What Is Bloat?

I stared at the x-rays the veterinarian brought into the room at the 24 hour emergency pet hospital.

I think I was in some sort of shock because I couldn’t wrap my brain around what she was telling me.  My dog was in a medical crisis and had been since 10pm that night and it was almost 1am the next morning.  He was suffering from bloat or as she technically labeled it Gastric Dilatation.

She explained as calmly as she could, hoping it would help my panicked state, that his stomach was filled with gas and had twisted on itself.  He was in another room hooked up to fluids fighting for his life but in the room I was in, I was being told there was no real fight left to be done.  He had a very slim chance of surviving even if they did surgery.  I couldn’t believe those words.  I was always able to “fix” my boy and I would have done anything to be able to “fix” him again that night.  But unfortunately, the odds were against him and I had to make the hardest decision of my life.

Before walking into that emergency pet hospital, I hadn’t known of a thing called “bloat” in dogs.  Sure, I had seen the movie “Marley and Me” many, many years before but that’s not what I was thinking of when the symptoms started.

I remember that morning starting out like any other.  He was happy…yes, he was creaky and old as you’d expect a 12 year old German Shepherd to be but nothing out of the ordinary. He had run out of his Gabapentin to help with his arthritis so during lunch I stopped into his normal vet’s office to get a refill and have it for him that night.

I got off work at 5pm that Friday and on the way home I realized something was wrong with my car.  It wasn’t sounding right and it was driving very rough so I went straight home.  Gary was coming by after work and we had dinner plans that evening.  Because my car was acting up, we dropped it off at the repair shop around the corner from my house to be looked at and picked up the next day.  Then we headed off to dinner.

We arrived back at the house around 9pm.  I remember Rudi seemed like his knee was bothering him so I iced it a little while he laid on the couch.  He was always such a trooper and trusted me with caring for his ongoing arthritis.  After that, I remember taking him out front for his nightly outing.  I remember the weather being rather comfortable for a late March evening.  I looked up at the sky and it seemed like a million stars were out and the sky was so clear.  I love looking at stars.  It’s one of my favorite things actually and I recall saying out loud, “Look at the stars, Rudi.  They are so beautiful tonight.”  I think we were the only souls outside at that moment on my street and it was quiet but you could hear the wind in the trees and just my voice speaking to him about the stars.  It was just me and him out there and it was a precious moment.  One I will always remember.

We went back in the house and I locked up for the evening.  Put his dry food in a bowl and brought both his food and water into my bedroom because he was a funny fella, in that, he liked to eat wherever I was and I was planning on getting into my PJ’s and surf the net for a bit on my iPad.  Gary and I both were relaxing and I heard Rudi eating his dinner then drinking his water.  Nothing out of the ordinary.  But moments later, literally in a matter of minutes, he was whining and walking over to one side of bed to Gary then to me as if to tell me something.  Rudi was a very stoic dog and rarely complained but I figured his knee was still bothering him so I gave him a Gabepentin and went back to the bedroom.

Rudi seemed a little restless and started dry heaving in the corner of my room.  I thought he was going to get sick so I walked him out to the back yard. Gary and I stood out there in the dark and watched him for a bit and he continued to try to vomit but nothing would come up.  He paced the yard for a little while and then laid down in the grass.  We both knew this wasn’t normal.  I called the emergency vet and they told me to get him there asap.

I rushed to get dressed as did Gary and by that point I saw Rudi drooling excessively.  I was so grateful for Gary because my car was in the shop and Gary was able to pick Rudi up and put him in the back of his 4Runner.  I climbed in the back with Rudi while Gary sped off in the direction of the pet hospital.  I talked calmly to Rudi and petted his head as his breathing became labored.  I remember telling Gary at one point, “I’m not coming home without him.  He will come back home.”  I was already in denial of how bad this situation was getting by the minute.

As soon as we walked into the pet hospital I remember two veterinarians rushing out to scoop him up and take him to the back.  I wasn’t allowed to go back there with him.  Gary and I sat in the waiting room and my heart began racing and my mind was all over the place. I saw a woman sitting across the room with tears streaming down her face and my heart went out to her because I knew what she had to be feeling. I remember praying to God to please let my baby be ok.  I prayed over and over again.  He was in the back and I was confident they were going to make him better.

