Xan

Chris, she had antibiotics after the surgery, but has been off them for a bit now. She's pretty subdued, today. But, she ate some breakfast, and suddenly became normal when I did "tricks for treats" with Pogo, leaping off the couch to join in.

Vet says, possible concern of infection (even this late: 14 days post-surgery), so keep an eye on temps. Meanwhile, extra stomach meds, watch for lethargy, distention, and wait for her to heal from this life-threatening experience. Not easy. I just want her to be FINE, already. I know you all understand! Thank you for the good thoughts!!! <3

Katie is back at the vet this afternoon. She's just not right. Still acting bloat-y. Please keep her in your thoughts, if you can.

Susan, I'm so sorry about your lab. I know that feeling. seeh2o, thanks. Yes, that's what my vets said, too (soak kibble, several meals). At least 3 meals a day, at least for awhile. She's still on 4 or so, depending on how much she eats at each. Diane, I was just looking back at Wabi's history, and remembering that she had an epulis on her lower jaw that we risked anesthesia (she had arrested during her spay surgery, so more than usual fears for her!) to have biopsied. She survived that, but bloated like 5 days later, and boom! Gone. Fits with the stress model, perhaps. She is choosing to eat dry kibble with water on the side, and canned food. They must not touch. And I'm keeping fingers crossed, and watching her like a hawk, and only allowing free access to water half an hour away from meals, and about an hour after our walk (though I did let her have a few ice cubes). Too much volume, and *oooops!* up it comes!

Chris, thanks. I *think* maybe it's just that we're controlling her intake, so it's all going in at once, and coming out the same way. Brandieandwe, LOL! We're on the same trail, here. I did try the blending, and that helped a bit. Got her to eat some, as long as it contained a fair percentage of canned food. I used an immersion blender. Poor hubby keeps harking back to the old days, when a pet lived, got sick, and died, with very little intervention one way or another. Heh! Well, that may be good enough for me and him, but NOT for our PETS!

This is good background to help us decide how to proceed with Katie. I really appreciate all this input! She's still being super picky, but I'm hoping her normal appetite will re-assert itself before too long. *crossing fingers!* Other than that, she's quite perky! Did any of your bloat survivors seem less able to hold their potty needs as well, following surgery?

Thanks for these very helpful replies! More below ... Poor Danes! What a mess they can be, huh? The ones I've met have all been really neat dogs, too. I'm so glad your puppy lived on to such a ripe old age! You mention personality. Katie is rather a nervous bird. She's worlds better than when we first got her, but she will revert to a fearful place if she gets confused or startled by ... whatever confuses or startles her. She recovers more quickly, but still, a nervous nelly. She had had a quiet day, but she had been having an upset tummy on and off for weeks. I'm really thinking her food disagreed with her, and maybe combined with her nervous propensity, she was a set-up for bloat. Someone mentioned Gas-X to me on Facebook, as well (was that you??) It's on the shopping list. I didn't have any no-salt broth in the house, so I made some with carrots (she looves carrots), oregano and a little garlic clove, and very little water, then blended it. She would lick at the soup by itself, but wouldn't touch the kibble soaked in it. But that doesn't mean regular broth wouldn't work. I'll put that on the list, too. She is getting a probiotic (a goat's milk thing for now, with Trophy Prozyme Plus Powder Pet Supplement on order), so we're good there, I hope. I've also been feeding her several small meals ... especially since I can't get much into her at a time! :/ Oh, and I forgot to mention, she's enjoying a return to her former coprophagia. *sigh* Back to the muzzle cup! Diane, yee! Your record is close to mine! (3 bloats, 1 survivor - precious Wabi we had to let go 2 and a half years ago, as she would not have survived the surgery ) What made you insist at the time that they tube your Dobe? I read last week of a very small study that suggested that tubing alone could be curative even after torsion, or that, if the stomach didn't spontaneously un-torque after tubing, that the tube could be re-inserted, and a balloon blown into the stomach could be used to reposition the stomach non-surgically. Less than 50 dogs in the study, though. It's exciting that your guy did survive that episode. (Not long enough, though. ) Stress, again! Hm. Very good to know this. Pogo, my grey, is also a stress-y guy. I will avoid food during stressful intervals for both dogs, from now on. Raised feeders! Argh. The never-ending controversy! Pogo can't even eat from the floor because of his muzzle deformities (the food just falls out), so he's raised. Katie can eat from the floor, but now I have to wonder *again* if she should?? Thanks to both of you for sharing your experiences with me. Very helpful!

