[Chuck and Carol]

Thursday night Chuck came home and we decided to go somewhere for the weekend. This job for the Air Force is messing us up. They never did give us that trip to New Mexico.
Anyway, we packed up noon on Friday, drove about an hour and set up camp. At 4:15 I walked Mikkie our german shepard. He acted like he couldn't go to the bathroom (#2) but we didn't really think anything about it. We had dinner, watched the news and then walked Mikkie again. He was ok.
When we got back to the trailer Mikkie started acting funny. Then he started eating grass which we've never seen him do. He was restless and panting so we put him in the trailer. I went in after I heard him pacing around and got him to lay down. I sat on the floor and he layed out flat on his side. I watched TV and kept glancing at him. I called Chuck in and said look at his sides. They were bloating up as we watched. Not good. I called the office, they gave me the name of a vet, called him. Not open. Called the Emergency clinic back in Syracuse and they said get him there ASAP. So we flew back down the thruway. They took him as soon as we walked in. We were taken into a room and by then the vet had X-rayed him stomach. His stomach had twisted around so it was in two parts. It had shut off the blood supply to his spleen. The vet told us he was 1 hour from dying. We had to make a decision right away. Even though it is awful expensive there was no question we'd give him a fighting chance. He came through the operation just fine. They are sending the spleen to Cornell University. We went in last night to visit but he was too upset when he saw us and wanted to come home. Almost made us cry to see our baby (110 pounds) with tubes coming and going. The next few days will determine if the operation was a success.
Large breasted dogs get what is called GDV. That's where the stomach twists and turns. The food in the bottom couldn't get out and the food in the upper part was coming back up into his esophagus. All it takes is 5 hours to kill a dog.
Now when we go anywhere we will find out where the nearest emergency room for animals is. The campground was nice. Gave us part of our money back so we could leave and come back where we are closer to the hospital to visit Mikkie.
I couldn't take losing another animal in less that a year.

Carol