06/16/2026
💜🐾 Bitty the Brave 🐾💜
Meet Bitty, a beloved Great Dane whose family found themselves facing every Dane owner's worst nightmare.
One evening in September 2022, Bitty suddenly developed a severely distended abdomen and began non-productively retching. Recognizing the signs of a potential emergency, her family rushed her to Red River Animal Emergency Hospital.
Upon arrival, Bitty was triaged immediately. Our Emergency team quickly performed a needle decompression to help relieve pressure before obtaining radiographs, which confirmed she was suffering from gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), commonly known as bloat.
GDV is a life-threatening emergency that occurs when the stomach fills with gas and twists on itself, cutting off blood flow and requiring immediate surgical intervention.
Faced with a difficult decision, Bitty's family chose to move forward with surgery. Through the efforts of our Emergency team, Bitty underwent emergency surgery and was closely monitored throughout her recovery. Following surgery, she remained hospitalized for pain management, cardiac monitoring, and supportive care before finally heading home to continue healing with her family.
Today, we're thrilled to share that Bitty is still thriving and celebrated her 13th birthday this May - a milestone that once seemed impossible. Way to go, Bitty! 💜
Bitty's story is a powerful reminder of the importance of recognizing emergency warning signs, acting quickly, and the incredible resilience of our patients.
𝘞𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘙𝘙𝘈𝘌𝘏 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺? 𝘚𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘵𝘵𝘱𝘴://𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘩.𝘤𝘰𝘮/𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵-𝘶𝘴/𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨-𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴/ ...