I am sharing my story to hopefully help other pet owners know about how devestating GDV can be and to help diagnose their pet and get medical attention as soon as possible.

Junior, my 5 year old German Shepherd, was healthy, outgoing, and a good eater. When he did not want his food in the morning, I should have speculated that something was seriously wrong. But, I said I would wait until I got home in the afternoon and if he didn’t feel better than I would take him to the vet.

Unfortunately, Junior was very ill and was experiencing gastric dilatation and volvulus syndome. By the time we noticed anything truly unusual physically, Junior’s stomach had bloated up and he vomited a whitish liquid. He died within a few minutes.

GDV is common in sibilings, and our other dog, Samson did not want to eat this morning. We acted appropriately and took him in to the vet. He was in the early stages of GDV and had to have surgery. I think that dog bones/pig ears could have caused his GDV. Please do not hesitate to take your dog to the vet if s/he does not want to eat and looks lethargic. Samson also had a slight fever. I learned the hard way with my other dog and I regret not getting him medical attention in time.

From experience, if your dog is not eating, is running a fever, is lethargic and/or uneasy, is drinking lots of water, cannot vomit but is trying, these could be signs of GDV. In any case, anything unusual should be monitored.