This post is part of the Caring For Critters Round Robin which was created by Jodi at  Heart Like A Dog.  Each day a different blogger will be sharing their experiences with a particular injury, condition, disease or illness. Since it is a “Round Robin” one blog will pass the baton, so to speak, to the next each day.  Yesterday Jodi kicked off the Caring For Critters Round Robin with a post about Canine ACL Injury/Surgery.  At the end of this post, I will pass the baton on to the next blogger so you can follow from blog to blog.  Jodi is also gathering all of the posts here for quick reference.

Jodi has asked me to share my experience with Canine Bloat or Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV).


The first time I ever heard about the condition called “bloat” was during a seminar hubby and I attended about canine first aid.  The seminar speaker was a veterinarian and she touched a little on the symptoms of bloat and stressed that if we ever suspected that our dog was suffering from it, to take him directly to an emergency vet because the condition could be deadly and time was of the essence.

I filed it away in my brain.

What is Canine Bloat?

Canine bloat is a condition where the dog’s stomach fills with air, (gastric dilatation).  It is an extremely serious condition.  Sometimes the stomach or spleen will twist which cuts off the blood supply to the organs, (gastric dilatation-volvulus).  This condition can be deadly.

Our experience with Bloat/GDV.

June 13, 2011 was a day like any other.  We took Thunder (he was 5 years old at that time), and Storm out to train.  They were training toward their AKC Senior and HRC Seasoned Titles.

Thunder Training June 13, 2011
Thunder Training June 13, 2011

Nothing strange happened during training, but later that evening Thunder seemed very ill at ease.  He was pacing about and would not settle down.  He appeared to stand with a roached back and he tried to vomit, but nothing came out.

We started to suspect bloat, but he did not have the swollen stomach that is often described as a symptom.

We decided that even if it turned out to be nothing, it was worth a trip to the Emergency Vet to tell us that he had a bit of a stomach upset.

Hubby and I quickly discussed which ER vet to take him to.  One was closer, but I knew that if this was in fact bloat that I would much rather he be treated at a Veterinary Hospital, so that is where we headed.

It seemed like it took hours to get there, but it was probably less than 1/2 hour.  On the way to the ER vet, Thunder became much worse and it was clear he was in a lot of pain.  Still, he walked into the hospital.

After describing his symptoms and what we suspected, the vet took him back for an x-ray which confirmed that it was bloat and that his stomach and spleen had twisted.

At that point, the decision was whether to do a very expensive surgery where the vet would try to untwist the organs or euthanasia.  Those were the only two choices because once the organs twist, the blood supply is cut off to them and eventually the dog will go into shock and die.  It is a painful death from what I have been told.  The surgery did not have a guaranteed outcome.  Sometimes dogs do not survive the surgery, or if they do, the damage to their organs is too severe and they only survive a few days.

Whatever decision, we only had moments to make it.

Making A Decision.

I bet most readers would say the decision is no brainer.  Surgery is a must because the alternative (euthanasia) is no alternative really.  But it wasn’t that easy.  We had to think of what was best for Thunder and whether the vet felt he would survive the surgery.  No sense in putting him through the surgery if there was no hope for a positive outcome.

The vet said that based on Thunder’s age and vitals, she felt he had a fighting chance.  She also explained that she might have to remove his spleen but that he could live normally without his spleen.  She wanted to give him some plasma prior to surgery because his coagulant levels were a bit low and she wanted his blood to be in as good a shape as possible prior to surgery.  If we decided on surgery, we also had to decide whether to sign a “do not resuscitate” order if something should go wrong during surgery.

The First Week After The Surgery Was Hard.  I Was Not Sure I Would Ever See A Spark In Thunder's Eyes Again
The First Week After The Surgery Was Hard. I Was Not Sure I Would Ever See A Spark In Thunder’s Eyes Again

After discussing it with the ER vet, (and thankfully she was very candid with us), we decided to go ahead with the surgery and declined to sign the “do not resuscitate” order, which meant that if his heart stopped during surgery, they would work to save him rather than let him go.

We thought we were going to be in for a very long night, but after about an hour and a half, the vet reappeared to tell us that the surgery went very well and that she did not have to remove Thunder’s spleen.

Recuperation.

Thunder spent 3 days in the vet hospital.  Not only did they untwist his stomach and spleen, but they also tacked his stomach to prevent it from twisting again in the future.  He was sent home with various medications: an antibiotic, a pain medication, a pain patch, and something to promote stomach motility (movement).  He could eat his regular food, but broken down into 4 meals.  We had to measure out and limit his water so he would not over drink.  This was something that the ER vet stressed.

Initially Thunder had to be walked on a leash and only for a very short time just to do his business.  No stairs and he had to be kept separate from Storm for 2 weeks.  The staples came out in 10 days and then he could spend some time in his outside kennel, but no running for 4 weeks and no field training or swimming for 6 weeks.

We were also told to make sure we limit water consumption going forward so that Thunder never gulps down a lot at once.  He can have some, but then take it away and give it back after a bit of time has passed.  The vet also instructed us to not feed a meal two hours before exercise or for one hour after.  As long as we followed these few instructions, he could lead his normal life.

Little By Little Thunder Got His Spark Back
Little By Little Thunder Got His Spark Back

We were very lucky.  Thunder recuperated with no side effects and 63 days after his surgery, he was back running hunt tests.  He passed his first Seasoned Test 64 days after his surgery and went on to finish both his Seasoned and Senior titles that summer passing 7 of 9 tests.  He also had a great hunting season.

Thunder Running A Test 63 Days Post-Surgery
Thunder Running A Test 63 Days Post-Surgery

Lessons Learned.

