Puppy Treated for Rare, Potentially Deadly Condition at Waltham Animal Hospital

WALTHAM, MA – A 9-week-old Labrador puppy was reunited with his family after undergoing emergency surgery Tuesday for an uncommon and potentially fatal condition.

Thunder, Jr., or as his friends call him, TJ, was treated for bloat. While the condition itself is not rare in dogs, it isn't often that it afflicts one so young.

"I’ve never seen it in a puppy this young," Dr. Erin McGowan, a critical care specialist at BluePearl Veterinary Partners in Waltham, said in a statement. "It’s far more common among older dogs."

Bloat, also known as gastric dilation and volvulus (GDV), occurs when the stomach is swollen with gas. If left untreated, it can kill a dog within a few hours.

Keaton Beams, TJ's owner, brought the pup to BluePearl after he began retching and acting strangely Monday night.

"It was clear he was sick," Beans said in a statement. "But I thought he had eaten something that he shouldn't have."

Beams said his previous dog, Thunder, was famous for chowing down on socks, rat poison – even a stash of Halloween candy, pillowcase and all. So this was old hat for him.

But once at the hospital, it was clear TJ needed emergency surgery. Dr. Mary Ann Nieves, who performed the procedure, untwisted the puppy's stomach and stitched it to the body wall to prevent future bloating.

McGowan credited TJ's owners with saving his life by immediately bringing him to the hospital.

"If it hadn't been for their quick action, we might not have had the good result that we did," she said in a statement.

Image via BluePearl