D34M0n7
Executive Member
I moved to the Netherlands a while ago, I couldn’t bring my Great Dane with me. My parents adopted him, he adored them and they treated him like an honorary grandson. Couldn’t have found a better match.
On Thursday evening, I got a phone call from my mother - utterly beside herself, struggling to speak due to the grief of watching the dog suffer.
He had collapsed in the garden, my mother went looking for him after he didn’t return from going outside after approximately 30 minutes. She reported that he was on his side in a flower bed retching and visibly in extraordinary pain.
I told her it sounded like GDV and they had to get him to a vet ASAP. So they called an animal ambulance service.
Dog was taken to a 24/7 animal hospital, where they confirmed it was GDV.
The vet informed my parents that they would stabilize Dog and then proceed to operate in the morning. At this point the cost was just over R10,000.
in the morning the vet updated us, said Dog was stable but recommended that they perform an operation to attach Dog’s stomach in such a way that GDV would not reoccur- this would cost R25,000.
We approved the operation, not wanting this to happen again.
A while later, we were updated that the operation was successful but there was a complication due to a “birth defect” with Dog.
The vet said they had to place Dog on his back for the operation and afterwards he was not able to walk (without absolutely excruciating pain) because of a “birth defect” in his spine.
Just note - Dog has been happy and healthy for years. He had gone to the same animal hospital for years, he even had puppy school there. After numerous checkups over the years at this same practice- none of the vets ever pointed out a “birth defect”. Additionally, Dog had been on his back many, many times without issues or complaints of pain; for play and belly rubs, etc.
The vet proceeded to tell my parents that they would monitor him for a day and requested an additional R2000 to cover the stay. Again, we approved.
During this time, my parents did visit him- Dog was being kept in a relatively tiny cage in which he could not turn around (if he was able).
Another note- it seems patently absurd to me that an actual animal hospital which boasts advanced healthcare like CT scans does not have the facilities to adequately house a large dog… they said a 70KG dog was an “exceptional case”.
At this point, Dog was being given morphine to manage the pain. The vet called my parents to pick him up earlier this (Saturday) afternoon.
Upon arriving at the vet to pick him up- Dog was covered in horrific red rash, the vet told us the rash was due to “Dog being given the wrong antibiotics”… in the vet’s own words. Dog was also bleeding from his joints, likely from being scraped on the floor…
My parents were livid but happy to take him home, away from that place. Dog barely made it to the car, his back legs no longer functioned correctly.
Once they arrived home, Dog collapsed on the concrete floor outside the house and could not move.
My parents tied to offer him food, a cooked chicken, chicken broth, biltong, treats, dog food, etc. he responded to nothing besides water- which he drank copious amounts of (almost as if he wasn’t given any at the vet).
After waiting, the sun started to set and Dog was lying in the same spot outside in the cold. My mother placed blankets on him, but he was unresponsive.
They tried to get him to stand up to take him to another vet, but he wouldn’t- at any point.
He had to be put down, he died about 2 hours ago. A van had to come with a vet to sedate Dog so they could move him.. I watched him die via a WhatsApp call…
Dog did not have any issues with his back/spine- he did not exhibit any symptoms of any problems, nor has any vet ever indicated that there was a problem. I do, therefore, not believe this was at all due to a “birth defect”. Furthermore, the condition which led to his death was not related to his stomach- not remotely.
I believe the fault is with the vet and whilst I am utterly defeated and destroyed that my dog is dead- I do not want my parents to have to pay 35k+ to a vet that killed my dog… is there anything we can do?
On Thursday evening, I got a phone call from my mother - utterly beside herself, struggling to speak due to the grief of watching the dog suffer.
He had collapsed in the garden, my mother went looking for him after he didn’t return from going outside after approximately 30 minutes. She reported that he was on his side in a flower bed retching and visibly in extraordinary pain.
I told her it sounded like GDV and they had to get him to a vet ASAP. So they called an animal ambulance service.
Dog was taken to a 24/7 animal hospital, where they confirmed it was GDV.
The vet informed my parents that they would stabilize Dog and then proceed to operate in the morning. At this point the cost was just over R10,000.
in the morning the vet updated us, said Dog was stable but recommended that they perform an operation to attach Dog’s stomach in such a way that GDV would not reoccur- this would cost R25,000.
We approved the operation, not wanting this to happen again.
A while later, we were updated that the operation was successful but there was a complication due to a “birth defect” with Dog.
The vet said they had to place Dog on his back for the operation and afterwards he was not able to walk (without absolutely excruciating pain) because of a “birth defect” in his spine.
Just note - Dog has been happy and healthy for years. He had gone to the same animal hospital for years, he even had puppy school there. After numerous checkups over the years at this same practice- none of the vets ever pointed out a “birth defect”. Additionally, Dog had been on his back many, many times without issues or complaints of pain; for play and belly rubs, etc.
The vet proceeded to tell my parents that they would monitor him for a day and requested an additional R2000 to cover the stay. Again, we approved.
During this time, my parents did visit him- Dog was being kept in a relatively tiny cage in which he could not turn around (if he was able).
Another note- it seems patently absurd to me that an actual animal hospital which boasts advanced healthcare like CT scans does not have the facilities to adequately house a large dog… they said a 70KG dog was an “exceptional case”.
At this point, Dog was being given morphine to manage the pain. The vet called my parents to pick him up earlier this (Saturday) afternoon.
Upon arriving at the vet to pick him up- Dog was covered in horrific red rash, the vet told us the rash was due to “Dog being given the wrong antibiotics”… in the vet’s own words. Dog was also bleeding from his joints, likely from being scraped on the floor…
My parents were livid but happy to take him home, away from that place. Dog barely made it to the car, his back legs no longer functioned correctly.
Once they arrived home, Dog collapsed on the concrete floor outside the house and could not move.
My parents tied to offer him food, a cooked chicken, chicken broth, biltong, treats, dog food, etc. he responded to nothing besides water- which he drank copious amounts of (almost as if he wasn’t given any at the vet).
After waiting, the sun started to set and Dog was lying in the same spot outside in the cold. My mother placed blankets on him, but he was unresponsive.
They tried to get him to stand up to take him to another vet, but he wouldn’t- at any point.
He had to be put down, he died about 2 hours ago. A van had to come with a vet to sedate Dog so they could move him.. I watched him die via a WhatsApp call…
Dog did not have any issues with his back/spine- he did not exhibit any symptoms of any problems, nor has any vet ever indicated that there was a problem. I do, therefore, not believe this was at all due to a “birth defect”. Furthermore, the condition which led to his death was not related to his stomach- not remotely.
I believe the fault is with the vet and whilst I am utterly defeated and destroyed that my dog is dead- I do not want my parents to have to pay 35k+ to a vet that killed my dog… is there anything we can do?
