And unless there is immediate medical attention, the dog can die within six hours. When the stomach is torsed, the immediate affect is to cut off some of the blood return to the heart. This causes a rapid onset of shock. The stomach wall tends to die and vast amounts of toxins are liberated. A dire emergency is in effect.
Emergency treatment consists of decompressing the stomach as quickly as possible.
Shock must be addressed and treated vigorously with huge amounts of fluids, steroids, and anti-biotics. Severe cardiac arrhythmias are often present, and must be addressed vigorously. This is a job for a well-equipped, experienced veterinary clinic. Depending on how common this condition is in your particular breed, some people and veterinarians select to do a prophylactic gastropexy, which tacks the stomach to the body wall. Although the idea appears to be sound, long term evaluations have not been completed.