One of the most rewarding things resulting from Johnny’s Journey has been when folks have reached out to share their personal stories in order to educate others. It is especially rewarding when their stories have a happy ending. Too many don’t. This is Emma’s story, and luckily, she is still with us! <3
Last month, I received a message from Lynne O’Hare letting me know she was a longtime follower of Johnny’s page and that she recalled we had shared some posts warning followers about the symptoms of bloat, or in scientific terms, gastric dilatation volvulus. I recall sharing this video with Johnny’s followers. Unfortunately, Lynne was already familiar with bloat and its devastation because her aunt had a Great Dane who died from bloat previously.
Lynne describes the day started with Emma having some gastric discomfort during the early morning hours, which wasn’t unusual. Emma ate breakfast, however, she vomited it back up. In the past, Emma would rest and fast and her tummy would settle. This time was different, and in the afternoon, Emma began to retch but she was not producing vomit. She was drooling, foaming at the mouth, and pacing in obvious discomfort. Lynne made an appointment with her local veterinarian to have Emma seen. As soon as Lynne hung up the phone, she realized Emma’s stomach was swollen. Lynne called the veterinarian back immediately who instructed her to bring Emma in right away. The ride was 20 minutes.
Within 4 minutes of arriving, Emma collapsed and was in severe shock. Two veterinarians worked on Emma for an hour to relieve some of the gas and fluid in her stomach and stabilize her enough so she could be brought to an animal hospital for surgery. Emma had surgery to untwist her stomach, and she also had a gastropexy done (tacking of the stomach) to prevent recurrence.
Any dog can develop bloat, however, large, barrel-chested dogs are more at risk. It isn’t known why some dogs develop it, but the veterinary community has identified some items that may increase risk and have made recommendations to help prevent it. The current thought is pups shouldn’t eat from a raised food bowls, that pups should have multiple small meals per day instead of having one large one, that pups should be prevented from eating quickly or eating or drinking too much, that pups shouldn’t run or play heavily right after eating, and families should try to prevent stress. Bloat appears to run in dogs who are related to each other.
Symptoms include indications of pain like restlessness and pacing, drooling, retching without vomiting, retching producing small amounts of foamy drool, and swelling stomach. As bloat progresses, additional symptoms may include weakness, collapsing, pale gums, rapid heartbeat, and shortness of breath.
Bloat is an emergent situation. I’ve heard surviving surgery is about 50/50. It is an extremely painful condition and horrific way for your beloved companion to pass. Be alert. Emma is still with us because 1) Lynne contacted her veterinarian in time, 2) her veterinarian agreed to see her right away, 3) her veterinarians were able to relieve the pressure and stabilize her in order for to obtain life-saving surgical intervention. Dogs are resilient, but they are also fragile. This was a very close call! By being educated and aware of the danger, pet parents can ensure their dogs get the intervention they need.
Lynne took a series of photographs of Emma and has posted them on Facebook and shared them with us so we can see how quickly and severely the abdominal area swells when a pup is afflicted. The first photo was taken at home after the call to the veterinarian. The second photo is about 20 minutes later when Emma arrived at the veterinarian’s office. The final photo is about 4 minutes later when Emma collapsed in the reception area.
I’m so glad Emma is still with us and this is a happy story instead of another sad one. <3
So glad shes recovering