Jim
RVF Supporter
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2019
- Messages
- 4,495
- Location
- North Carolina
- RV Year
- 2020
- RV Make
- Newmar
- RV Model
- Essex 4543
- RV Length
- 45
- Chassis
- Spartan
- Engine
- Cummins / I6 Diesel Pusher 605HP
- TOW/TOAD
- 2016 Jeep Rubicon
- Fulltimer
- No
I want to share some information that my save your dog’s life someday.
On Friday evening, Trish and I were getting ready to meet some friends in town for dinner. It was 4:30, Trish had just fed the dogs, and we were getting ready to walk out the door.
The phone rang and against Trish's warnings, I answered it anyway. It was Brian, and conversations with Brian always go 10-15 minutes! So, I told Brian right up front, I was getting ready to leave for dinner and to keep it short. Just then, Rex stiffened up, hunched his back, and got a very strange look in his face. I could tell he was in pain. Then he started to get sick. I opened the back door to let him out, but for some reason, Rex could not throw up. He kept trying, but nothing would come out. And it should have because he just finished eating.
So, I'll cut to the chase here. His tummy had flipped, and he was now in a countdown for his life. But I did not know it yet.
I looked at the Internet for info on why he would be trying to throw up but not be able to, and I found out that this is a hallmark symptom of a gastric torsion. We made it to our vet’s office but without the necessary equipment, he was unable to treat Rex. He did, however, get us an appointment at the Western Carolina Emergency Animal Hospital in Flat Rock, NC, about 2 hours from where we were.
We made it in record time. They took updated x-rays and confirmed it was gastric torsion and warned us that along with repairing his stomach, his spleen would probably have to be removed as well. They gave us these considerations because Rex is 11 and the surgery is expensive, and we might want to put the dog down rather than proceed. We told them they were wasting time and lets get on with it. They did an emergency surgery and at 10:30 pm and the surgeon said he felt it went well and that he was able to save Rex’s spleen as well. They sent us home.
The surgeon called the next morning and said Rex was doing well and if he continued to improve, he might be able to come home in a few days. The continued to give us 2 updates a day, and this morning, day 3, the surgeon called and said that Rex had done stellar well over the last few days and we could come pick him up this afternoon.
What I want everyone to take from this is, 1) if your dog exhibits these kinds of symptoms, get him/her help immediately. Time is of the essence! Once the tummy flips, and that is a common trend with large chested animals, they only have a few hours before the damage is too extensive to be reversed. And 2), do not feed your dog and then walk out the door, leaving him/her unattended. Give them some time to settle their food. Had Brian not called, we would have gone to dinner, and when we returned, Rex would have been too far gone to be saved.
We used to think that it was exercise (after eating) that caused the tummy to flip. And while that is certainly possible, it’s not the only thing that can cause the problem. Gas can form in the intestines, mostly after eating, and the inflated intestine pushes the stomach up and over, cutting off the blood supply to the organs in the immediate area. With no blood or oxygen, the organs die, and the dog will die shortly after.
We were lucky that we saw what was happening and got medical help as quickly as we did.
On Friday evening, Trish and I were getting ready to meet some friends in town for dinner. It was 4:30, Trish had just fed the dogs, and we were getting ready to walk out the door.
The phone rang and against Trish's warnings, I answered it anyway. It was Brian, and conversations with Brian always go 10-15 minutes! So, I told Brian right up front, I was getting ready to leave for dinner and to keep it short. Just then, Rex stiffened up, hunched his back, and got a very strange look in his face. I could tell he was in pain. Then he started to get sick. I opened the back door to let him out, but for some reason, Rex could not throw up. He kept trying, but nothing would come out. And it should have because he just finished eating.
So, I'll cut to the chase here. His tummy had flipped, and he was now in a countdown for his life. But I did not know it yet.
I looked at the Internet for info on why he would be trying to throw up but not be able to, and I found out that this is a hallmark symptom of a gastric torsion. We made it to our vet’s office but without the necessary equipment, he was unable to treat Rex. He did, however, get us an appointment at the Western Carolina Emergency Animal Hospital in Flat Rock, NC, about 2 hours from where we were.
We made it in record time. They took updated x-rays and confirmed it was gastric torsion and warned us that along with repairing his stomach, his spleen would probably have to be removed as well. They gave us these considerations because Rex is 11 and the surgery is expensive, and we might want to put the dog down rather than proceed. We told them they were wasting time and lets get on with it. They did an emergency surgery and at 10:30 pm and the surgeon said he felt it went well and that he was able to save Rex’s spleen as well. They sent us home.
The surgeon called the next morning and said Rex was doing well and if he continued to improve, he might be able to come home in a few days. The continued to give us 2 updates a day, and this morning, day 3, the surgeon called and said that Rex had done stellar well over the last few days and we could come pick him up this afternoon.
What I want everyone to take from this is, 1) if your dog exhibits these kinds of symptoms, get him/her help immediately. Time is of the essence! Once the tummy flips, and that is a common trend with large chested animals, they only have a few hours before the damage is too extensive to be reversed. And 2), do not feed your dog and then walk out the door, leaving him/her unattended. Give them some time to settle their food. Had Brian not called, we would have gone to dinner, and when we returned, Rex would have been too far gone to be saved.
We used to think that it was exercise (after eating) that caused the tummy to flip. And while that is certainly possible, it’s not the only thing that can cause the problem. Gas can form in the intestines, mostly after eating, and the inflated intestine pushes the stomach up and over, cutting off the blood supply to the organs in the immediate area. With no blood or oxygen, the organs die, and the dog will die shortly after.
We were lucky that we saw what was happening and got medical help as quickly as we did.
