| A Close Encounter
With A Killer,
by Chris Benton
Ask people what they think a killer looks like and mostly they will
describe a sinister, evil looking being that they would immediately recognize
as bad. Ask people who have actually unknowingly had acquaintance with
a killer and you will often hear quotes like "he like such a nice
person" or "I am totally shocked, I never would have known." Killers-they
come in all shapes and sizes, they are not always easily recognized.
The killer that I recently had an encounter with is one that I have known
about for many years. I had heard the stories of unsuspecting dog owners
who went off to work kissing their happy seemly healthy canine companion
goodbye, only to come home to a silent house and a very dead dog. In
fact two of my best friends lost their beloved
companions to this often unrecognized killer this past year. Both dogs
were German Shepherds. One was only fourteen months old. Young and full
of life one day, Otto was very much dead the next. The other was seven
year old German Shepherd who was in the prime of life and very loved
by adoring owners. His fate was sealed also because his owners did not
recognize a killer when it came knocking at their door.
My friend's tragedy may have saved my Shiloh, Tanner's life. When this
killer came knocking I recognized him for who he was. Who is this killer?
He goes by the street name of BLOAT. A very benign name for a very ruthless
killer.
I was not expecting to have a life and death situation last Thursday,
as I loaded up Tanner to take him to the vet for an ear infection. Tanner
is nine and half years old and as far as I was concerned in very good
health. He recently had pasted his yearly checkup with flying colors.
He stills runs with me everyday and in fact has been
training with us for a half marathon. We did a fourteen miler the previous
Saturday and by Sunday morning he was ready to go for a short five miler.
Yep, there is nothing wrong with Tanner. Oh how fate can humble you.
I stopped to pick up Tanner from the vet after work. He had been there
all day, not his favorite thing for sure. The vet explained what I needed
to do to treat the infection. I was anxious to get home. There was an
artic front coming in and the winds where howling, temps were dropping
fast and the weather forecast was warning that - 35 to – 50 degree
wind chill temperature were likely. I live about 30 miles from Missoula.
The drive would most likely be bad with blowing snow and gusting winds.
I just wanted to get home. As Tanner and I exited the vet's office we
were blasted by the frigid wind. My plan had been to stop and take Tanner
for a quick walk but I quickly changed it, reasoning with my self that
we could make it home and Tanner would be alright. Tanner certainly didn't
seem inclined to do any thing but wanted to get in the car and get as
far away from the dreaded vet as he could. The ride home was uneventful.
At home I let Tanner and my other dogs Jocko and Kola out. They all just
hovered around the door. With the temps now at 20 below without the wind,
they were not inclined to go walk themselves. I decided to feed them
first then bundle up for the required walk. Tanner ate his dinner with
gusto then went and got him self a long drink of water. He was very thirsty
after being at the vet's all day. The stage was set. Now all I had to
do is open the door----
It was cold outside and getting dark. We were kind of sheltered form
the wind but at 20 below, you cannot hide from the cold. I set a quick
pace and the three dogs trotting along with me. I was hoping to that
the dogs would do their business, but they were out to milk the walk
for as long as possible. I noticed the change on the return trip. Jocko
and Kola had finally given in to natures call and did their potty break.
Tanner, though seemed to start to do his business but then stop and trot
off. I thought he might be a little constipated. Things progressed quickly.
I could tell just how Tanner
was walking that something was wrong. He started to vomit but nothing
came up except some foamy liquid. I didn't see the killer yet but
he was there, masking his identity as a typical stomach upset. Dogs get
those a lot and if I rushed my dogs to the vet every time one of them
puked well, lets just say I would be making a log of trips to town. But----I
remembered Otto and Chandler. My friends had waited, and
their dogs had died, what if this was the real thing? Thoughts were rushing
through my head. I decided to call my vet's emergency number. Their response
was bring him in NOW! I think that's when I saw for sure the killer and
he had Tanner in his grip. I told them I would be there in a half hour;
pretty unrealistic considering the driving
conditions. I loaded Tanner into my SUV and sped down our long
drive to the main access road to the highway, only to find the whole
road was blocked by a neighbor who had spun sideways and was fruitlessly
trying to spin himself out of three feet of snow. I panicked. After I
sobbingly told him what was going on he, with the help of other neighbors
managed to get the vehicle out of my way and I rushed past. By this time
Tanner was whining and moaning in the back of my vehicle. I didn't dare
stop or look back, my hands where clamped on the steering wheel, praying
that I would not go off the road. I made it to the highway. The highway
was icy, the wind still howling,
blowing snow across the road. I managed to calm myself and drive with
caution. Finally after what seemed like hours but in fact was only 45
minutes, I drove up to the vet's office. They were waiting for me and
swept Tanner away to do x-rays. As I was waiting for the results of the
x-ray I started having doubts, thinking that I had over reacted. Those
doubts were put to rest when the vet tech came bursting through
the door, shouting its BLOAT, do we have permission to do surgery. I
signed the forms. They told me to go home and they would call. All I
could think of was that I never got to tell Tanner goodbye. As I drove
up to our house I could see my husband had come home. He greeted me on
the deck and quickly saw that Tanner was not with
me. "Where is Tanner?" he asked. I burst into tears. After
I gave him the run down he suggested that we pray. We held hands and
prayed for Tanner. I felt better knowing that it was in God's hands.
About five minutes later the phone rang. Tanner was okay. We had got
him there on time. There was no torsion and all the tissue looked healthy
and pink. He would require some extensive post op care, but he was going
to make a full recovery. I started crying again but these were tears
of joy.
We picked up Tanner on Saturday. What a joyful reunion on both sides.
Jim and I dutifully listen to the vet give us all the instructions for
post op care. Small amounts of bland food fed every two hours, no running,
jumping etc etc. I made the decision right then to take this week off
of work to care for him. After the vet finished, one of the
vet techs came out to talk with us. She was telling how important it
is to get a dog in quickly when suspecting bloat. Ironically as we were
standing there a couple burst in carrying a dog. It looked like the dog
was dead. The lady was crying and the man face was tight with emotion.
It turns out their dog had bloated and died on the way to
the vets. "We didn't know" she cried. "We thought it
was just a simple upset stomach."
This killer is still out there-Be sure you recognize him if he come knocking!
You dogs life depends on it!
--Chris Benton
Bloat: Be Aware, Be Prepared
 Articles
on Bloat, including Quick Reference Guide for GDV Bloat
Bloat
in Dogs, a great resource for FAQs and links about this deadly event
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