Weds 27th Sept: The dangers in everyday life

Murphy may be small but he's solid and heavy

With the relentless heat I made a big mistake today when I let Murphy come along for the morning walk and ended up having to carry him all the way home, and soaking wet too as he had cooled off in some muddy water for about ten minutes.  (The buggy is out of action because of fallen trees across the path). My big dog Safari makes his own judgements about the temperature and whether or not he'll go out, and I should follow his lead when he stays inside, as he did today.  I heard of another case of a dog dying of heatstroke yesterday, and although by this time of year we can normally expect cooler weather it hasn't happened, and the danger of overheating remains critical so please be careful.

Terrence as a puppy

Another danger which kills very quickly and unexpectedly is bloat, gastric torsion or GDV, and I lost one of my Lamma dogs to this awful condition overnight.  Even had I found him in time I wouldn't have been able to get him to a vet for the emergency surgery which is critical if a dog is going to survive, but the thought of Terrence and his quiet suffering is hard to take.   Some types of dogs are prone to GDV but I hadn't considered Terrence to fall into any of those categories, and at only five years old he was too young to die.    He was always the first one to greet me when I came home at the end of the day and he would almost knock me down in his enthusiasm, and I will miss him.

What is bloat?

Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) is also known as "bloat," "stomach torsion," or "twisted stomach." Bloat is an extremely serious condition, and should be considered a life-threatening emergency when it occurs. There are no home remedies for bloat, therefore dog owners must contact their veterinarians immediately if they suspect that their dog has bloat. Dogs can die of bloat within several hours. Even with treatment, as many as 25-33% of dogs with GDV die.

The gastric dilatation is one part of the condition and the volvulus or torsionis the second part. In bloat (dilatation), due to a number of different and sometimes unknown reasons, the stomach fills up with air and puts pressure on the other organs and diaphragm. The pressure on the diaphragm makes it difficult for the dog to breathe. The air-filled stomach also compresses large veins in the abdomen, thus preventing blood from returning to the heart. Filled with air, the stomach can easily rotate on itself, thus pinching off its blood supply. Once this rotation (volvulus) occurs and the blood supply is cut off, the stomach begins to die and the entire blood supply is disrupted and the animal's condition begins to deteriorate very rapidly.

Not all dogs that have a gas buildup and resultant dilatation develop the more serious and life threatening volvulus. However, almost all dogs that have a volvulus develop it as a result of a dilatation.

Bloat is a very serious and life threatening condition. Understanding the signs, prevention, and need for prompt treatment will help reduce the risk of mortality if your dog develops this problem.

There are so many dogs, many thousands in fact, that have come into my life and then left, hopefully to go to new homes of course, and I do remember most of them.  A dog's life is always too short even if they live to a ripe old age, and it's one of the things that all dog owners have to accept.  Some people are so broken-hearted at losing their four-legged companion that they swear never to have another, but I believe that giving a home to a dog in need is the best way to deal with such grief.  It's not a replacement and you can never compare one to another, but the joy of a new life helps to ease the pain very quickly.