KTMrad 508 Posted April 6, 2020 This post is just to share important information.... I'm just going to share what happened with Doc Holliday's recent life threatening episode, because being aware of your dogs behavior and of this condition might just save their life one day...applies to cats (and humans) also... 5 days ago on Wednesday... After his morning walk at the office, I threw a ball down the hall and he ignored it, so I threw another toy and he ignored it also...I thought that was odd. So I started watching him, and he was not acting himself....I thought he was getting stomach bloat. I noticed short, labored breathing...called the vet and they said didn't have an appointment until 11:20...I said that's not going to work if he has stomach bloat, he could be dead by then... so they said they had a 10:20 appointment...I got there 35 minutes early (thank god), and my vet said he doesn't have bloat, but I said something is wrong...they were only doing parking lot appointments due to coronavirus, no clients allowed inside the building...he immediately did an x-ray and said no bloat but lungs leaking air into chest (Spontaneous Pneumothorax, popped Bulla on the lung), that's when he said I needed to get to emergency as quick as possible....on the drive there, I kept telling him to hold on, we barely made it with a few minutes to spare. This whole thing progressed rapidly within an hour and a half...we were so lucky, and the staff at VCA Animal Hospital were waiting with a stretcher because my Vet called them to tell them we were on the way with a life threatening emergency. Thanks to my Vet Dr. Tugend at VCA Animal Hospital at main street, and then VCA Animal Hospital Kearny Mesa. Please google Bulla on dog lung and Spontaneous Pneumothorax, it's too much for me to try to explain. Sometimes there is a cause for the Bulla, but sometimes it can just happen with no underlying cause...the biopsy which may tell the cause of Doc's ruptured Bulla won't be ready for at least a week. A really thorough explanation by our friend Peter Burke, who addressed this issue in humans...and he just so happens to have a cool sidecar dog also... Randy needs a break so I’ll offer an explanation. My clinical experience was with humans but there’s much crossover among mammals. The chest cavity expands when you inhale, creating negative pressure which pulls air into the lungs. Some lungs have weak spots called blebs (or bullae), usually at the edges of the lobes. If those blebs rupture the air drawn into the lung escapes into the space between the lung and the chest wall. Depending on the size of the hole the lung quickly collapses putting pressure on the heart and interfering with its proper functioning. This is called a mediastinal shift and is deadly if not treated Immediate life saving treatment is to find and seal the leak, then remove the air trapped in the chest cavity. That’s typically done by a chest tube attached either to low suction or to a water trap that allows air to escape but not to enter, sort of like the water trap under your sink. Once the lung is reinflated the chest tube can be withdrawn. The patient avoids strenuous activity till the pleura (lining between the lung and chest wall) has regained its normal bond. Hope that helps Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThumperBob 21 Posted April 6, 2020 I’m glad he is going to be ok. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
royboyz 36 Posted April 6, 2020 That is scary and glad it all worked out in the end 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zubb 1061 Posted April 6, 2020 For many of us, the bond we have with our pets is deep and can't be put into words easily. I am truly happy for you and Doc that you caught this and survived it. You are blessed to have more time with your buddy. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wierdrider 187 Posted April 6, 2020 So glad you caught it Randy, Doc’s an awesome dog! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSM8 360 Posted April 15, 2020 I am shocked to hear this but really glad he got the treatment so quickly that was needed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr.JAJA 380 Posted April 15, 2020 And we all know, one time you have to make the decision. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pokey151 244 Posted April 16, 2020 Oh man, so scary. I lost my Max on fathers day. No question they are family. We still struggle with the sudden loss. He was limping then did not want walk. We took him to the vet a few times, they said it was a form arthritis, gave him steroids and he improved, then a 6 months later he starting limping etc.. we took him to the vet again, started the steroids but no improvement. 3 days later we called our vet and they said take him to a specialist. We went there, they said he seemed to have injured his back. They gave him some minor pain meds and said limit his movement for 2 weeks and we will follow up. Well 2 days later he passed in my arms while trying to carry him to the car to go to the vet because he was in clear pain with the panting etc.. Talking with my neighbor who is a vet tech said she thought it was a cancer and it ruptured inside. When he 1st showed signs of him not being himself, they did a ton of blood work on him. So we thought he had arthritis but it may have been cancer that blood work never showed. They never thought along with I never thought of an Xray because when they said arthritis, well Xrays do not show that. Very scary stuff 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KTMrad 508 Posted April 16, 2020 Pokey, sorry about you losing your Max...it's always tough. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pokey151 244 Posted April 18, 2020 On 4/16/2020 at 4:22 PM, KTMrad said: Pokey, sorry about you losing your Max...it's always tough. Thank you, yes it is. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
