Okay, so I’ll start this off by talking about my pup. He turns 1 year old as of March 31, about a year ago I asked everyone’s opinion on getting a GSD that had been hurt by his dog father and had his eye knocked out. Well, I went against most recommendations and took the pup, he’s the sweetest thing ever. I know my case could very well be lucky and I know he could’ve had serious behavioral problems.
Now, onto the story. It was late February and I was at work, I got a call around 10:30 from my mom telling me that my pup was outside lying down and smelling his butt as if he had a piece of poop hanging. After inspection, she realized he didn’t and he started whining. I told her to take him to the vet immediately, I had no idea what was going on but I assumed it wasn’t good, his behavior was way off. She got him to the emergency hospital within an hour of that call and the vet on staff at the time was young and pretty fresh out of school. He took some X-rays and determined that his stomach had flipped over and he needed immediate surgery. Luckily I had recently gotten a CareCredit card for dental stuff but it also works for most vets, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to do anything for my pup. I tell them to go ahead and get the specialist in for the surgery.
I get a call about an hour or so later from my mom asking me to step outside of work. I walk out and she tells me that the specialist showed up, looked at the X-rays and determined that Riley’s, my pup, intestines were dying because there was air throughout the intestines. He needed to be put down. I was able to get someone to cover for me while I went to say my goodbyes. The specialist said that he has seen this exact X-ray time and time again throughout his 20+ years, he believes the intestines are dying. He said he doesn’t like putting animals down, that’s why he became a surgeon, to help. He said if I wanted, he’d still go in but he is 99% sure he’d see dying intestines and have to euthanize him on the spot.
The whole time we are talking, Riley is bouncing around in the room, just his happy/go-lucky self. Eventually the specialist says that he would be willing to do another X-ray to put me at ease, saying that if it’s still black/grey, then we would have our answer. He comes back about 15 minutes later saying “Riley has made a liar out of us all, I have never seen this before” he showed us the X-ray and how there was less gas and how it had moved. He said that at his time he could not recommend euthanasia, he had hope for my big guy.
Riley had to stay over night and we got a call around 6 AM that his stomach had flipped and they still needed to do that surgery. They went in and tact his stomach to his insides so it can’t flip as easy. They checked all of his organs and said he was in great health. After several weeks of having to keep a very hyper pup from running, jumping, and playing, my big guy has been able to play and live like a pup again for a few weeks now.
I was moments from sending Riley to be euthanized. Had the specialist not asked if I wanted another X-ray and had I not been willing to spend a little Extra money to verify that he was dying, I wouldn’t have my best friend right now. He was worth the $5400. The specialist said he sat all the other vets and young workers down and they all discussed Riley. He showed them the flipped stomach since most hadn’t dealt with that before, he showed them the X-rays, and he said that Riley was proof that we can’t always go based on a radiograph, sometimes you have to look at the patient too. He said he asked about my willingness to do another X-ray because Riley should’ve started to show signs of deteriorating health by that time, and he wasn’t.
So guys, it never hurts to get a little confirmation. By the time I asked for another X-ray, the previous one was about an hour or two old so it game the gas enough time to move around and dissipate. I can’t say that had I asked 10 minutes after the first one that it wouldn’t have just been the same looking.
Here are some photos of him before and after his operation.
Now, onto the story. It was late February and I was at work, I got a call around 10:30 from my mom telling me that my pup was outside lying down and smelling his butt as if he had a piece of poop hanging. After inspection, she realized he didn’t and he started whining. I told her to take him to the vet immediately, I had no idea what was going on but I assumed it wasn’t good, his behavior was way off. She got him to the emergency hospital within an hour of that call and the vet on staff at the time was young and pretty fresh out of school. He took some X-rays and determined that his stomach had flipped over and he needed immediate surgery. Luckily I had recently gotten a CareCredit card for dental stuff but it also works for most vets, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to do anything for my pup. I tell them to go ahead and get the specialist in for the surgery.
I get a call about an hour or so later from my mom asking me to step outside of work. I walk out and she tells me that the specialist showed up, looked at the X-rays and determined that Riley’s, my pup, intestines were dying because there was air throughout the intestines. He needed to be put down. I was able to get someone to cover for me while I went to say my goodbyes. The specialist said that he has seen this exact X-ray time and time again throughout his 20+ years, he believes the intestines are dying. He said he doesn’t like putting animals down, that’s why he became a surgeon, to help. He said if I wanted, he’d still go in but he is 99% sure he’d see dying intestines and have to euthanize him on the spot.
The whole time we are talking, Riley is bouncing around in the room, just his happy/go-lucky self. Eventually the specialist says that he would be willing to do another X-ray to put me at ease, saying that if it’s still black/grey, then we would have our answer. He comes back about 15 minutes later saying “Riley has made a liar out of us all, I have never seen this before” he showed us the X-ray and how there was less gas and how it had moved. He said that at his time he could not recommend euthanasia, he had hope for my big guy.
Riley had to stay over night and we got a call around 6 AM that his stomach had flipped and they still needed to do that surgery. They went in and tact his stomach to his insides so it can’t flip as easy. They checked all of his organs and said he was in great health. After several weeks of having to keep a very hyper pup from running, jumping, and playing, my big guy has been able to play and live like a pup again for a few weeks now.
I was moments from sending Riley to be euthanized. Had the specialist not asked if I wanted another X-ray and had I not been willing to spend a little Extra money to verify that he was dying, I wouldn’t have my best friend right now. He was worth the $5400. The specialist said he sat all the other vets and young workers down and they all discussed Riley. He showed them the flipped stomach since most hadn’t dealt with that before, he showed them the X-rays, and he said that Riley was proof that we can’t always go based on a radiograph, sometimes you have to look at the patient too. He said he asked about my willingness to do another X-ray because Riley should’ve started to show signs of deteriorating health by that time, and he wasn’t.
So guys, it never hurts to get a little confirmation. By the time I asked for another X-ray, the previous one was about an hour or two old so it game the gas enough time to move around and dissipate. I can’t say that had I asked 10 minutes after the first one that it wouldn’t have just been the same looking.
Here are some photos of him before and after his operation.
