BACK

Thanks Ruby...
If it weren't for you I wouldn't even know about Phazyme and I know it definitely saved him. With all the Danes I've had since 1984, I've never had one bloat until him, fortunately, I watch all of mine so close after they eat, and around these bad thunderstorms we get here, I'm able to give the Phazyme at the drop of a hat, but I didn't know you could give it on a regular basis after an episode. That's a great tip, thanks again :)
Janet
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

It doesn't seem like enough to say thank you.  I honestly think that if I had not had your bloat protocol, things would have gone much worse for Bella on Sunday night.  After losing Remo so quickly to bloat and torsion, I am just determined not to lose another.  Bella is a wonderful girl and I am devoted to her.  As soon as I suspected she might be bloating, I immediately got out the protocol and followed it to the letter.  I'm sure my vet has never seen anything like it!

Its great that the protocol is on your website, too, because now I can refer people to it.  
LadyR is gorgeous, by the way.  I am a BIG harle fan. 

Thanks again, Ruby, for saving my sweet Bella's life!

Sharon with Philo and Bella

When Alyce bloated and torsioned, here is how she behaved:

Aate dinner around 6:30 p.m.
Came into living room to be with me while I had my dinner.
She was lying on the floor, and began retching...dry retching..unproductive vomiting.

I thought she would stop. When she didn't, I said, "do you need to go out?"
we raced to the backdoor. She raced out into the yard and began eating grass frantically. 
I followed her.
Then, of a sudden, she stopped eating grass.
She stood, and would not walk. She would look at me, but not move an inch. 
She hung her head down, looking up at me, but just stood in that one spot. 
Her look was one of quiet desperation and pain.
I felt her sides and stomach, but couldn't detect noticeable swelling.

Ran to get the leash to see if she'd walk on it. She did reluctantly, but seemed to be 
walking like she was holding a basketball between her back legs. 
She pooped, and I thought maybe that's what she needed.
She began dry retching again. I got her in the house. 
Tried giving Phazyme..hands shaking...couldn't get it down, but by then was probably too late.

My sister took us to the ER vet. When sister got to my house with the car, I already had 
Alyce in the front yard waiting. Alyce was lying in the grass, retching every few seconds it
seemed. We got her in the backseat. She would get up, then lie down, get up, lie down, 
then she got too quiet and I was really scared. We flew to the ER.
Alyce walked in on her own ( a big plus they say).

She was twisted, flipped, you name it. Vet recommend putting her down cause she was 
10 1/2 y/o at the time. Couldn't do it of course. 

Later vet said her stomach was full of grass. When he opened her, her spleen was grayish, 
then when he untwisted her, it began going back to pinkish..so he left it in.
When they are acting strangely, out of normal behavior, then
it's a safe bet to get them looked at.
 
Lyn Hamer Cook

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Subject life after bloat--update

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions about why my guy is bloating after a 
quick run in the yard. 
He has done it 3 times this month whereas he had only done it sporadically
since he originally bloated 2 years ago. 

I talked to the vet who performed his surgery and I was correct when I told you 
all that he was tacked in 4 places. The doctor told me he did belt-loop 
gastroplexy and also performed a pyloroplasty to help prevent any recurrence of GDV.  

[FYI - A pyloroplasty is an operation in which the pylorus (the outlet from the 
stomach) is widened to ensure the free passage of food into the intestine.]

I asked him if he thought that Chance being tacked in 4 places was possibly 
inhibiting the natural function of his stomach and causing him to re-bloat.. 
He didn't seem to think so. 
He also reiterated that we are very lucky Chance is with us after all this 
time (2 yrs since he bloated).

He said Chance had the most severe case of bloat he has ever seen 
(first dane bloat case he had). Beings his stomach was stretched for such a 
long period of time due to the emergency clinics refusal to operate at onset 
and the fact that when he opened him up the blood supply was shut down for 
so long that the stomach wall appeared bluish or blackened and did not 
pinken up as fast as he had liked and any time there is necrosis of the 
stomach wall the prognosis for a successful resolution of the case is very poor.  
He was surprised we didn't experinece any type of endotoxic shock with him 
neither did he have any abnormal heart rhythms. 
Love is a powerful tool. I stayed with him the entire day after surgery 
talking and petting and I know even in the best case scenario of bloat you 
just never know the outcome.

