Related to Bloat...Need answer ASAP - Page 1

My very best friend just called me hysterically crying from the vets office that she has just taken her 5yr old Great Dane in for Bloat.  The dog is in surgery as we speak but the vet told her the chances are 50/50.  She left a check for $2500 and the vet said I'll call you when she's out of surgery. 

I don't know much about bloat and never experienced it first hand.  Read a little about it on this board but not enough to know just how serious this can be.  What are the chances the dog will die?  Is it really a 50/50 shot??  My friend said she felt she caught it in enough time that the dog got to the vet almost immediately after she took notice to the swelling of her belly.  I asked how she knew it was bloat and she simply stated "if you saw what her belly looked like, you'd know it was bloat".

I did not even know how to comfort her especially since her daughter is spending the night at my home and this is her family pet.  I pray this poor dog makes it through this surgery.  Is $2500 about what it would cost for an emergency operation to correct bloat?

Prayers going out for this Dane!  Keep us updated!  Bloat is a serious issue but if you catch it in time the chances are good, just costly!

Vickie

www.PowerHausKennels.com

Vickie,  so there is a good chance the dog will survive?  How does this happen?

Dear Agar:

I know 4 people very well whose dog had bloat - all were caught early and all survived.  I know 2 of the surgeries were over $3,300 performed at the er vet.

I hope your friends dog is ok.  If they caught early, I would imagine he has a good chance.

Cheryl

 Agar,

Bloat is a not so uncommon emergency in large breeds with deep chests, including GSDs and Danes. It is good she thinks she caught it quickly. The bottom line will be whether that really is true or not. Dogs are often stoic and blood flow interruption only needs a few minutes for tissue to start dying or be severely injured.

If the stomach or intestines twisted and blood supply was lost, it can kill the tissue. If that happens, it sets in motion a cascade of changes and chemical releases in the body that can lead to cardiac and other organ failure. I hate to say this, but many, many dogs die even with surgery. Hopefully there was not serious blood flow interruption and the condition can be relieved quickly.

The price you quote is actually cheap. Around where I live it would not be uncommon to go to an emergency clinic and pay more than $3500. She should have a better idea of how much damage was done just as soon as the surgery is concluded. There is a good chance that she will know whether the dog is likely to survive by this time tomorrow night.

No one knows what causes it although a lot of people make up their own ideas. 

I am sorry this happened and hope for the best.

Sharyn

Thanks everyone for your replies.  From what she described to me she said the dog was attempting to vomit but was unable to do so and when she noticed the swelling along with the dog almost dry heaving as she described it she knew the dog needed rushed to the ER.

So even if the dog survives the operation this doesn't leave her in the clear???  What exactly do they do with regards to this surgical procedure? 

The saddest part of it all is she bought this dog at 11 months old from a very popular Dane breeder who shows her dogs. My friend selected this dog knowing it had been a kennel dog, no training whatsoever and against the breeders recommendations.  My friend said there was just an instant bond and she had to have her.  She brought the dog home and immediately began training-she had never in her life trained a dog, shown a dog or anything BUT she was determined that with the help of other's who had the experience she was gonna turn this dog into something more than a neglected kennel dog.  After several months the dog was amazing.  She'd done so well that she even began showing her and had won several ribbons.  Not exactly the venue I particularly am interested in but  this was something she enjoyed until she got discouraged with the politics and had less interest.  She paid far less for this particular dog from this particular breeder because well in the breeders eyes the only thing this dog was worth her weight in was that she was a daughter to her Championed Famous Dane. 

I myself would have wrote a check for whatever the vet would have told me was needed to save my dog.  She loves this dog enough that if she had to give her her own kidney to live she would. That's just the type of person she is.  I hope and pray things work out.  It would be even more tragic to lose your dog and the thousands of dollars for the vet bill to try to save her.  You come out a loser twice.  But what can you do???  You're at the mercy of the vet in this case.

 Agar,

I lost a 14 month old beautiful GSD female this last May and spent almost $3000 trying to save her. The surgery is aimed at relieving the pressure building in the stomach and untwisting anything that is twisted so that blood flow can be re-established. They will most likely also do some preventative tacking down of tissues in the hopes of preventing it from happening again.

There is no reason your friend should feel badly about her role. She did nothing wrong and believe me, many people would have waited not knowing what was happening. The only thing that might save the dog is prompt surgery. Trying to vomit, often with froth, and little else coming up, is an almost sure sign that the dog has bloated. It is a life-threatening emergency and some dogs die before they even make it to a vet. So the good news is she made it there and in time for them to operate.

It is always sad when something like this happens and we never expect it, especially in a young dog. She will definitely want to tell the breeder about it, but though many, including me, believe it is genetic at its most fundamental level, as I said, no one knows what causes it. People will try to tell you it is that the dog is fed kibble, others will tell you that it is because the dog eats too quickly, or eats off of a bowl that is elevated, or that the dog drinks too much water at one time. Again, if we knew what caused it, hopefully we would all know how to prevent it.

Let's all just keep her and the dog in our thoughts and hope the dog will survive and do fine. But yes, there is certainly a high chance that she could spend this money and they cannot save the dog. Anyone who does not tell you that is not being realistic.

Good luck to your friend.

I paid $2000 about 6 years ago for my GSD.   That price included a Saturday surgery too (the doc was on call) I caught it right away too and had him to the ER in 5 minutes!  One of the times it pays to live in the middle of town!!   Roscoe did great after the surgery and lived to be 12 and 4 months.  He bloat/torsioned at age 8.  I fed him 3 x day for the rest of his life and no gassy foods for any of my dogs now!! 

I send the best to your friend.  It is a scarey thing and EVERYONE should learn the signs bloat. 

Rozoan

Thank you Hodie and Rozoan for the comforting story and helpful advice.  Although I have never experienced this and hope I never, it's good to know these things so I know if I ever see something unusual I don't disregard it.  I'll let ya know how things turn out.  I was at least able to get her to calm down and shared your advice.  She felt a little better.

Update-  The dog made it through surgery and the doctor said half the uphill battle is over now.  It's a matter of seeing how she does over the next couple days.  She did not have any spleen damage but she is having some heart issues that the doc said is normal after this type of surgery.  They have her on meds, moraphine and her odds now increased to 70% that she will make it.  It's in the lords hands now.  Cross our fingers.