With bloat it is important to know the warning signs.  I knew some of them, but I was not clear on them.  I also did not realize that some of the symptoms can be very subtle or not present at all.  Thunder presented atypically.  He did not have the inflated abdomen and it did not sound hollow when tapped.  The vet noted that he did not have the gas bubbles in his stomach that are normally present when a dog is bloated.

Bloat Chart (Click To View Larger)
Bloat Chart (Click To View Larger)

It is important to know where the nearest ER hospital is located because in many cases bloat happens after hours.  I picked a further hospital because I felt they probably had more experience with bloat and I knew they were the blood bank for our area.  I am glad that I had at least thought of these things ahead of time because there was no time for research.

There is a preventative surgery that can be done to tack the stomach to prevent it from twisting.  It doesn’t prevent the bloating, but it prevents twisting.  It is expensive, but not as expensive as the surgery for bloat.  Because Thunder has a long deep and narrow chest, we had considered the surgery but never had it done.  I wish we had.  That is really my only regret.

Thunder From This Past Weekend
Thunder From This Past Weekend

Three years post surgery, Thunder is a happy healthy eight year old.

Thanks to Jodi for creating this Round Robin!

Caring-For-Critters2-200Tomorrow’s Caring For Critters Round Robin is going to be hosted by Beth of Travels with Barley who will be writing about Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease.

21 thoughts on “Caring For Critters–Canine Bloat Or Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (GDV)

  1. So glad you reacted so quickly and that everything was OK in the end. That must have been quite a scare. Have a terrific Tuesday.
    Best wishes Molly

  2. Beautiful post Linda, very well done. You may recall I first started following your blog after Thunder’s bloat. In fact, Thunder to this day is the only dog I know of that has survived this horrific condition. I think his age and his physical condition combined with the fact you caught it early were key in this.

    Since I have big dogs I’ve always worried about bloat, in fact I have sheet printed out with the symptoms on it which I keep in the medical records for the dogs. It’s a good point you make about knowing where your emergency hospitals are, and I never would have thought about the blood transfusion aspect. It looks like I have some research to do.

    Surgery or euthanasia is a good point. I had a co-worker whose dog had bloat, she was treated quite late in the progression of it, but she survived the surgery only to die three days later. I think if my friend had had all the facts she might have made a different decision.

    Thank you for joining the Round Robin and agreeing to share Thunder’s story again, if getting this information out helps save one dog, then that’s a great thing.

    1. I think we also were very lucky and had a skilled surgeon. 🙂 I know of a couple more dogs who survived and they were much older than Thunder when it happened. Hearing their stories gave me hope for him.

  3. So sorry thunder bloated. I’m glad surgery went well and he recouped just fine. Thank you for this post it is so important to get the awareness out there as many people never heard about it.

  4. Bloat’s a terrifying event! When I ran sighthounds in field trials, that was our worst fear. We were very careful with food and water because deep-chested dogs are so prone to torsion.

    1. The contest I first heard about bloat was as it might relate to a dog in the field. I guess it is not that uncommon.

  5. I am just so glad for you and Thunder that his case had a good outcome. I can only imagine how difficult the decisions must have been, with no time to think about it really.
    I’ve known people with Great Danes who died from this, and others who chose to have the preventative surgery.
    I wonder – are there certain breeds that are prone to this, or is it just size? We’re careful not to let the dogs play before and after eating, but we usually only give it 1/2 hour – 1 hour each side.

    1. Yes, large breeds and those with deep chests. Chessies are 15th on a list saw with incidence of bloat, Great Danes being number 1. But they really do not know for sure what causes it.

  6. So glad he made it through, bloat is terrifying. Especially considering his abdomen wasn’t swollen; which is the first thing I would have been looking for. I’m so glad the surgery went well; it has such scary statistics. Thank you for sharing all this information. Being a large breed dog owner it’s always at the back of my mind as something I need to look out for.

  7. Mom never heard of bloat until she moved to Germany. She helped her vet friend with emergencies and saw bloat three times. It is a terribly painful condition. One of the dogs did have the surgery to tack the stomach, but it is no guarantee either and if it has happened once, a dog is prone to it. We hope to never have to deal with it. Thunder is very lucky!

  8. Oh goodness! Sounds like a very painful situation for Thunder and a stressful one for you. I’m so glad he pulled through. I know about bloat, but have never had a dog experience it, thank goodness. We just moved and though we found a local vet, I did not look into where the nearest emergency vet clinic is until just now. The nearest is only 10 minutes away.

  9. Thunder is so lucky that you already had some knowledge of what to look for and made such good decisions for him. I’m glad you shared his story because though I’ve heard of bloat in dogs (and experienced it previously with cattle), you gave such great information.

  10. We are so glad you got Thunder to a hospital with skilled and informed doctors in time to do surgery and save that sweet, handsome boy. There is no doubt he enjoys life, that shows in all his pictures.

  11. Wow! What a scary situation. I’m so glad that it has a happy ending–thanks for sharing that great information about the symptoms!

  12. Thank you for sharing your story. We had a friend whose dog died of bloat (happened when she was at work). We didn’t know surgery was an option. glad Thunder recovered.

  13. I never really knew about bloat until reading this–what an awful and frightening condition!! So happy Thunder recovered well! Thanks for sharing this great info and your story! xo

  14. My heart was in my mouth reading the start of this post. I felt so anxious for you and Thunder. What a horribly difficult decision you had to make on the spot – but it turned out to be the right one! I’m so happy Thunder got his spark back, thanks for a great and informative post.

  15. I also did not know much about bloat and come away from this post learning more about it 🙂 Glad that it’s not that common with small, medium dogs. And super glad that Thunder has a wonderful quality of life today despite the scare. 🙂

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