Katie survived emergency bloat surgery 11 days ago. Yeay! That's a whole saga, of course. But, to the present issue. What to feed her?? We fed her canned ID (prescription) food for several days, and have been trying to transition her to a more normal diet. Whatever that's going to be. I'm probably screwing her up by trying too many different things, but she's not eating enough, and I'm concerned about her losing more weight. The vets said that any kibble would forever after have to be soaked before feeding. That makes sense: get the swelling out of the way before it goes into her stomach. But, she literally spits it out on the floor after it's been soaked. Mixing it with canned food (completely, with an immersion blender) gets a few bites in, anyway. She'll eat the canned, no problem. She'll eat the un-soaked kibble (a different brand than before), no problem. Soaked? Nope. If you had a dog who bloated, what and how did you feed him/her afterwards? Did your dog ever bloat again? If so, could you pin down why with any degree of confidence? Disclaimer: Katie is a borzoi, rescued from S. Korea, not a greyhound, but Greytalk rules for this kind of discussion, and I still have a greyhound! Thanks for any help or advice!! Obligatory picture: Katie with Meep the Cat

Doggie CPR – It Can Save a Life Yikes. This is the kind of thing you don't want to have to learn in an emergency, eh?

How fun to see you working with the agility stuff, and the little steps you use to build up to the spectacular stuff! Dudley doesn't look too out of control to me ... but maybe I'm comparing it to Pogo (aptly named!) My two remaining pups each have their challenges, and training in our homestyle way has really made a big difference for both of them. Pogo is the most tightly wound greyhound I've met, reactive to just about everything either by freaking out or becoming dog-aggressive. He's now 8 years old, and we've worked through almost all of his dog aggression issues, on- and off-leash, but it's something we still reward and maintain for. Along the way, he's learned a nice little repertoire of commands which he performs with muscle-bound alacrity. If I were a more social person myself, I'm sure we could have done really well together with rally-o or agility or coursing or all of the above and dog ballet to boot! Katie is a borzoi, a rescue from S. Korea, who came to us pretty spooky, particularly of men, and unable to think at all in spook mode. With lots of rewards put in the hands of strangers we met on our walks, she now pulls TOWARDS strange men! Once she figured out that tricks-for-treats was a real thing, she quickly learned everything I had taught Pogo over the years, and is always ready to try something new. Where she puts it in that narrow little head, I have NO idea! Maybe she stores it in all the hair strands. I'll have to get some video of some of the routines we've learned.

I know how scary and worrisome this can be. Our situation was a little different (they're all a little different, right?), but what we found that helped was going back to basics for everyone: NILIF (cheerful, not punitive!), lots of positive feedback for peaceful interactions, basic obedience or less basic if they've already got that under control, and management. When our guys got bitey-face, we settled them back down with re-direction and reward. We were teaching them that there are limits, that we set them, and that it's good for everyone when we all live within those limits. The under-dogs will appreciate the protection and be less anxious, and the more aggressive will learn that self-control has its rewards. We muzzle in the yard, when they're unattended, and in the car, religiously. It's an on-going thing, depending on your pack's individuals. Maybe they'll all just get used to the new normal, and settle down, or maybe they'll need this kind of attention for as long as they're together. Maybe (and I know not everyone agrees with me on this) this isn't the right dynamic for your home. We don't all get along with every single person, and expecting our dogs to do so may be unrealistic and unkind. I'm a firm believer in finding the **right** forever home, not just a life sentence for all concerned. Let us know how it goes!

Sending loads of smooth-surgery and miraculously-fast-healing chants Henry's way!!

Thank you all for sharing with me. Hugs to you all!

