This morning I'm so lucky to be waking with both my dogs.
Whilst at work on Monday my baby girl (she's almost 10years old), got hold of and ate quite a lot of bread, First thing yesterday morning my girl was her usual self, playing with my boy etc, a few hours past she had loose stools in the garden, then started being sick, drinking a lot of water,the sickness became worse, then I noticed her abdomen did not look right, at first it was subtle, I kept looking at her and my gut instinct was there is something very wrong here. I rang my vet and said I need to bring my dog in as I think she may have bloat.we rushed in the vet saw her straight away, she was alert in herself, but her body was telling me the opposite, my vet checked her colour which was good, pulse was high along with her temperature, my vet said to rule in or out bloat X-Ray's need to be done, with that she was sedated and xrayed.the longest 10 minutes went by, then came the bomb shell, she did have bloat, the only way to try and save her was an emergency operation that needed to done straight away. I was as you can imagine in bits, not knowing if I'd see her again. 3 1/2 hours went by desperate for some news on my girl, then the call came, she had come through the surgery ( thank God ), luckily her organs although a mess were all pink and touch wood she should recover ok.I picked her up last night and boy was I sooo glad to see her.
She had an ok night and is very quite this morning which is not surprising after the trauma she's had. She's seeing the vet later today to check her over.

Praying she's had a good night and will be home soon xxx

How scary :(  I'm so glad she seems to be ok now.

Glad the surgery went through okay. Was the follow up vet visit good as well?

Phew, thank god you were on the ball and got her straight in!

well done for getting her sorted so quickly. I lost a dog to bloat its so fast and horrid. Hope she has a good recovery

GSP girl, well done in spotting the bloat, she'd be gone if you weren't so aware, saved her life. :-) Wishing her a full recovery, and yes, so lucky to still have her, but she's also lucky she had you. :-)

Actually I'm kind of surprised your vet didn't recognise the symptoms and try to intubate her straight away.   Of course, if it had already gone to a torsion that wouldn't have been possible, but he would then go ahead and open her up.   Every second counts with GDV (bloat) especially once there is a torsion as the pressure on the other internal organs is huge.   We had one (we've had 4 cases - two fatal) where the spleen was ruptured and had to come out. That hound, who blew first thing, found in his crate surrounded by white froth, was straight to my vet, on the table, opened up and spleen removed /stomach pinned after being put back where it should be, and back home by 6 pm that evening.   He had an uneventful recovery and no repeat episodes - he was 8 and up to then, fit and strong (which threw all my theories about the older hounds being more likely to blow out the window).   It is the recovery period that's most risky, assuming the dog comes through the initial surgery because of the stress to the internal organs.

After the two who survived came home, every time I gave them their food, I was hanging on them being okay!!   I had already been feeding my hounds two smaller meals each day etc.etc. but then went to 3 small meals for a while!  It's a scary thing to go through for sure, and keeping good thoughts that your girl has an uneventful recovery now!!   My boy lived on from the 8 years he was at the time, to be 14, when a stroke claimed him.   with the first case we had, he was 11 at the time, and reasonably fit, if elderly.   He too lived to be 14 before we lost him, riddled with cancer.

WOW  You've had more than your fair share I'd say.  Although I guess you would be on to it pretty damn quick given the experience you've had.  How awful to have had 4 though. 

Although I've never, ever seen it, having owned 30 odd dogs in my lifetime.  I guess I haven't had the breeds that are troubled by this awful disease.

Has it ever made you want to change your breed? 

Thank you all for your very kind comments.
This week as been traumatic to say the least. My girl had her check at the vets on Wednesday (day after op), which went well, her temperature had come down, more pain meds where given and very small meals of chicken and rice could begin,a follow-up check booked for next Monday.
Yesterday was not such a good day,sickness started during the night and first thing in the morning, so we went back to the vets, injections were given along with an array of medications, to make her feel better and stop the sickness, luckily the vet was happy to bring her home ( as my girl hates being away from home), as long as I maintained her hydration otherwise she'd need to have another drip. Touch wood sickness has stopped and her body can now start the road to recovery, which could be a slow one as she's almost 10 years old. I'm keeping my fingers crossed X

Mamabas, I'm so sorry you've had this horrible condition affecting 4 of your dogs, having it affecting one dog is horrendous enough, how do you cope? You said you were surprised my vet didn't recognize in symptoms sooner in my case, initially my vet didn't think my girl looked as if she had bloat ( this was prior to him checking her over),maybe he was trying to a lay my fears. I said to the vet her abdomen was a lot more distended than it is usually, as normally she has a slender waist. I think once he started checking her heart rate etc, he realised all was well. I am extremely grateful to my vet X-Ray's were done straightaway and her operation was carried out the minute bloat was confirmed, he saved her life.

I'm hoping we won't need to see the vet again until her next check up Monday, fingers crossed xxx

  Has it ever made you want to change your breed? 

