I fed my shepard & lab about 0730 as usual. I was preparing to go out for the day. My lab kept coming by me & poking at me. I put her outside but she came right back in & again was poking at me with her nose. She then went over in the corner & tried to vomit but nothing came up. She started to pace around the living room/dining room, her breathing became a little more rapid. She was panting & salivating. She tried several more times to vomit with the same non prductive result. I noticed that her stomach was getting alittle puffier following each vomit attempt.

My son was out of state visiting with my future daughter-in-law who is doing her vet externships. I called him to tell him what was going on & to ask if he could get in touch with Melinda. He didn’t think he could as she was going to be in surgeries all day.

At this point I called my priamary vet to let them know what was happening & that I was bringing in my Lab. 30 minutes later I was in the exam room hearing the doctor confirm my fears. Fortunately there is an emergency clinic only 5 mins away, which is where we headed.

The people at the emergency clinic examed my little girl, started her pre-op care as she was starting to get shocky then came out to let me know what was going on.

“Your gal has a condition called GVD” was what they said. Well having a future vet in our family & being a career paramedic I was pretty well versed in this conditon & knew that we were fighting the clock. While my lab was being stabilized the surgeon clearly explained step by step what was going to happen. Since my girl is only 5 years old attempting to treat & correct the situation was the ONLY choice I would consider at this time.

After all questions were answered I went home to wait & to be sure my other dog was doing well. He is very sensitive of my labs absence so I didn’t want him stressing any more than he had to.

I contacted my advisor (Melinda) who I then learned had already spoken with the surgeon. They concurred on the appropriate treatment. With her reassurance I waited for the phone call. An amazingly short period of time later that call came. “Your girl is doing fine. You caught it quickly enough so we didn’t have to remove her spleen or do any resecting of the stomach. All of her organs look just fine. She is in recovery & if you would like you can come visit her in a few hours”.

As difficult as it was I chose not to visit in the event that she would be disturbed by the visit & then seperation. I did however stay in touch with her doctors every 12 hours for the next 2 days. Following no complications on the third mornig I went to pick up my girl. She was glad to come home.

The doctor was still concerned that she hadn’t eaten, drank or voided but agreed to let her come home on the basis that this behavior was due more to her invironment & than any possible medical problem.

Upon getting home my little gal went right to her water & had a drink. She then went out to do her duty. I then gave her a small portion of her planned diet for the next several days, which she happily ate. I called back to the doctor to inform her that all was well & to again thank them for the fabulous job they did.

We were lucky. Being a responsible handler I am always checking my dogs to be sure there is no change in their skin, coats, eyes & ears. I make sure that they get routine check ups & ’spa days’ for professional total body care. I manage their diet’s per doctors recommendations & maintain their vacine matinance. I remain ever observant of their daily activity & routines. By doing all of this I believe was crucial in realizing the change in my girls habits & acting quickly enough to give her the very best chance of a healthy out come.

The only after affect will be the scar that she will carry. For that we are very fortunate. Our crew of doctors & techs were the best & we owe them alot more than just the few dollars we spent for the future of our little girl. She had a birthday this week & although she doesn’t get cake she did get an extra doggie treat & a new nyla bone.