I'm down to 2 dogs. One cat. It's almost numbing, the cumulative grief and sense of loss. Brilly, my first greyhound, my blonde bombshell, my old gentleman, was taken by osteo recently, like so many of our greyhounds, in a week. Wabi was swept away by bloat in a matter of hours. Happy was ground down by a hard life and digestive dysfunction over years. Two of my old kitties lived their lives with me, through thick and thin, and are now gone. Before that, there were others, down through the years. You know what I mean. It adds up. It never gets easier with repetition. But, I don't want to remember them in tears! I made Wabi a promise to remember her in joy, as she lived, as she wanted everyone around her to live. It's not easy. Sometimes it's impossible. But that's how I want to honor her, and all my dear departed family. I wrote this poem when I was trying to work this out, and I want to share it here in hopes that it might possibly help others find a path through the grief. Please share it if you think someone else might need a loving hand. Happy Thanksgiving, my Greytalk family! Honoring You After you're gone For now, I will wash my freshly wounded heart with tears. But our lives were shared with a common goal: To give each other joy. In the days to come, will I revoke remembered joy with sadness? My lonely heart will cry that any pleasure betrays you, that smiles defile the sanctity of my pain, that laughter profanes the new emptiness that fills me, that your absence means all pleasure has ceased. But, that was not our way. We had a simple pact, you and I: to smile and laugh, to share even the smallest joys and every comfort, to revel in all the humor we found each day. To be true to you, my beloved, to honor you, I must choose the happiness you wished me to have. When I think of you, I will smile. When my arms ache for the warmth of you, I will reach for a friend, and share the love you taught me. This way, the space you leave in my heart will fill with light, not darkness. This way, I will honor you. This way, I will always have the real you here, with me. Thank you for being part of me. _____________________________ ~Xan Blackburn, 2013

Sending good thoughts! My own Pogo had a growth on his cornea (the white at the outside corner of his eye). It was removed, sent to pathology, and found to be hemangiosarcoma. That was at least a year and a half ago (my memory is horrible!), with no return. Hopefully, whatever it is on your kid is NOT cancerous!! Good for you getting it checked immediately!

Just finding your topic, and want to send my warmest wishes for continued and speedy recovery! She's learning to deal with a huge change pretty well, and pretty quickly, though I'm sure it will only seem so in retrospect. kisses to your girl! And, we love pictures! BTW, I'm up in northwest Washington, north of Bellingham, so we're practically neighbors!

Holy moley! Welcome to GT, to all of you! I've been here for a mere 9 years, and the absolute wealth of information and community I've gained here cannot be described. So, get ready to settle in!

Yeeks! I hope it finds its way back to normal ... I wonder if ... should you try sort of gently pulling it back into place? Maybe not, if you don't know exactly what's wrong ... Good luck! Let us know what happens!

Quick update. Brilly got his stitches out yesterday morning. We're down to just a child sock over it, really just to keep him from licking it. It looks pretty good, really. I guess. Considering. Oh, well, that's huge!

Checking in on you and Melody. Maybe you've started another thread. I'll go look, but just in case, I'll post my happy healing thoughts here! :grouphug

Aww! We're through our first flush of dandelions here; this is the second post-Wabi spring, and I finally was able to smile at all the memories, 99% of the time. Maybe a little bit of a wobbly smile, but still a smile. I love that Wabi lives on for many people like this!! Stitches are not coming out today, but he's doing alright. A bit more painful I think because we're stepping back on the pain meds as much as anything. I have to pick up more this afternoon. I don't think he's ready to go without altogether. Thanks for all the good healing thoughts!!

Cristar, sounds good! Now, our biggest bother is the bandaging, of course. The wound is healing nicely, and the vet said we might be able to take the sutures out on Monday. Now, if I can just get DH to remember to put the bootie on before he takes him outside ... ;P Note to self: buy more bandaging materials!

Well, be grateful for now, and that things look good at the moment! Frannie doesn't know anything about hemangiosarcoma, and ignorance can be bliss. Hang with her in that blissful state as much as you can. It's hard when we fear the future, but that fear can poison all the good of the present! Hugs to you both!!! :bighug

Glad to hear she came through surgery! I hope you all are getting a good night's sleep. Hang tough! Sending strength and comfort and healing thoughts to you all to dip into as needed.

For ONCE, I'm in a majority group!