No vet available. What would you do?

Question

You wake up at 3:00 am Sunday morning to find your dog in bad shape. His stomach is bloated and hard. Its obvious he is in agony. You suspect his stomach has twisted. The nearest emergency vet is 200 miles away and you don't think the dog will last through the 4 hour drive. The surgery to fix gastric torsion is risky with about 50% chance of survival. Its very expensive during regular vet hours, you don't even want to think about how much the emergency vet will charge. Do you load him in the car and hope he makes it to the vet or do you put him out of his misery on the spot?

I am not in this situation but because of how far in the woods I live its a decision I might have to make in the future.

Answer 1

I would make the trip without hesitation. I would find someone to drive my car and I would sit in the back with my dog. First because I would be a nervous wreck and I would not want to risk my life or other people's life while driving my dog to the vet and second if my dog doesn't make it through the trip at least he would have the comfort of being with me, and me with him, when he passes on.

Answer 2

Are you asking us for permission to shoot your dog??

WTF???

Answer 3

The person who advised getting tacking done to prevent this made a very good point. I didn't know it was done as a preventive measure. Failing that, I'd make sure I followed any recommendations to prevent this happening in the first place, check with my vet to see if there is anything you could do at home as an emergency fix, and if bloat or anything else happened, I would start making the trip to the vet just in case there was a chance for the dog to live. And I'd start making the drive immediately. You must be seriously out in the boonies to have a vet so far away.

Answer 4

Wow that's a tough one. Personally, I would risk taking my pet to the vet. Yes the ride might put more stress on the dog, but I care too much about my pets not to try. Then again, if the dog was really miserable....I don't know what I would do. I think I would still try to make it to the vet, because I certainly could not put it down myself.

Answer 5

Instead you should call your vet and tell them you want to schedule your dog for a Gastoplexy (stomach tack) so you do not have to worry about these situations in the future!

The breeds I own are prone to bloat and gastric torsion and you better believe I have had their stomach's tacked!

Answer 6

That is a no brainer..you get to the vet ASAP. What would you do if you got sick?  

Answer 7

I would head for the vet.  He may not make it but I would take the chance.  That doesn't mean I would have that surgery once we got there, but the vet could inform me of the situation and if I needed to have him put to sleep then I would.  I would not be comfortable using anything i had in my house to put him out of his misery.  I just don't think I could do it humanly.  

Answer 8

I'd pack him into the car and do the best I could.  I have know many dogs with gastric torsion and they have all made full recoveries.  

I would have to give the dog that chance.  

Answer 9

Since you're posing this question in a preparatory stance, let's start with things you can do that will help you to know how to act when and if it happens.

First, and most importantly, talk with your vet.  There are surgery options to be used as preventative measures that can nearly rid you of all worry about gastric dilatation-volvulus, torsion, bloat, whatever you like calling it.  Possibly it is worth having this surgery?  Clearly, cost is important to you, as you went into some detail about this, but it would be better to schedule the surgery and pay for it through your regular vet when you can prepare for it, rather than have to incur an unexpected expense if your dog goes through this.

Second, make sure that you feed a deep chested dog more than just once a day.  A once-a-day feeding schedule can encourage your deep chested friend to gulp down food because there is so much time between feedings.  When fed twice a day, or even more often if you are a stay at home type person, can drastically reduce the dog's hunger pangs, which can make them frantic eaters and raise the risk of bloat.  This isn't the case with every bloat case, but it certainly is a preventative measure worth taking.  Also, promote a healthy eating pace by using a bowl such as the Brake-fast bowl, or just put one (or more) kongs in the bowl with the food, which will encourage the dog to eat around the hurdles and therefore cause him to take more time between bites.  Both our Saint Bernard and our English Bulldog eat from bowls stuffed with 3 kongs, or a kong and a few old marrow bones.  Anything will work, but if your dog is a big chewer, try to stay away from things like tennis or racquet balls.  Ordinarily, they'll just gulp those down in the process, or they'll chew on them when they are done with eating and possibly ingest one of balls before you even realize it.

Third, consider a medication with your vet to promote the dog's stomach to empty quicker.  There's a drug called metoclopromide, which is often prescribed for this and a number of other gastrointestinal issues, such as mega-esophagus.  This can help in the prevention of bloat, but it is certainly no guarantee.

Fourth, if you aren't able to provide care for your dog, seriously consider turning your dog over to a rescue.  You simply cannot be so insensitive and irresponsible to put your dog in a position where they can potentially be in serious harm without a veterinarian near by.  Simply putting the dog "out of its misery" is a cruel end for the dog, and completely unwarranted given the situation.  It is extraordinarily selfish of you to expect your dog to never have a problem that could wait to be fixed 4 hours while you transport your dog to the vet.  There are tons and tons of things that could happen to your dog that would require emergency medical treatment.  Would you kill your dog over any of these?  That seems ridiculous.  Either move, make better arrangements, go to veterinary school and educate yourself to be able to care for your dog, or turn your dog over to a responsible rescue.

Answer 10

Take a look at this website.  It has directions to use acupressure on your dog while you are transporting him.

I once asked our Dane rescue vet if this would work and she said yes.  She also said that this should not take the place of a vet.

http://www.iwane.org/A_P.htm

If it works , fine.  If it doesn't, it didn't cost anything to try.

I've never had to use this and I hope that I never do!

Answer 11

That's a tough one and a decision I hope you never have to make. I'd probably put my dog in the car and start driving. What if you're wrong about the diagnosis?

Answer 12

Put the dog in the car and pray all the way.

Answer 13

It's your responsibility, as a pet owner, to determine what alternative options are available before you experience such an emergency.  Even if you live in a rural area, there are usually vets who make house calls.  Make it a point to locate the ones near you who may do so on an emergency basis.

To answer your question, I would load my dog into the car and haul *** to the nearest vet without a single thought of how much it may hurt my wallet.

Answer 14

I agree with Miaugh.If you think your dog is at risk for bloat,have the surgery done.They simply suture the dog's stomach to the abdominal wall,assuring that it cannot twist.It can still fill with gas,though,so always have Gas-X or some other product containing Simethicone to give to the dog should it happen.You give a double dose,and then get to the vet.

Answer 15

would make the journey knowing i might not get there in time but knowing i tried

Answer 16

First off, pose this question to your vet, follow his or her recommendations on anything you could do to minimize the risk of bloat (if that is the specific problem that is your biggest concern.)    If bloat is your main worry, think about having prophylactic gastropexy surgery on your dog.  That surgery most likely is less expensive than an emergency gastropexy, and the hospitalization & medications afterward.

If there are other medical emergencies that you think might arise, and the 200 mile trip is the closest vet to you, pose that question to your vet also, and ask what type of first-aid kit you might need to have, en route to the e-clinic.

add:  I would load my dog up & make the trip, without a doubt.

Answer 17

Wow that would be a horrible situation to be in, however, my dog and cats mean everything to me and I would make the trip.