GDV Bloat Dogs | 2 Brown Dawgs Blog

Time for Follow-up Friday.  The blog hop that:

Let’s you wrap up your week and leads you right into the weekend.

Thank you to Jodi from Heart Like A Dog and co-host Kari from Hound Girl for hosting the hop!

This is a bit of a different Follow-up.

Yesterday marked the two-year anniversary of the day that we almost lost Thunder to GDV (more commonly referred to as bloat with torsion).  We were very lucky because we recognized the symptoms and took him to an ER vet who had a lot of experience treating this condition.

From 6-13-11 Thunder Training Before He Bloated

That Spring we were training toward running Thunder in Seasoned and Senior hunt tests.  We had been out training that evening and all seemed well until later that night when we realized something was very wrong.  We rushed Thunder to the ER vet who confirmed our fears of bloat with torsion.  Immediately we had to decide whether to do surgery or not.  The alternative to surgery was euthanasia.  We had moments to decide because time is of the essence when you are treating this condition.  The problem with the surgery was that there were no guarantees it was extremely expensive.  After talking to the vet and her assurance that he was a good candidate for surgery, we agreed.

The surgery went well.  We thought the vet was going to have to remove his spleen, but that turned out not to be necessary.  His vitals were all really good so immediately after surgery he had a positive prognosis, provided there were no complications.  Again, there were no guarantees.  Thunder had to stay in the hospital for a few days.  He did so well that the staff there called him “Thunder the Wonder Dog”.  He also became a favorite because despite being a big intact Chessie, he was never surly or nasty.

Thunder 6-18-11 After He Came Home From The Hospital

Once he was home he was pretty out of it.  It was a couple of weeks before I saw the light return to his eyes and then there was no stopping him.  The vet ordered limited activity for 4 weeks and after that he could run a bit, but as far as hard training, that was a no-no for 6 weeks.  Once he felt better, it was hard to make him sit out, but we followed to the vet’s orders as she wrote them.

From Our Training This Past Sunday–Back In 2011 Slamming Into The Water Would Not Be Good For A Dog Healing From Abdominal Surgery

After his training layoff was over, he bounced right back and ran his first Seasoned test 63 days after surgery.  He didn’t pass that test, but he passed the test the next day and went on to earn both his Seasoned and Senior titles that summer, going 3 for 4 in Seasoned and 4 for 5 in Senior.

2011 Ribbons All Earned After His Surgery That June

Despite what you might read, they still do not know what causes this condition.  There are suspicions, so we take precautions such as limiting water consumption before, during and after exercise and not feeding 2 hours before and 1 hour after exercise.  We also use a slow feeder bowl for Thunder and he gets a Gas-x with each meal, (all of our dogs do).  (Always consult you vet before adding medications to your dog’s diet.)

There is a preventative surgery they can do to tack the stomach to prevent it from twisting which we will seriously consider for Freighter although his body style is a bit different from Thunder’s.  Thunder is very narrow and deep-chested.  Freighter is not as narrow or deep, but he is not yet full-grown.  We will wait until he is a bit older to do any surgery because if you tack too young, it may not last the dog’s entire lifetime.

Photo of an x-ray showing gastric dilatation and volvulus in a large mixed-breed dog. The large dark area is the gas trapped in the stomach. The pylorus and duodenum are in an abnormal position cranial to the stomach and are separated by a fold in the stomach, creating a “double bubble” appearance. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The most important thing that I hope you take away from this post is to familiarize yourself with the symptoms and if you suspect your dog may be bloating, act immediately and take your dog to the ER vet or vet hospital.  Do not wait because waiting may make the difference between your dog living or dying.

Thunder did not have all the typical symptoms.  He did not appear to bloat.  His abdomen did not have the hollow drum sound.  He was not salivating excessively.  The vet said that he did not have the foamy air bubbles in his stomach that usually happen with bloat.  But he was very restless and was standing roach backed and trying to vomit.  All dogs do not present the same way according to the ER vet.  I am posting a chart which describes symptoms.  (I am not sure who originally made this chart to give credit.)

Bloat Chart (Click To View Larger)

We are so thankful that Thunder had a gifted surgeon and staff to take care of him.  Incredibly, they told us that they do 2-3 surgeries a week for this condition.  Two years later Thunder shows no ill effects from his brush with death.  He loves to train and lives to go hunting.  Of course there is a possibility that he could bloat again so we watch for signs and continue to take precautions, but we have not tried to slow him down nor has he really slowed down despite turning 7 last March.

Thunder Training Last Night

Thanks for reading my long-winded post.  There were some great questions this past week and I hope to answer them next week, so stay tuned.  I will also be having a really cool give-away in the next week or two so check back for that.

Thanks again to Jodi from Heart Like A Dog and co-host Kari from Hound Girl for hosting the hop.

The weather is supposed to be nice tomorrow and we plan to get some training in.  Have a nice weekend!

Hosted By Heart Like A Dog

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