Bloat Emergency! How a Webinar Helped Save a Life

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190 – September, 2021

By Sharon Albright, DVM, CCRT Manager of Communications & Veterinary Outreach AKC Canine Health Foundation

It was Friday evening. Fridolin, Clark’s two-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog, had finished his dinner and was lying quietly in the backyard. A sudden yelp startled Clark! He let Fridolin back in the house, watching him closely. His beautiful Berner couldn’t settle – he was restless and seemed anxious, with his pupils dilated. Then he started hiccupping or trying to retch. His abdomen looked and felt normal, but Clark knew something was off.

Thanks to a recent AKC Canine Health Foundation (CHF) webinar, Clark recognized that Fridolin’s symptoms could mean “bloat,” (gastric dilatation and volvulus, or GDV), a life-threatening condition in which the stomach fills with gas and twists upon itself. With the financial security of pet health insurance and knowing the advanced level of care needed to treat GDV, Clark rushed Fridolin to a nearby emergency clinic. Fridolin had emergency surgery to release the gas and “tack” his stomach to prevent future rotation (a procedure known as gastropexy). He was released the next day and has fully recovered.

Clark credits his recognition that Fridolin was having a true medical emergency to having watched the CHF-sponsored webinar – GDV – What We Know, and What We Wish We Knew. “FYI: Your GDV webinar was instrumental in saving my dog’s life—he bloated a week after I watched it,” Clark shared. “I then watched it again to make sure I understood all the details of the disease.”

Click here to read the complete article
190 – September, 2021

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Posted by AnthonyA on Sep 6 2021. Filed under Current Articles, Featured, Health & Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.