Just lost our baby. - Page 1

We have just lost our baby. 12 noon UK time. 3yrs old beautiful GSD. "Viggo". We decided to let him go after a failed emergency operation this morning. Died as a result of Canine Bloat. Obviously we are devastated, and are just going through the motions like zombies at the moment. Can't believe it.

This comment is not meant to elicit sympathy although I am sure a lot of you good people will feel for us. I don't want anybody out there to go through this pain without passing on what I have learned. For God's sake be aware of the symptoms. They come on so quickly......he was absolutely fine in the late evening but by 2 am became distressed, couldn't settle down. He kept going into the garden, walking in circles, lying down, getting up, really restless. By 7am we got really worried.....symptoms worse.....belly swollen and vomiting up white foam. Took him to vet straight away and he underwent emergency surgery but to no avail. His stomach and intestines became bloated and twisted. No blood supply got to his tummy although the vet managed to untwist his intestines. Because of no blood flow, his tummy tissue began to die. In the end it was obvious that there was no saving him and we decided to let the vet up the anaesthetic dose and he passed away in my arms.

If your dog shows these symtoms you have got to act fast. Emergency call out straight away...time is not on your side. Unfortunately we live in a rural area and even if I had driven him to the Local Vet College A&E it was unlikely he would have survived. I should have taken him the moment the symptoms presented themselves but even then his chances would have been less than 50-50. Once the tummy becomes bloated the blood supply stops. The dog has less than an hour if that occurs. Most dogs arrive at the vets already dead. Nothing I can do or say is going to bring my beautiful boy back but it might just help you save yours if God forbid you see the same symptoms.

 

Add my sentiments to everyone else's on your loss, Keef--always sad to lose them, and worse yet when we lose them so young.

In addition to your plea that everyone learn to recognize the early signs of this disorder, I also ask that you all learn how to pass a stomach tube, and keep one on hand at all times--being able to safely release the pressure on the stomach quickly can be your dog's one shot at surviving this condition, and it's really not difficult to accomplish.  It can be done successfully and safely even if you're by yourself with an adult dog--and as long as you're using the correct sized tubing, there's no chance you'll accidently insert the tube into the dog's windpipe...  

www.dachshund.org/bloat_instructions.html

Print out these instructions, assemble your bloat kit, and take it with you when you travel with your dogs, too.  PRACTICE passing the stomach tube on your dogs so you're comfortable doing it--you won't do them any harm by doing it when it's not needed, and you'll also get a feel for how easily it's supposed to pass into an untwisted stomach, which will be helpful if you ever actually have to do it in an emergency situation.

We don't yet know how to prevent bloat, not really, despite all the research and all the theories...but at least we can prepare ourselves and hopefully give our dogs some first-aid that may save their lives.

(You can also decompress the stomach using a long, clean hypodermic needle or a trocar, but it's the rare person who will be able to bring themselves to 'stab' their dog in it's side...the stomach tube is far less threatening and traumatic to us.) 

Again, Keef, I'm so sorry you had your beloved Viggo stolen from you this way...