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Actually, Al, our great German Shepherd, cheated death!
A GSD rescued 6 months ago was about to lose his life. This is his story of survival
Pavithra, my significant other, is a certified trainer and a passionate animal lover. She receives a call from a familiar pet owner.
"Pavithra, there's a German Shepherd near our house. This dog is being mistreated and abandoned by its owners."
She rushes to find a massive German Shepherd abandoned at a construction site.
To cut a long story short, she rescues him, and I take care of him. What do you think happens after that?
We decided to adopt him. So now we're a family of 5+1. Yes, we are the proud pet parents of six adorable kids (dogs).
Everything seems fine, but life always throws in a curveball, right?
We've noticed that since Al came home, he drinks an excessive amount of water. Before eating, after eating, and in between, he just keeps drinking.
One day, he drinks an entire bowl of water before his meal, and another bowl of water after it.
He comes and settles down near my lap, and then he starts gasping for breath. It's as if he can't breathe.
He's struggling to clear his airways, and it's distressing to watch. We leave him in the garden, but his discomfort doesn't subside.
We suspect that something might be stuck in his throat.
That's when Pavithra exclaims, "BLOAT." Baba, it has to be Bloat. I'd heard about bloat, but this was beyond anything I imagined.
Despite Al's weight, he's determined to get into the car by himself. He jumps in as if to convey, "I'm ready, let's go to the Vet." Unfortunately, there's no emergency vet available near our location.
Pavithra calls Dr. Riya, from Bangalore Pet Hospital and tells her about Al's condition. We have been going to Bangalore Pet Hospital for the last 15 years.
I could hear Dr. Riya shout "RUSH." I will keep Dr. Lohith informed; we will keep everything ready. Oh my God, I am having Goosebumps reliving this moment.
It takes us an hour to reach one, and Al jumps out of the car the moment we arrive.
Dr. Riya is waiting outside, and like some long-lost friends, Al and she run inside BPH.
Pavithra and I were crying. I mean who wouldn't?
Dr. Riya comes out in a few minutes and says "He is not doing good." The both of us broke down even further. This kid has just started living his life, how? I mean, why?
Dr. Lohith comes out after some time and says "I can't say anything." We will see.
It takes 4 hours to save him. Thanks to Dr. Lohith and Dr. Riya.
The doctors are amazed at how he pulled through. His stomach was twisted, his spleen ruptured, and his organs displaced.
We were inches away from losing him, and let me tell you, I'm relieved he had the determination to survive, and we are forever grateful to our doctors.
Al became a VIP at Bangalore Pet Hospital. He was pampered by everybody there. Dr. Riya kept giving us regular updates and tips on what to do from now on, and all of this makes a huge difference, let me tell you.
This is also when we realized how much more there is to learn about dogs, even after having them for over 25 years.
It also dawned on me the necessity of an emergency vet service.
What should you do in such cases?
How can you identify bloat?
What can you do before reaching the hospital?
This is when we recognized the urgency to create Vet Chat: "An Instant Chat service connecting you with top-notch vets For FREE EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE AND ADVICE in real-time."
Dr. Riya and Dr. Lohith were the first Vets who we approached about this idea and thanks to Dr. Lohith (Founder) of Bangalore Pet Hospital, one of the top 3 hospitals in India, we have successfully launched Vet Chat, a Free Chat Service for Pet Parents.
Visit Dogswag.club (Vet Chat is a feature of DogSwag.club).
To Chat with Dr. Riya for Free Emergency Assistance and Advice click here Dr. Riya