Boxer Talk

Hi Paul, haven't been in contact for a while, just looking at your pics,
Rosie is a real beauty and I am so happy for you that she has joined
your family and what about Betty what lovely colouring. My babies are
great. Pixie is behaving a bit better but not much. Boris is just bril,
what more can I say. I will keep in touch.

Margaret.

Hit "new topic" instead of "post reply" Margaret?

You do that, keep in touch.

Yes my brothers dogs are both very dark and have gorgeous black faces. Like velvet.

Rosie just had a lump removed yesterday and was a bit out of sorts of course but she's home and looking good today. It was a pretty routine thing for the vet I guess but I stilled hated it. Leaving her there and worrying all the while she was away.

They'll get back to us with results on the removed tissue.

Hiya Pixie, Hey Boris!

Hi Paul, I think I am getting a bit paranoid but I have been reading up on
stomach torsion/bloat, this seems to be a very common illness among
boxers and I see that three of your beautiful dogs died from it, do you
get no notice of this illness, does it just suddently happen and is there
no time for going to Vet? My husband says that I am over reacting but
because we had such a bad time with Suzy (remember she had cushings
symdrome) I think that maybe I am getting paranoid.
Margaret.

Hi Margaret!

Yeah it's something that scares me a fair bit from time to time. I try not to think about it though.

It's not necessarily fatal, I've heard about many cases where dogs have been treated and recovered.

As far as I can work out it depends on several factors. The age of the dog obviously. Anything that might involve an operation is more risky with age.

I think the most important thing is how fast it sets in. It can be very rapid or it can be a very slow process. The slower the better the chance of catching it in time.

If it's just bloat and it's caught even better, as if it gets to torsion then the stomach needs untwisted so it doesn't crush the organs.

It can be hard to diagnose unless there's a torsion. Bloat can seem like a bit of a stomach upset. I think now I would likely recognise it far more easily.

With one of ours I'm pretty sure the dog would have been saved had the vet realised what it was initially. I still blame myself for that one very much. For not getting her there in time and then for accepting the vets opinion.

However I've taken dogs to the vets before scared to death it was that only (Thankfully.) for it to be nothing much at all.

It's difficult because last i knew there was no sound advice on how to prevent it or information on what causes it to occur.

Interestingly and I'm not sure how reliable this information is. I just looked up the condition in Wikipedia and it seems to give a far more unequivocal definition of the causes and prevention methods than I've ever seen previously. Maybe definitive info on it has progressed.

I think of all the factors they mentioned there the only one I would say could have contributed for sure in some of my dogs was stress.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloat

Remember though even with the amount f times it's occurred to me that's in the space of 30 years.

I admit I am paranoid over my dogs, more and more as time goes on and another new dog arrives. Too many loses. However most of the time it is that, paranoia.

It's good to worry and good to be vigilant. To some extent. If you worry too much though, especially when your dogs are fine, how will you ever enjoy life or your time with them?

I mean hey we could be hit by a bus eh?

So chin up and don't worry too much

Speak to you later Margaret, hey Boris, hey Pixie!

Hi Paul, thanks for all that and the wikipedia link which was very
informative. Feeling a lot better and John has now also read all the
info so he knows that it is good to be conscious and alert to these things t
in case. How is Rosie? did you get her results yet? She will be just fine.
Thanks again Paul.
Margaret.

Hi again!

Yes just got Rosie's results a little while ago. She got a "grey area" result on the lump tested. You get three grades. good, grey area and bad.

In that grey area you get it split into an other few categories and hers looks positive.

So I guess what all that means is she is ok but she needs to be kept an eye on for any more lumps. So good news.

About that wikipedia link. It is interesting however I don't know where that info comes from so I don't know how accurate it is. I'll need to do some more digging. See if I can find out more.

Edit

Just reread that and I posted in a way that gave the wrong impression. The lump was cancerous but the grey area was whether they managed to get rid of it all when they removed it. It does look positive though and likely they got it all.

Last edit by Paul on Sun Apr 06, 2008 12:42 pm.

Hi, Paul so good that you spotted that lump and that Rosie is now well
again, as you said just to keep an eye out for any more lumps. We
are all great and my babies are fine. I am not as "paranoid" as I was
about the bloat issue and will just keep these things in perspective and
enjoy my wonderful babies

Give Rosie a big hug for me.

Margaret.

.

Thanks for the sentiments Margaret, it's appreciated!

Gave Rosie her hug. She got her stitches out yesterday and is very happy to be able to run around again. She was getting quite boisterous being kept on the lead all the time.

Speak to you soon!