I first met Forrester on a farm call this fall when I was treating one of his "siblings". His owner owns and operates a very successful small business in the area. She and her "friend" have 3-4 Great Danes that visit our clinic often in one way or another.
One afternoon this winter, Forrester was on the schedule for "diarrhea and making a strange gurgling noise". When I walked into the room I could definitely tell that this big guy was not feeling well at all. On exam, his heart rate was very elevated, his gums were pale, and he was dehydrated. I highly suspected that he had a GDV or "twisted stomach". Blood work was run and I took x-rays of this belly. Everything was normal- no signs of a twisted stomach. I was clueless... trying to figure out what to do next when my boss suggested that he could be an Addisonian. We stabilized Forrester overnight, and waited for the bloodwork to come back. 24 hours later- out suspicions were confirmed.
The most amazing part of this story is the fact that I was actually allowed to work up and diagnose Forrester. Even bigger, was the fact that his owner didn't hesitate when I explained to her that Forrester needed monthly injections for the rest of his life, and because of his large size this would cost ~$250/month just for the medication. I've very thankful Forrester has caring owners who are able to care for him the rest of his life.
At his last recheck, they said that Forrester almost seems like a new dog- running and playing and jumping like a puppy. However, he still gets nervous on his trips to the vet. There's nothing like seeing a ~140 pound dog tremble and shake and he walks through the door like a scared 3YR old.
