I really screwed up! I normally feed my dogs twice a day and on sunday I forgot to feed them in the am… left the house and got busy. Dinner time rolled around and they were starved. So I doubled up the food and fed them the whole day’s rations at once. I didnt really think so much about it because I used to feed once a day for a LONG time. Now as you may or may not know Saints are very prone to Bloat, Torsion – Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV). I feed Iams large breed and they eat 4 cups a day, 3 for the labs. (Please do not jump on me over my feeding choices…)

So they eat, lay down and are lazy sods the rest of the night. Rufus started acting like he didn’t feel very well. Overly lethargic. He was on the bed cuddling with me and I had to drag his limp carcass off the bed when OH wanted to go to bed. He lay down on the floor and starts hacking, panting, coughing and retching with out getting up. I FREAK! I am like OMG he has bloat! I feel his tummy and it is not hard or distended so I have a bit of hope. I sat up with him til 3 am watching…. I let him out around midnight and I think he may have gotten sick outside because he came back in feeling some better and lay down on his pillow and no more coughing/retching.

He coughs and hacks quite a bit because he grooms himself so much. I was afraid it was a cardiac cough but he has been tested and both the vets agree that it is not his heart, it is healthy. They think it is more like hairballs.. Presumably dogs with long hair that groom alot will hack like hairballs and it is nothing to worry about.

I was so exhausted the next day from my vigil. I was so worried about him and have given him 10,000 hugs and told him he scared mommy at least 1000.

He is back to his old ornery roast steeling self….. Thank goodness!!!
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