He told me to continue doing what I have been doing with him 
(giving the Phazyme gel caps and the massage) as it apparently is working. 
He said he is bloating but not torsioning which I already knew but didn't 
put me anymore at ease. 

Melissa

I cannot thank you enough!!! I read your posts, thought, well, I'll probably never need it 
(none of our dogs are large, deep-chested, kibble gulpers who then vigorously exercise), 
but I went and bought some Phazyme anyway. And then our 30-lb. Sheltie mix, right after 
eating her chopped-up turkey neck, started looking very uncomfortable, sitting down, 
standing up, sitting down again, pacing, then start vomiting the thick white foamy sticky stuff. 
The emergency vet was no help at all, telling me her breed wasn't typical for bloat, so I was 
on my own. I gave her only 2 Phazyme tablets (because I wasn't even sure she WAS bloating), 
she spit one out and swallowed the other and then within 20 seconds stopped.

Any advice? Incidentally, we had gone for a 30-minute walk about 10 minutes before she ate, 
but it was just a leisurely walk, no running or anything like that. She's almost 5 years old, 
and does have a narrow abdomen. 

I can't thank you enough. After this incident, I thought I have to track this person down to thank her 
and let her know she saved my dog!

Nancy

Simethicone is a wonder drug and I do keep a couple of bottles on hand all the time.  
It amazed me as to how fast she bloated.  At 6pm bloat started, but I did not catch it.  
Thought she just had to go outside to tinkle.  Thirty minutes later, bloat, then 2.5 hours 
later surgery started.
It is amazing how fast every thing proceeded.

Pam

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

As a word of caution to anyone who has never had experience with bloat or even if you have, 
if your dog is acting differently, exhibiting any signs of bloat at all, DO NOT DELAY.  
Give them Phazyme and take them to the Vet RIGHT AWAY. 
 It just is not worth it to wait and see.  Better you pay an unnecessary charge for a quick visit 
than your dog die.  I have experienced bloat only twice in 20 years.  One lived - one didn't - one 
was VERY obvious - one was not.  Most often it seems to me that it happens at night.  
Since we feed twice a day I have often wondered about this.  Both my girls bloated at night - late.
Ruby has had a great deal of experience with her girls and she knows what she is doing, has 
all her options lined up and ready to go if she needs to get help.  
I just think it's best to err on the side of caution especially if there is any question at all.  
Now - go hug your dogs.  :-)
Sam

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

I am not sure if you remember me, but my Dane passed away a few weeks ago.  
He was unable to keep food and water down in the end.  The vet here thinks he may
have had nerve damage done to his stomach when he bloated in Oct of last year.  
During the last 6 months he could only eat small portions of food.

Thank you for your help, because of you my dog was able to live 6 months longer than 
he would have.  And for that time, I cannot thank you enough...

Dan Baldwin

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Ruby- I must tell you how raja is LOVING that food, as soon as she is done eating she stands 
by the door (where we keep the food)  and she can't get enough!  So I am hoping she will start 
putting on some more weight here soon.  She has been gassy a few times before I put her on the
food, and I have only had it a few days.  But i gave her the Phazyme and she was fine.  
But on the Simethicone, I wanted to verify how much of that you give per meal.  
I was searching through all of your emails and I thought it said 1 cc per meal.  
Is that correct, or was i seeing something else?

Thanks!
Christy

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Phayzme is what saved his life here.  When we realized he was bloating we shoved 6 of the 
gel caps down him at first.  Then we did 4 more before we left for the trip to the hospital.  
The Vet had never heard of that!!!  Imagine that!  
She told us that that is what got him to them alive and was very impressed that we knew to 
do that and she didn't!!!

Corky

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

© Copyright 1999, all rights reserved. Material may be reproduced for non-profit use only.