexy, only 4.3% had a re-occurrence of bloat, compared to 54.5% of those dogs that did not have a gastropexy.