Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize: Ales Bialiatski from Belarus; Memorial, a human rights advocacy group in Russia; and the Ukrainian human rights organization Center for Civil Liberties.
Can we prevent a war by deploying golden retrievers prior to a conflict? – Goldens.com
My husband, our young son, and I had the great pleasure of visiting our previous foster Bruce last weekend with his wonderful new family. He was part of our family for over a year while he patiently waited for his forever family to come along, so he has a very dear place in our hearts.
His dad reports that Bruce is still up to his usual antics and “He seems the same happy, playful, always watchful dog that just wants to be with his people, go on walks (short ones) and protect people from delivery trucks (and other dogs).”
He still “talks” and loves playing with his cherished tomato toy (although he’s on his fifth tomato replacement…but shhhh… don’t let him know that).
Brucie with his beloved tomato
Brucie’s forever family includes two children, who adore him. The daughter is a budding young artist and created this masterpiece titled “Bruce Meets Santa”.
What do you think is in Bruce’s stocking this year? More tomatoes, of course!
Bruce Meets Santa
More tomatoes if you please…
On November 14, 2014, our sweet Heidi passed away from bloat. My husband and I knew of bloat, but did not know exactly what the symptoms were, and never ever expected that it would happen to any of our dogs.
I wanted to share our experience to spread awareness, in hopes that it may save another dog’s life. If you have a dog, please take the time to read this. Bloat is very little understand and seldom talked about. Yet it is probably one of the the deadliest and most painful conditions a dog can experience. It is also reported to be the 2nd biggest killer in dogs (behind cancer).
Heidi was on prednisone to help control her allergies. Though it did provide her relief from extreme itchiness, it left her feeling excessively hungry and thirsty. She’d gobble up her food, and drink bowl after bowl of water. Every so often, we’d find her gnawing on something inappropriate – usually paper or empty wrappers. She even gorged on half a bag of dog food once, literally eating away until she could no longer eat. The next day she had explosive vomiting, yet was okay afterwards. Over time, we’ve had our fair share of spit ups, throw ups, and diarrhea, and Heidi was never the worse for wear afterwards.
On the night of November 13, what began as a seemingly common case of upset stomach ended in tragedy. Heidi was acting very agitated after dinner, pacing around and trying to vomit, but unable to bring anything up. I thought she’d gotten into something and simply needed to throw it up. During the course of the night, Heidi was acting more agitated than I’d ever recall seeing her, and doing things she’d never done before, like jumping on the couch and knocking over the baby gates. She even cried out at one point, and my husband and I debated whether to take her to the emergency hospital. We decided to wait until early morning and take her into our normal vet right when they opened instead. This way, they could run more comprehensive tests to find out what was wrong. While we knew something was obviously wrong, we did not know enough to realize that we were dealing with a medical emergency.
During the night, Heidi threw up mucousy water three times. I thought this was a good sign; that she was finally able to throw up what was upsetting her stomach; that she’d be okay now. After the last vomit, Heidi laid down and looked like she would finally be able to get comfortable and rest. What I didn’t realize is that Heidi was actually dying before my eyes; that what I interpret as her resting was actually her body going into shock.
In the early morning when my husband and I check on her, we find that our sweet girl passed away during the night. Her stomach became humongous, and the vet confirmed that Heidi died from bloat; that she suffered and was in pain, and that had we rushed her to the emergency hospital within the first moments of suspecting something was wrong, we may have been able to save her life.
It kills me knowing that she was in excruciating pain and dying before my eyes, and I did not realize how severe and urgent the situation was. I horribly misread so many of Heidi’s cues. Heidi trusted me to keep her safe, and I failed her. A part of me died with our sweet girl.
I write this in the hopes that every dog owner is better aware of bloat, and the signs to look for that may save your dog’s life.
First, what is bloat?
Bloat, as it is commonly called, is a condition technically known as gastric dilation/volvolus, or GDV. The term refers to a gas-filled stomach (bloat) that then twists upon itself. It is The Mother of All Emergencies because it is so drastic and happens so quickly. I feel the condition should not be termed bloat since we’ve all experienced harmless bloat (gas) at some point in our lives. While bloat may seem similar to stomach gas and may go away, if it doesn’t and gets worse, it becomes a medical emergency. If the abdomen continues to swell, the pressure on the organs, especially the heart and lungs, can reduce the blood flow to the heart and spleen, damaging both organs and leading to cardiac arrest. In some cases the stomach can burst and twist, leading to a heart attack and causing the dog to go into shock and ultimately die.
What are the signs of bloat? Please know that the signs can be so subtle that they can be easily overlooked or misread. Typical symptoms often include some (but not necessarily all) of the following. Unfortunately, from the onset of the first symptoms you have very little time (sometimes minutes, sometimes hours) to get immediate medical attention for your dog so awareness is your best defense.
What are the risk factors if bloat?
Generally, bloat occurs more often in large, deep chested breeds including Great Danes, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, etc. However, it happens in smaller breeds too including Chihuahuas, Dachshunds, Yorkies, etc. Please take note that even if your dog does not appear to be in the at risk group, bloat can affect ANY dog, at ANYTIME.
“We don’t know exactly why GDV happens,” says Alicia Faggella DVM, DACVECC, a board-certified specialist in veterinary emergency and critical care. Some people do all of the “wrong” things, and their dogs don’t experience it, she says, while some do all of what we think are the “right” things, and their dogs do. Because no one understands the cause of bloat, there is no real way to prevent it. However, there are indications that following a few simple measures may help.
If ever in doubt, at the very least call your vet or an emergency clinic to discuss the symptoms. In this situation, it is better to overreact than under react.
For more information, visit these articles:
http://www.critterchatter.com/health/142-bloat.html
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/8_1/features/15682-1.html
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=672
While there is an abundance of information on how to prevent and treat bloat, much of it is conflicting as it is still not well understood. The best we can do is foster awareness: know the symptoms of bloat and act quickly.
Be at peace now Heidi, and remember that you will always be loved.
This post was written for the love of Heidi. Know only health, love, and joy now sweet girl. I will always love you.
When P- passed away, my wife and I felt some comfort when we saw rainbows and golden butterflies.
The day after P-‘s passing, we saw a golden butterfly in our front yard dancing around our front door and among the bushes before flying away into the trees. When we went to P-‘s favorite park, we saw a rainbow. To be fair, the sprinklers were on. Nevertheless, before our eyes was a pair of golden butterflies dancing with a gorgeous rainbow in the background.
This morning, I felt the same comfort when I saw a black hummingbird fluttering outside the bushes in our front yard before flying away into the trees.
Heidi and Michelle hanging out at our friend’s house.
Thanks for dropping by to say goodbye. I will miss you Heidi.
P- waits under the palm frond for his friend. They had a date for afternoon tea but P-‘s friend was running late.
Luna, who was a tabby cat that thinks she is a golden retriever, was roaming the neighborhood. Luna lost track of time when she caught hold of some exciting news. Luna sashayed down the block with her nose in the air to and fro lamp posts to fire hydrants. The message was transmitted as a multi-part message. Part of the message was lost when a home owner took a hose on the lamp post outside his house.
P- waits ever so quietly for his friend. A pleasant breeze sweeps the area.
P- takes a cat nap and waits.