It all started when my oldest dog, Kelsey, went outside before bedtime. Typically, she would run out, do her business, and come right back in. This night, things were different.

After waiting 10 minutes or so, we decided to go out and see what was taking her so long. Using a flashlight, we found her in the farthest corner of our fenced yard, laying on her side and panting heavily. She also has excess saliva dripping from her mouth. Every attempt to get her to come back in was stonewalled, even to the point where when we tried to physically move her, she would growl. It was then we knew for sure something wasn’t quite right.

After finally getting her inside 3 hours later, my wife was up with her all night. Our family was very close to our oldest dog. Kelsey was 11 years old, and had been through a lot, from have parvo at 8 weeks old, to jumping out of a second story window into a bush as a pup. I got her from the SPCA as a college graduation present for my now-wife.

We decided to see how she was feeling after everybody had woken up, and what do you know? Kelsey was back to her old self. We dismissed it as indigestion, and she was normal for a few more weeks. Then she started acting like she did that night. Only this time, we noticed how distended she was on one side. My wife took her to the vet, and after an x-ray, it was determined that she had an extreme case of bloat, or Gastric Dilatation.

From thepetcenter.com:

Canine bloat occurs when there is gas production in the stomach and that gas buildup is unable to be expelled via belching or vomiting, or passed through the intestines and out of the dog as flatulence. Some bloat cases occur very rapidly when fermentation of grains in the wet and warm stomach environment create gas. The influence of grain in creating an environment conducive to bloat seems even more plausible in that it is very rare for dogs that consume meat-based diets to develop bloat. Generally, bloat is the extreme dilation of the stomach as a result of gas buildup that cannot escape the stomach.

Treatment needs to be undertaken immediately. Time is a very decisive factor in the success or failure of correcting bloat. Once presented to a veterinarian, a dog with bloat will become the center of attention and all other activities at the animal hospital assume a lesser priority.

The vet advised us that this was a serious case, and while she may act fine for the next few weeks again, she was in a great amount of pain, and advised against surgery, instead suggesting to put her down. We agreed, and lost a very special family member.