NO WAY!!!     Right from the start (well with our second hound) I knew about this in the breed because the breeder of that second hound was in Danes originally and hit this problem.   She warned me about not feeding one big meal a day but splitting the daily amount into two and the not exercising on a fully stomach thing.  Which I have always done with adults!!    Our first was our first hound.  He was 11, and a fit strong dog, if getting elderly.  He survived and lived to be 14 before cancer claimed him, as I've said.  The second was our second hound (Yes!!).   He too was 11, but had been a rather 'sickly' boy ever since something early on which had it not been 'known' at the time, I'd have said was Pavo.  We had to leave him back with his breeder for 4 months after we left for Canada, before he was fit enough to join us.  He had loads of problems over the years, including bladder stones and needing to have his tonsils out!!   After them we had no more cases (given we've had a lot of hounds over the years, so 4 out of 20+ isn't THAT many ....?) until we'd returned to the UK and the third was hit at aged 8, fit, strong, still on full exercise.   He was the second survivor but given his case was different (found in his crate first thing, before breakfast or exercise, and the biggest being he wasn't elderly) he made me rethink this whole thing - changing my idea about this hitting older, less muscle-toned hounds.    The fourth was his grandfather (the first close family connection), 14 and really on his last legs.  He blew shortly after breakfast that morning - our vet really thought his system was shutting down and it wasn't the bloat that caused his death - it was just part of it.

I know Liverpool Uni did some research into this, some years ago now, which I contributed to with my 'cases'.  There is a suggested familial link - via Bloodhounds they have discovered that in some, the sphincter muscle, in and out of the stomach can be smaller than the norm, and can go into spasm.  I don't think they discovered much more however?

The only thing I am aware of, in Bassets, is it does appear that some bloodlines are more inclined to have cases, than others.   And there's the grandfather/grandson connection with my 4.   But those two were not 'connected' to the lines I have seen that have this here since, so ......!?    I was really scared when feeding my younger hound immediately after he'd had this, but as time has passed, although of course it remains back of my mind, I just have to keep it there - back of my mind!!   I love the breed too much not to have them ...... and I did try switching as we came to the end of our bloodline, nearly 6 years ago now (grief how time flies) when we bought our Whippet.  But once we did lose the last one, I realised I needed another, so bought in.

ps   There were some cases I heard about out in Canada, but not that many.   One was in a just-Sectioned b itch .... so I'd suggest there is a stress factor involved?
Also GSP - maybe my vet went to bloat faster, because it is known in my breed, and maybe your's didn't because it's not, in your breed!!   My cases were pretty obvious too plus of course, I've always alerted my vets to the fact that I 'have a bloat patient coming in'!..... I phone ahead so they are ready to get going as soon as we arrive.

GSP Girl, thank goodness you reacted to your instinct and contacted your vet so quickly and so pleased she came through the op OK. Hopefully she will be her normal self before too long.  In setters it is unfortunately one of those conditions we should all know about and I have experienced it in one of mine.  Prompt treatment is vital and yours and your vet's actions will have made all the difference to the outcome.
Had you thought to give her homeopathic arnica to help the bruising? Most chemists and health shops sell it. Give her the doses as stated on the container and this is in addition to any medication she is on.  Please keep us updated. 

Glad to hear all was ok in the end, this post sent a shiver down my spine as I too had mine bloat last Monday, I got her there before she twisted and was so relieved....only to take her home and her not recover from the sedation...she died in my arms a few hrs later......bloat is horrific and yes you are right......you were so lucky...thank god. I wish your girl a speedy recovery

Thank you Setterlover,
I'm very sorry to hear you have had experience with bloat it is a horrible condition, one minute there fine and next, well you just have to act as quickly as possible.
I will get some arnica to put around her wound to settle the bruising. The medications given yesterday have settled her, thankfully, she's sleeping a lot but happier in herself when shes awake. Xxx

Hi Mandy C
I'm so so sorry to hear about your girl, it's a horrible horrible experience to go through, we were very lucky last Tuesday.
Sending you lots of hugs xxxxx

When you get the arnica cream get some pillules, tiny pills, as well as they will help with the internal bruising she will have due to the op and the bloating itself.

Hi guys,
We have been back to the vets for a check up, dressings have been removed,she needs to keep her jumper on which she's had since her operation, continue with small meals, reduce painkillers over the next few days. He checked her heart to make sure the bloat had not damaged it, thankfully all was well with it.
The vet was happy with her recovery, so we don't need to see him again, which is fab.
She's been sleeping alot, which is not surprising after everything she's been through, I'm hoping another week of lots of TLC, and she will be her bouncy self.
Xxx

Brilliant news, thanks for updating us.

Good news indeed.   But I bet every time you feed her, you have your fingers x'd!!    It was like that with our younger boy (the first one who survived was long ago and I forget).