Jack and me

Yesterday was not a fun day at the Brown house.  I would say it was probably one of the worst days we have had in a very long time.

It started out fine.  We picked our dogs up from the vet where they were being boarded and brought them home.  I fed them and then took Daniel to work.  About an hour after we got home, our dog Jack started acting funny.  He hates being outside so it is a little strange when he doesn't bum rush you to get in the house.

I found him in the backyard dry heaving.  This is not abnormal because he has more ailments than some 90-year-olds.  I became a little more worried when I noticed that he was walking with his legs stretched out like he was having a hard time supporting his weight.  He was also pacing and very restless, which is not like him at all.  I called Daniel and then the vet.  The vet suggested giving him Pepto-Bismol to see if that helped his stomach.  It did not.

For the next hour or so Jack kept getting worse.  He was drooling, pacing, had some bowel issues, was working very hard to breath, looked like he was getting weak, and continued to dry heave.  I kept telling Daniel that it seemed like he was going to fall over at any minute.  We loaded him in the car and took him to vet as soon as they got back from lunch.

The news continued to get worse.  Jack had twisted his stomach and needed immediate surgery.  The vet said he had a 60% chance of survival and that was all they could really tell us.  Our only hope was that we had caught it fairly early but I was feeling very guilty about not brining him in as soon as I noticed his changes and it was at this point that I lost it.

If you know me, you know I love my dogs but I really really love Jack.  When we first got him I did not.  I actually asked Daniel to take him back to Dallas.  He was super clingy and hated it.  Luckily, Dallas is not a short drive away and Daniel told me to give it time.  Since then I have become just a co-dependent when it comes to Jack.  We do everything together.  Seriously, everything.  He is the sweetest dog and has the biggest heart.

Jack made it through his surgery and the night, which are both good signs.  The vet told us that he feels optimistic but the next few days are going to be really critical in determining whether or not Jack will able to stay with us.  When a dog's stomach twists, blood flow is cut off and tissue dies.  We have no idea how much of his stomach tissue died, if any.  The vet said that it looked like there had been some tissue death but the tissue pinked up when blood flow returned.

Tomorrow they will begin feeding Jack small portions of food and water.  Our hope is that he will be able to digest and metabolize the food.  This would mean that even though some of his stomach was affected, he will still be able to lead a normal life.  If he is not able to digest food, we will be faced with a huge decision.

We would greatly appreciate any prayers we can get.  I love this dog more than I can say and it kills me to think that our time with him may be coming to an end.  Please pray that Jack is able to function normally and just needs time.  I will keep everyone updated on his progress.