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Well we took the parental
units up to Prescott, AZ to see my Wife's Sister
and her Husband. Had a great time. We rented a minivan and drove up there stopping in Palm Springs for a night so Victoria's parents could see some of their old friends. We took Athena and stayed at a Marriott Residence Inn. So Prescott was kind of fun. We returned on Sunday-dropped off the parents and took back the minivan. We had given her water throughout the trip home, but the air seemed very dry. The trip each way was about 450 miles. We had an area where Athena could stand or sit or lay down (though she was never comfortable enough to lay down for any amount of time in the Van. She tends to be somewhat shy and nervous. Got home about 9 pm and we gave Athena some water to drink. She was really thirsty and drank the water up quickly then went outside. We noticed that she was lying on the grass which is typical for her. She moved around a bit and then came in. Victoria noticed what she thought was foam coming out of her mouth. Athena kind of moved around the house and finally got on her couch. Victoria said something seemed wrong like she was bloated. Victoria called the Vet Hospital and asked some questions. We were aware that bloat can become a real problem if not treated. They suggested that perhaps we should bring her in to check and make sure she wasn't suffering from bloat or what they call gastric torsion. Bloat can be caused by eating too quickly trapping air in their stomachs. Anyway Athena seemed to be comfortable on the sofa. I looked up bloat on the internet and read the details out loud. We were both kind of concerned because it can be really dangerous. We checked her stomach and it was really hard, which is one of the symptoms. Bloat and gastric torsion is where the stomach twists and cuts off blood to the stomach and other organs. We decided to make her get up and go get into the car. We drove to the Vet Hospital. They said they needed to take some x-rays and so we agreed and I signed a credit card voucher for $300.00. The Vet came back out and said yes she was suffering from gastric torsion. Her stomach had rotated or twisted inside cutting off the blood supply. We had less than 30 minutes to operate or she would expire. The Vet asked us if we wanted them to operate and of course we said yes please go forward. I gave them my credit card and signed for $5000.00 so that they could begin. They first had to stabilize her blood pressure so that they could give her the required anesthesia. We waited around for about an hour. They told us to go home and that they would call. We should expect to hear around 11:30. I called in about 11:30 and she was still in surgery. At 1:30 am the Vet called and said that they had removed her spleen because it may have been damaged by the lack of blood and pressure of the stomach against it. My heart just stopped. I knew that if they had to remove any of her stomach because of a lack of blood that she would only have a 50% chance of recovery. Fortunately, they did not have to remove any of the stomach. The Vet did say her stomach was very red and looked angry but felt that none of the tissue had died. Timing is everything, so had we been there a bit later, I am sure we would have lost her. She said the next 24 hours were of concern. We asked if we could come see her in the morning and the Vet said yes that would be possible. So on Monday about 10 am we went to the hospital and saw her. She was under heavy sedation but recognized us. She had a incision that looked about 15 inches long in her stomach area. We hadn't sleep very well the night before. I studied her condition on the internet which just freaked me out. We ended up coming back again that evening and talked to the doctor 3 or 4 times. So Monday evening the Vet indicated that she might be able to come home if they could get her to eat and drink (insuring that her stomach was ok). Athena often refuses to eat when she is not with us. So we were a little concerned. She was being given fluids and medications through her two IVs but they needed to make sure she could handle food before letting her go home. Around 6 am today Tuesday the Vet called and said that they tried everything to get her to eat. They boiled chicken, tried all kinds of dog food but no dice. The Vet understood that Athena was nervous and decided that we should come get her and take her home. So that is what we did. She has been sleeping now most all of the day. We gave her a small amount of special dog food (Science Diet ID) and she ate it. So we are hoping all is ok. For the next 14 days she can not run around or go upstairs etcetera. After fourteen days we can have the staples removed from her stomach. To prevent the gastric torsion from happening again they attached her stomach to the muscle tissue to prevent rotation. She can still get bloat (trapping of air in her stomach) but her stomach should not rotate. We don't know what caused the rotation. The Vet thought that her spleen may have been enlarged, however there were no signs of tumor, or other tell tale signs of common problems. I am still dumbfounded that this whole event occurred in the first place. One of the reasons I am telling you all about this is that apparently it is common in large breed, deep-chested dogs. The Vet said that in the last few years they have perfected a minimal operation where they attach the stomach wall inside the body to prevent the rotation. They only require about a 1/2 inch incision and it can be done even when a young dog is being neutered. Go figure! Had we lost her I think both of us would have just been devastated. She after all is our daughter. It is Thursday and Athena seems a bit better. We have been giving her the medications prescribed. The pain killers knock her out and she sleeps. We decided to pull back a bit on the pain killers so that she is more alert. She is able to pee so that is good. The Vet said that she probably will not eliminate for 4 to 5 days. The Pain pills also cause constipation so we are a little concerned. We will monitor her very carefully to see that she is not in any pain. We were always aware of Bloat but never thought it would happen to her. She free feeds and never really eats a lot at one time. She does drink a lot when she wants water though. We have to be careful about that. I strongly recommend that everyone on this forum check into this situation so that you are aware and know what to look for. It is a silent killer that can happen in two hours. Manny |