Books, Dogs, and Other Blogs

Well, it was a very scary weekend for us.  On Friday night, Buddy was rushed to the ER for emergency surgery.  He had bloat with stomach torsion (also called GDV), which you can read more about here.  Adult dogs of larger breeds or "barrel-chested" dogs are more prone to bloat, but it doesn't always result in the stomach twisting.  Buddy actually had bloat once before, which was a lot like you'd imagine -- distended tummy, lots of discomfort but not exactly painful, which resolved on its own.  This time though, he was yelping and retching but not vomiting, along with the bloated belly.  Anyway, within 15 minutes of arriving at the ER, they had completed the XRays, diagnosed him, relieved the pressure in his tummy and stabilized him for surgery.  He was in the hospital for almost 4 days, and yesterday evening I picked him up.  Everything went very smoothly during surgery and recovery, and he's doing well at home.  I, on the other hand, woke up every 2 hours to make sure he was OK.  Buddy slept through the night without issue.

We were totally surprised by the sudden onset and severity of this condition, and this happens in otherwise healthy dogs, with no at all symptoms beforehand.  If you have any of the following dog breeds (or a barrel-chested dog like Bud), please please please take a minute to read the article linked above so you can recognize the signs of bloat and torsion, just in case.  The sooner your pooch gets medical attention, the better the chances are to save their life.  We are counting our lucky stars this year that Buddy was able to pull through. 

From article above:

Great Dane, German Shepherd Dog, St. Bernard, Labrador Retriever, Irish Wolfhound, Great Pyrenees, Boxer, Weimaraner, Old English Sheepdog, Irish Setter, Collie, Bloodhound, and Standard Poodle. Chinese Shar-Pei and Basset Hounds have the highest incidence among midsize dogs. Small dogs are rarely affected, with the exception of Dachshunds, who are also deep-chested.