Greetings, fellow dog lovers and friends! If you’ve stumbled upon this page then you’ve already heard the bad news that Gandalf suffers from GDV also known as Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus, or simply his stomach has twisted or flipped. GDV is a life-threatening disorder that commonly affect large, deep barrel-chested dogs and unfortunately it’s common among both his genetic line of Golden Retriever and Sheepdog. When the stomach twists it begins to cut off blood circulation thus it can start to stop the oxygen and blood flow to vital organs ultimately leading to an unbearably painful death.

Fortunately I was able to get Gandalf into emergency care within an hour from this occurring. They punctured his stomach to relieve the pressure that was accumulating as soon as I had arrived. His condition was diagnosed after taking his vitals, x-rays, and blood work.

Gandalf was hooked up to an IV and placed on sedatives to relieve pain. He was immediately placed under surgery to reposition his stomach back to the correct place and stitch his stomach to the abdominal wall or diaphragm to prevent it from twisting again (gastropexy). The surgeon informed me that 90% of the dogs that undergo gastropexy will never have their stomach twist again.

Thinking that we were in the clear, upon surgery Gandalf’s stomach had perforated and they were only able to salvage 80% of his stomach. Despite that, Gandalf was able to finish getting through the surgery and Dr. Sanchez, the surgeon, deemed it a success.

This crowdfunding is a result of the cost of the emergency surgery performed, the price of the prophylactic surgery (gastropexy), and the additional care needed afterwards. 100% goes into Gandalf’s medical bills.

If you know me, you know I usually do not ask for help as I independently try to work on the situation myself as I feel embarrassed to have to do so, but in this situation which such a large sum of money and it’s sudden occurrence, I simply was not prepared. As a dog parent, Gandalf, is not just a pet but a family member that I see as my son. He has been there for many memories during the good times and has been there to cheer us up during the bad times. He is a good family dog that guards our home and has his place within our hearts. Providing any sort of donation will go a long way into ensuring that this family member will live a long healthy and happy life. Thank you so much for your help, it is much appreciated!