What seemed like forever waiting to find out what was going on, we were finally called back and there were the x-rays.  When I realized how bad the situation was I remember looking at Gary and saying, “I prayed he’d be ok. Why isn’t he ok?”  Gary told me that maybe I needed to just change my prayer at that point.  I knew what he meant.

When Rudi was brought to me my prayer at that point was, “God please let him leave me peacefully and without any more pain.”  I knew that was the prayer that I now had to lean into.  I held Rudi and talked to him.  I believe our animals are comforted by our voice and they need us just as much as we need them and I was going to be there until his final breath.  As hard as it was, I was glad he was in my arms when we said goodbye.  I know he left this earth knowing without a doubt how much I loved him.

Everything happened so fast that night.  He ate out of the same bowl every night for 12 years.  He drank water out of the same bowl every night for 12 years.  What had happened?  Why did it happen?  I did plenty of research on bloat over the coming days.  I felt so unprepared and so uninformed on this topic that I had to find out everything I could.  And in talking to people about what had happened to him, I discovered that a lot of people don’t know what it is.

I wanted to use this experience to educate others about something so terrifying for both the animal and owners alike.  Maybe if I had heard of bloat I would have recognized the signs but it doesn’t mean he would have been saved so I can’t blame myself.  I know I did all I could and as quickly as I could.

Bloat is brought on typically when a dog eats and drinks too quickly, or too much, or too active afterwards.  In Rudi’s case, I’m fairly certain he ate and drank too fast that night.

Once there is the onset of bloat, a dog’s stomach with fill with gas and twist on itself causing a block of blood flow to other organs.  This is essentially what causes death so quickly in dogs that fall victim to bloat.

There is a small chance that a dog can survive bloat but it doesn’t happen often.  The quicker you can get a dog treated the better but there are still complications that can occur that can impact survival.  Rudi was 12, already having a hard time with arthritis and getting around slowly, his age was a huge factor.

In some dogs, when the stomach has twisted, there is the possibility that a surgical procedure can be done where the stomach is untwisted and stapled to their sides to help prevent this from happening in the future.  I was told by the emergency vet that even if Rudi did undergo surgery there was still a very small chance he would survive.

Bloat tends to happen mostly in deep chested dogs such as Great Danes, Boxers, Basset Hounds and sadly, German Shepherds were on that list.

I have more information on my side for when I bring another pup into my home.  Things to prevent bloat are: not letting your dog out to play right after eating, not allowing them eat too much/too fast, or not feeding them just one large meal a day.  This sounds easier said than done but it’s something I’ll be keenly aware of in the future.

Even though this post was difficult to read for some (and recall in detail for me) I believe it’s important for all dog owners to understand the signs of bloat and how serious it is.  I wish I had known about it before all this happened but I believe God’s hand was in this from the beginning no matter how dismal or unbelievable that may sound.

Rudi had been dealing with arthritis for a long time and I was always on the hunt for the next best anti-inflammatory drug, pain meds, aquatic exercises, prescription food for joint health.  You name it…I was going to get it.  Let’s face it…we are selfish when it comes to our furbabies.  We don’t want to lose them and we don’t want to face that day when we have to let go.  I believe we genuinely do our best to extend their life and believe its quality for them.  I think God knew I’d never make that decision on my own so taking him swiftly and still allowing me the opportunity to be there was the heavenly plan…and I’m ok with that now.

It’s only been a little over a year but I try to remember the good times and especially how grateful I will always be for that last walk with Rudi that night looking up at the sky.  It was just me and him for a few moments.  I treasure that memory and try not to let the events of that evening overshadow what joy he brought into my life for 12 years.  He was certainly one of a kind to me.

Now when I look up at the sky on a clear night and see the heavens filled with stars, I like to believe that he’s one of the bright ones twinkling down at me letting me know that God did hear my prayer and he’s at peace and no longer in pain.

And that in turn has given me peace.