Just days ago I rescued an extremely emaciated Great Dane. And last night he had an awful incident.

At 5 pm I fed him dinner. He’s on a refeeding plan because he’s so emaciated, so he’s slowly working up to normal amounts of food. I fed him a little rice and half a chicken breast. He ate slowly and after 30 minutes I took him on a leashed walk out front to pee.

He came inside and I gave him a bowl of water and then I left him in my bathroom and went to dinner.

I came home at 11 pm and his belly was distended and firm. I was terrified. I have another Dane so I’ve been through many lessons about bloat. I’ve researched it thoroughly. I stand by every decision I make for the animals in my care and I make them all so intentionally.

But after seeing his stomach I knew I couldn’t risk it, so Rob and I rushed him to the emergency vet. On the way his breathing became labored.

He went right for x rays and the doctor confirmed that he had in fact bloated and his stomach flipped. He said that in a dog as deep chested as Kratos simply laying wrong after eating can cause a flip.

He went right back for emergency surgery.

Surgery concluded and went as well as it could’ve, but Kratos’ surgery was sooo expensive. More so because of how large he is.

I can never find the words to express my gratitude for the support you give me. Thank you for making saving these dogs possible.