Has your dog ever had GDV or Bloat?

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For most people, if they don't know what this is, and their pet has had it, they have more than likely lost their pet. Some dogs can get GDV, and not show many signs of distress. If not treated, it is ALWAYS fatal. GDV or Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus, can be common among large breed dogs. It's a condition where their stomach twists inside their abdomen. It actually brings the duodenum (the exit to your stomach) up above the esophagus (the entrance to the stomach) thus blocking anything going in and anything going out. Again, this condition is always fatal. Later friday night, as I was going to bed, I noticed one of our german shepherds seemed really uncomfortable. When he wretched up all the water he had just drank, and started to burp a LOT, I figured something was upsetting his stomach. I got him to lay down and realize his stomach was twice it's normal size. I rushed him to the emergency vet. He is now home, and recovering. Have any of you had a dog that has experienced bloat? It is apparently more common than you think. We have 3 German Shepherds and 2 Great Pyrenees, and all of them could be susceptible to this life threatening condition. They don't know anything specifically that causes it, OR any ways to help prevent it.