DOG OWNERS, TAKE NOTE OF THIS WARNING!!
Let me start out by saying that I almost killed Lava yesterday. Got your attention? Thought so!
Yesterday I fed Lava her normal evening meal. Just after she ate, I got a call from our neighbors who wanted to know if Lava and I wanted to go to the park so our dogs could romp together. Well, I hesitated because Lava had just eaten, but gave in so as not to disappoint our friends. Everything was fine at the park. The dogs had a real good time and just ran, jumped, and did all that dog stuff they always do. I noticed Lava got tired a little earlier than usual, so I put the leash back on her and began walking her home. Our house is about 1/2 mile from the park, and by the time we got home, her stomach area was swelled to almost double its normal size. As soon as we got home, I called the vet...no answer...left a message on emergency voice mail. Lava got very lathargic, and I tried to make her lay down and rest, but she was pacing. She did eventually lay down, and rolled onto her back (which, by the way, is "market sign"). About 20 minutes passed, and still no call back from the vet (which I've since fired). I called another vet hospital, and this time got to talk to a on-call vet. I told him what was going on, and he had me monitor her very closely, indicating that bloat in a dog can kill them quickly. The vet wanted me to watch closely for any sign Lava was in distress, which fortunately she didn't seem to be. Anyway, I stayed awake with her until about 3 in the morning, and she seemed to rest. When I woke up this morning, she was next to me, and her swelling had reduced back to normal. Talked to the vet this am, and he says we were lucky. Moral: NEVER, EVER, exercise a dog within an hour of feeding...EVER!
I knew this, but in an effort to please others, ignored it. I'll not make this mistake again.
909's,
-Joe
It's been a very strange weekend: #reply-11367202 |
