Last Clinic

Yep, the last vaccination clinic was this morning. First I had to open up. Holly came shortly after 7 but by then I had talked to a client about his Great Dane "Bishop" (I love that name) that was showing signs of bloat. This is found in deep chested breeds like Great Danes, Doberman Pinschers, German Shepherds, Rottweilers....It is fatal if surgery is not performed. The signs the client told me were; drooling excessively, lethargic, dry heaves. In bloat, the stomach starts twisting after gas has started forming. It is very uncomfortable and they can lose sections of intestine quickly. I told Josh to come in at 8 and then called Jen to warn her. Not the best day for an emergency surgery with the vaccination clinic starting at 9.




Bishop weighed about 169# and Jen and I had to pick him up and put him on the xray table. Okay, 169 divided by 2 people comes to  85 pounds each!!! See why I have to eat my wheaties in the morning?



When you look at this xray, the round dark area is the stomach which is filled with air. Look at this diagram to help -


As you can see, the xray looks like the last diagram in the series above. Poor Bishop was miserable. Unfortunaely he was 7 1/2 years old which is towards the end of a Dane's natural life. Josh said he's had a really tough year - aging a lot in a year's time. He and his wife had discussed the possiblility of bloat and had decided to euthanize Bishop if that was the case. Jen felt he would have had a hard time recovering from surgery. Jen and I put Bishop down and then had a REALLY hard time lifting him up onto the guerney from the floor. I must admit I had to stop for a few minutes to catch my breath.
A couple of years ago, one of my boarders came down with bloat while being kenneled at the clinic. They did emergency surgery but the springer spaniel died on the table. He had not been feeling well for weeks - the stomach had probably started to twist but hadn't  twisted completely until he was baording.

Lots of people came to the last clinic, in spite of the weather. The temp never got to 40 degrees and my feet got a little cold but it was still successful. Never thought I would have to make up signs for the May 4 clinic that read "Watch out for Falling Snow!"

Saw 2 does down by the fence line again. They wandered south to the gravel road and walked along it for a while. It's a big deal when I see deer - it's so rare!
Very tired - driving to Hudson, Wisconsin  tomorrow to meet up with Aren and Becky so they can ge their cat back. They were in Wisxconsin for Becky's grandmother's funeral. I know I can sleep in the car - unless I'm playing addictive iPad games!