This is a horror story more than anything else and I'm only telling it now because the worst of it has finally passed. On the 6th of this month, my dog came down with a case of Bloat. In case you don't know what that is, here is the jist of it: There is a certain ache when a pet falls to health. It's an ache that builds a painful ever-present lump in my throat and each beat of my heart echos in the empty auditorium of my rib cage. The worry and fear of losing said pet is overwhelming, to the point where you bury your head into distractions -- anything to take the mind off of the worst possibilities.Sierra, the dog that chose me as his human for 13 wonderful love-filled years, has fallen to Bloat. It is a terrible health problem in older wide-chested dogs (common in Great Danes and other large species) where the dog's stomach turns 360° and cuts off blood flow to the stomach and other organs. This causes the animal's organs to slowly die off from lack of blood flow. If not noticed within 2 hours, there is a very good likelihood that the animal will die. Bloat is unpreventable and is the #2 killer of dogs, next to cancer.He went to an Emergency Veterinary Hospital on Sunday evening around 8:00 PM after we noticed he could barely stand and was foaming at the mouth. His stomach was also severely distended, to the point he looked bloated and his gums were as pale as death itself. He refused water and food, even treats that he'd normally never turn up. I'm explaining this so that if this ever happens to any of my friends, you know what to look for (though I sincerely hope this does not happen to any of you because the fear of losing your most loyal best friend is the worst fear there is).When Sierra got to the vet, he was unable to walk and literally collapsed on the office floor. Three assistants came out and lifted him onto a gurney and rushed him into surgery. It was the scariest thing, seeing my dog rushed off and not knowing if he was going to live or die. The veterinarian let us know that we were extremely lucky, having noticed the symptoms as soon as he started showing them and taking the initiative to bring him to the hospital asap instead of waiting. Most pet owners that wait see their dog die. The surgery took an hour and a half.My dog is alive but not out of the woods by far. He is staying at the veterinarian's because his breathing has been irregular, heavy and constant panting produced by an also irregular heartbeat. He can barely stand; all he wants to do is lay down and sleep. He's refused most food and barely drinks. He has been urinating all over himself because he refuses to get up to go to the bathroom. It's painful seeing him in such a state and the longer it goes on, the more I fear losing him -- the more I fear losing a huge part of myself.He may be 13 years old, going on 14 but he normally acts 7-8 years younger. He has always been the confident dog that walks with big clumsy steps and a smile on his face. We call one of our other dog's, Keera, his girlfriend because they are forever chasing each other over the yard and rubbing up against each other. Sierra is/was by no means ready for this and if I should lose my companion, it will be the cruelest twist that fate could offer on my pet who loved life so much.It's now almost a month later and Sierra, after one of the hardest times of both our lives, has finally started to bounce back. He's had a lot of muscle and weight loss and he's a bit anemic, but for the most part, he's back to his old self. The last few weeks were trying and so touch and go that we asked ourselves if it wouldn't be better to put him down if he was suffering. Finally, out of desperation, we took him off all his medication (he's a lightweight when it comes to meds, despite his size) and within the next few days, he seemed to make a full recovery. He's running and jumping (even though he's not supposed to be) and has the frisk of a dog 7 years younger. We're still trying to get him back up to optimal weight and taking him on short walks to gain back some muscle, but he's doing well.AND FINALLY, here are some pics of him. The last two pics are from yesterday. He tried going outside in the rain, so I had to dry him off.P.S. Some people call him "Zom-dog" because he looks like he's been through the mill. He's had his share of health problems over the last 13 years (allergies mostly, that he takes meds for) and at one point a persistent ear-infection in the skin of his ear that led to the amputation of half of it. But still, all these qualities make him our Moose. Wouldn't change him for the world.
Got a puppy 5 days ago. She's not letting me sleep but these eyes are totally worth it
When he was still a tiny little thing
