Darling Emma gave us a big scare last night – she is fine…
Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Emma lovers….Well, last night our darling, beautiful, little girl gave Grandma and I a big scare. First off, I will say she is just fine and back to her normal self.
It was so scary because I thought she was bloating which is also known as:
Gastric Torsion.
My Mom and I were in my living room and Emma wandered out from my bedroom. It looked like she was walking funny but just a stumble. Then she started retching and nothing was coming up. Her abdomen was tight and she was swelling up like a basketball. These are all the beginning signs of bloat.
I grabbed my:
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE FOR GDV [BLOAT]
This is a pdf but I will now add a jpeg….Click on it for the big image and then you can print it. I keep my inside my kitchen cabinet.
I didn’t even make it the first line, I have read it many times and I told Grandma to grab the harnesses and leashes and I called her doctor.
We rushed her down the street. Her doctor was concerned but was not as convinced as I was it was gastric torsion. He was digging deeper into the signs and whisked her off for an x-ray.
Look howl concerned the Mayor is…..
Here we are waiting for the results…..
Her doctor said,
“The good news is, Emma does not have Gastric Torsion but she is bloating from too much food”.
I said, “I just fed her a cup of kibble about an hour ago”. Well, the doctor explained that this was about 10 times more than a cup. I was totally baffled and shocked. I never keep the food at her level, NEVER….that is until I recalled I had stuck a 1/2 bag in my closet when my nephew came over last weekend. OMDog! This was all my fault. For the first time in Emma’s life she was able to eat as much as she wanted. She stopped when her body told her to vomit.
I cannot believe that I left this bag in a closet that I know Emma can open. Her Mom Dawn could also open doors.
We could not get out of that doctor’s office fast enough.
When we got home I also snapped this shot.
It is of my chart, cream cheese and GasX. I gave Emma GasX before we left for the vet.
Thank Dog all is well that ends well. Our Emma is fine and my hair is only a bit more grey.
I think Chaps has a few more grey hairs in his ears as well.
Grandma was the pillar of strength.
More hoping our experience helps others later…Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma
Comments(15)
Don’t feel bad Cat. We did the exact same thing. Ronald gives the dogs a treat every morning before we go to work and he didn’t close the closet door good enough. When I got home it had been opened and a full 18 pound bag of dry dog food had been moved out of the closet and in to the dog room in front of the dog door. Jethro was guarding it by practically sitting on it. I didn’t snap at first that he had eaten that much until I went to feed them and Jethro didn’t want to eat. That’s when I looked down and realized he was bloated! Luckily, I knew what it was from but it was still scary. I immediately picked up the food and the next day he only got 1/2 of what I normally feed him. I remember that night he sat on the pallet and would pass gas. When he passed the gas he quickly looked around like it was coming from somewhere else. It was funny but scary at the same time. I also kept him from drinking too much water. He kept wanting to drink a lot so I let him get a few licks then moved him away. I also crated him that night so he couldn’t get to any more water the whole night. One good thing, Jethro didn’t let anyone else have any so I didn’t have to worry about anydoggie else bloating. There’s no telling how long he guarded that bag of dog food as we are away for work at least 8 hours.
I’m so glad our Emma is ok.
Cindy, howl did you know not to have him drink too much water? Emma drank a gallon when we got home. I am guessing water should be restricted. Gosh, I am glad her intake of water did not complicate matters last night.
I just assumed that the more water he drank, the more swelled the food would get. After all, that’s what happens to it outside the hound body when you add water to dry food. I feared it would cause him to balloon out more. I wanted the food to dampen slowly so that some would have time to digest and make room for the rest. If that makes sense. And maybe that’s not how things work and a vet would say otherwise. But that’s what I was thinking.
Cindy – that makes perfect sense. I finally made Emma stop drinking but I did not put that together and I forgot to ask the vet about that. After we got home Emma was still in pain and was trying to vomit. Her doctor gave her a shot that was supposed to make the food move quicker through her body. She did settle down and slept for a few hours and then got up and was very uncomfortable. We had a ruff night.
Oh yeah, Jethro had a ruff night too. He walked around a lot and just couldn’t get comfortable. Jethro never tried to vomit, he farted instead. Ha!
I’m just glad Emma made it through. It sure makes you think the next time you open a cabinet or place food somewhere doesn’t it?
Bumper has gotten into a full bag of food and eats until he cannot move. We always check the bag if he refuses to eat dinner. We keep the dog food in the basement bathroom with the door shut. He would have to open 3 doors to get to it. This has not happened for a long time now. All said I am just so happy that our Emma is ok.
Cindy – I will NEVER leave a bag of food anywhere that is within reach. It was so scary. My sister e-mailed me and said that one of her horses did the same thing and he almost died. This is a huge thing for everyone to watch out for.
Judy – I am so glad that Bumper does not do this anymore. I am so glad that we reacted quickly. Emma’s stomach was so full it was near bursting. After we got home I could actually feel the kibble in it. She was so sick. Get this, tonight after dinner, she went back to the closet and was looking for the bag. WTHeck? Are you even kidding me?
I’m so glad Emma was ok! Gosh, that must of been soooo scary. I can’t believe she went back to the closet to look for the bag. LOL I pour my bags into those tall rubbermade containers with the snap up lids that way even if the pantry door gets left open they can’t get in it. AND….they will tear the pantry apart if a lost kibble fell on the floor — gotta love those noses. And an quick funny…..when Colby Chaps was a puppy he must of snuck in the bottom cabinet where I used to keep treats for Jourdan. Well one day I was outside and notice something sticking out of the dirt. Much to my surprise found it was a Hostess Cupcake still in the package. Colby Chaps had taken it outside and buried it…..I guess he was saving it for later. Had to put a lock on that cabinet too!
Cat – I am so relieved that Emma is ok (and I’m grateful you made that clear right up front so I didn’t panic). Poor sweetie.
Cindy – I am having a good chuckle picturing Jethro guarding that bag of food from the rest of the tribe. Even more chuckle at him blaming someone else for the gas! Funny Jethro!
Glad everyone is doing o.k. now. What a scare! Silly sweet Emma.
What a horror to have happen. I wonder if Emma has learned any lessons from this episode.
I know Emma appreciates the fact that our Mayor is there for moral support.
I am so happy all is well.
Emma has a mind of her own she has already tried to get in the closet, but we have learned a good lesson.
Cat,
Emma, Emma, Emma, you scared us to death. I just found about it today from Audra. Sure glad she’s okay.
Charlene & Glenn
OH wow so glad you are fine!
Stop on by for a visit
Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com