Hello, I'm David, Max's Dad. On Sunday morning, Max was at daycare and began to show signs of pain and wasn't playing with the other dogs. The daycare staff thought this was odd, as Max loves to wrestle with his friends. Luckily, one staff member noticed his stomach seemed kind of tight and bulbous. They quickly raised a red flag that this could be bloat and that Max would need to be seen by a vet ASAP. They loaded him up and brought him to an ER as quickly as they could.

I was out of state when I got the call about Max's condition. When I spoke to the vet staff, I was originally quoted $12k for the intake and surgery to flip Max's stomach back around. There was also a concern that depending on how long the bloat had lasted, there may be some long-term stomach damage, including the possible need to remove the spleen. I gave the vet the thumbs up to take a look at him as I was still a 4-hour drive away, and I couldn't give up on him without seeing him first. Since I was out of state, I also couldn't find another vet who could do the procedure for less cost.

The vet was able to release the gases that had built up in his stomach and began to run a series of tests to confirm if this was bloat. About an hour after the gases were released, the vet reported that Max's vitals showed good improvement and there were no concerning signs that there was any potential long-term, neurotic damage to his stomach or spleen, but a full surgery would still need to take place to flip his stomach back over.

Max had a very successful surgery, accompanied by good blood work. The vet confirmed there was no neurotic damage to his stomach lining or his spleen! His stomach is sutured to his side so the risk of this happening again is almost non-existent. He's home now resting and recovering, slowly rebuilding his strength.

The bill took me by surprise and is coming at a time when everything keeps getting more expensive. I luckily have pet insurance, so the majority of the bill is covered, but I still need some assistance covering the rest. I'm not good at asking for help, but I don't know what else to do. If you decide to donate any amount, Max and I would be very thankful to you from the bottom of our hearts. I truly appreciate all of you, and thank you for taking the time to read about our story.

Special shout out to my girlfriend, Allie, for driving us back to Minnesota as I was in no shape to drive given the circumstances. There were also several times when I was talking with the vet on the phone and the call dropped as cellphone reception in central Wisconsin became spotty.