Today’s blog is for pet owners. The last 96 hours have been complete and utter chaos. And I have spent most of it teetering between tears and not being able to keep my eyes open, thanks to my 4 legged friends.
So I told you all that we rescued a puppy. Scotti is great….but he’s a puppy. There is potty training and chewing and it feels very 24/7 right now, Plus he was neutered on Wednesday, so it’s constant commotion with an added cone for good measure!
Well then on Thursday, Boomer started acting a little off. Nothing overt- he just seemed a bit uncomfortable. I initially thought he was adjusting to his new brother. Lance had been gone all week, so when he got home Thursday night, he also noticed something was off. So much so that Lance slept out on the couch to be with Boomer.
Friday morning we decided Boomer needed to be seen by a doctor. Our vet wasn’t in- and only offered telemedicine appointments. (For dogs?!?! That seems nuts, but anyway….)
Back story. We love dogs. Lance and I got our first Bernese Mountain Dog when we had been married 2 years- about a year before we had our first child. So Hugo was truly our first child. He lived to be 10 and was an amazing, simple dog. We got Olie, another Berner, a few years before Hugo passed- and Olie was a great dog that did some not-so-great stuff- like eat a pair of sunglasses. That was our first experience with a doggie ER.
We went to the Hope Center in Vienna. I will never forget Lance saying “why do they have credit card applications in the waiting room”?? Olie’s surgery cost us 22K. And his recovery was intense. But he received great care at Hope Center.
Our next doggie ER experience was when Boss got sick just a year ago. Our vet sent us to South Paws, another doggie ER in the area. It was huge. A factory. So many canine specialists, we assumed we were in the right place. But after just 3 days, Boss passed away. And we were presented a bill for 8k. I wanted to keep his ashes and whatnot, so it became 9k. Ouch.
At this point, we were very familiar with crazy vet bills. We have contemplated pet insurance, but neither of our dog’s situations would have been covered by insurance, so it didn’t seem necessary.
So when Boomer needed an emergency vet on Friday, we went back to South Paws. I'm not really sure why. I was never mad that they could not save Boss, but let’s be honest- a dead dog is not exactly a ringing endorsement. But Friday was a busy bakery day, and we sorta reverted to auto pilot.
When Boomer arrived at South Paws, his vitals were totally stable. His only noticeable issue was a mildly elevated temperature- but he gets super nervous at the vet, and excessive panting can cause an elevated temperature. Initially Lance and I thought maybe he had a tooth issue….they did a full exam and didn’t find anything terribly concerning. They asked for our consent to do imaging. The initial round of imaging was inconclusive. All they saw was a gassy stomach. We approved further imaging and ultrasounds, which also proved to be inconclusive. The doctor called and told us that after a series of inconclusive tests, they suggested an “exploratory surgery” for roughly 17k.
As previously stated, we love our dogs. But we also have 4 kids who need to be educated. 17K for an “exploratory surgery” made ZERO sense to us. Finances aside, why cut open a dog if it’s not totally necessary. So we picked Boomer up. I have never felt so helpless. We knew something was not right…..but also knew South Paws was not terribly interested in figuring out what was wrong.
We sent Boomer’s scans to our old vet, who now lives in Tennessee. He called very quickly and told us we needed to immediately relieve the pressure in his abdomen and that it appeared Boomer had a GVD (Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus). There was NO WAY either of us were sticking anything in our dog. I am not even sure exactly where Boomer’s abdomen is…..
I called an emergency surgeon in Manassas- they could not help Boomer, but they offered to help us find someone that would be able to handle a potential case of GVD closer to us. The first name they gave us was Veterinary Emergency Group (VEG) in Falls Church. I called them immediately and before I even finished the conversation with the doctor, Lance was on his way there. (The doc was amazing and so calming and confident. And caring!)
I cannot say enough good things about VEG. We were so impressed. They care soooo much about their patients. From the second we stepped in the door, Boomer was their number one priority. They explained everything very clearly. They would attempt to get a tube down into his stomach to release some of the air. If he had a GVD (BLOAT), a tube would likely not pass. If it did pass, it would buy us some time. And it would allow them to take more images to see what was going on. They let us be with Boomer almost the entire time.
Dr. de Armas was able to get the tube in, emptied a ton of nasty stomach fluid and air and then took additional images before consulting with their radiologist. Within an hour, we were told he had a non-traditional GVD, and should not have survived the day. He was rushed into surgery. Lance leaving to the ER without even knowing the exact address might have saved Boomer’s life.
Booms came out of surgery at 1am and the doctor called us with the update. They invited us to come and see him in the morning. They then let us spend most of the day with him even though he was hooked up to so many IV’s and drugged out of his mind! They noticed that he was only calm when we were there- so they decided he might have a better outcome if they sent him home for the night and had us return in the morning for more monitoring. I have never taken care of a canine patient- and our resident ER nurse was at the actual human hospital, so Boomer’s care was on me and Lance. It was intense.
Plus we have Scotti. Holy crap, it was insanity. Two dogs in cones, who could not get near each other. Hence why neither of us has slept since….what day is it? I have no idea when we last slept- so please cut me some slack if this blog is long and rambling….
But Boomer is doing great and they think he will make a full recovery. His surgery and care at VEG ended up costing a lot- though a bit less than the exploratory surgery estimate- but we never questioned the expense because not only did they explain what they were doing, but they cared so much for our boy. They also made it clear we were a team- and all of us would work together to help Boomer get better.
So while it’s not how I would have ideally spent my weekend- I have my gentle giant here with me, and he is so happy to be home. But if there is one thing I have learned in my 50 years, it's to trust your gut (with your kids and pets!!) While Boomer did not present with typically fatal symptoms- we knew something was up. And we also knew the first vet was more interested in cashing our check than keeping our pup alive. (Am I now questioning what might have happened if we had taken Boss toa different ER? Yes. But ultimately Boss was born with a small liver, so I don’t know that any doctor could have fixed the issue.)
And in the past 48 hours, we have heard from SO MANY PEOPLE that they love VEG. We went to the location in Falls Church, but they have a Georgetown location as well as several other locations coming soon! They take care of “any animal that can fit through the door”. We logged quite a few hours there, and I was slap happy exhausted, so I definitely asked a lot of irrelevant questions. Especially when our doctor had to run out because she had a “critical hamster”. I was sure I misheard- but nope- a hamster was indeed on oxygen and fighting for his little life. They have had a goat show up as well. But I think dogs and cats are more the norm!
I am going to cut back quantities on this week’s menu-so items might sell out quickly. Izzy switched her work schedule so she can help, and Lil will come home on Thursday and help! And just taking care of Boomer is a full time job right now. But man, I am so grateful. He’s the quirkiest, hairiest beast- but he is also the sweetest dog ever. Even VEG said he was the best patient! I need him to recover so he can teach Scotti the ropes!
xo,
Heather
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