u/ryanechols

For those of those who saw my post about getting the gastropexy and what we went through with my 13 year old boy Achilles and his bloat scare, we are just over a month out of his GDV surgery and he is recovery very well! We are down at the Jersey shore enjoying some 4th of July relaxing and he has been cleared to get wet so tomorrow morning we are going to take him to the dog beach so he can cool his paws off in the waves.

We had a few hiccups along the way with diarrhea as he was adjusting back to his regular diet and had to go about 2 weeks of a bland diet with antibiotics and pro pectalin but today he is back to his normal self for the most part and we’re starting to allow his activity to ramp back up and back on his old feeding regimen. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and staying cool in this crazy heat wave!

Last Monday my 13 year old boy was admitted to the ER with all the symptoms of bloat even though for 13 years we have done everything by the book to avoid it and yet he still woke up Monday morning coughing, and yakking up foamy mucus and became super lethargic. We rushed him right to the ER vet and they performed an emergency GDV surgery and also performed the gastropexy and thank god and the miracle surgeons and vets at Blue Pearl 8 days later he is home and recovering very well!

He’s able to get himself up, go on limited walks, and although he’s being a little picky with his medicines he’s starting to eat on a vet recommend diet and schedule and even went to grab me a toy to give me when I came in from grabbing something from the car.

We still have a long recovery road ahead of us but for a 13 year old dog who 2 weeks ago was dashing around the beach and jumping in the waves and then almost on deaths door step Achilles still has a lot of miles and licks left in the tank and it was no question for me to perform the surgery rather than say goodbye. For the next months he’s gonna be exercise limited, monitored for potential post op heart arythmia, and on medications for pneumonia and infection but all signs are pointing to him recovering well and living out the rest of the his life to the best of his abilities.

Make sure to get the gastro procedure because it’s something that can happen fast and unexpected even doing everything right and it’s a peace of mind and a wallet saver if you’re ever faced with what to do if they’re stomach ever does flip.