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feed them the good stuff. We feed ours "Science Diet." It's more expensive, yes, but has far less fat, is much better for their general health, and doesn't expand in their stomachs the way the cheap food does. Moisten the food; that way it does not expand inside the stomach.

Fourth, don't allow the dog to exercise at least two hours before or after eating. It usually takes about two hours for proper digestion. Try not to feed your dog if you are not going to be home for a while after they eat.

Fifth, if your dog is going is to undergo any type of surgery, talk to the vet about the cost of securing the dog's stomach. If your dog is one of the high risk breeds, stapling the dog's stomach may be a viable option and it's worth the extra cost. As it was explained to us, it's possible to secure a dog's stomach to help prevent GDV. Talk to your vet about this especially if you have a high risk breed.

Of course, none of this will guarantee the dog will never have GDV. We've been feeding our pups the good food for years and not exercising them before or after they eat. But we now feed them several times a day, and watch the portions a little more closely. We will not feed them before we leave the house, and we watch their water intake.

I must add that we are very grateful for the sympathy and support of both Foxboro Animal Hospital and Norton Animal Hospital. Both hospitals have taken such good care of all of our dogs and provided us with detailed information about GDV, and lent a sympathetic ear when we needed it most.

So to conclude, speak to your vet about GDV and other threats to your pet's health. You can't eliminate the possibility of GDV, but you can reduce the chances of it happening, and if you suspect GDV or observe swelling of your dog's belly, get it to an animal hospital immediately.

We miss our Dallas. She was full of energy and made the house a happier place, and now she's gone. It might've been easier if she'd been old, or sick, or hit by a car. But to lose her to something as terrible and unexpected as this to have her die in a manner in which she most certainly suffered greatlyis very difficult.

We are grateful for having had Dallas in our life and for all of the love that she gave us. We can only hope and pray that we gave her all that she needed while she was here with us, and that she knows just how much she was loved and how much she will be missed.

After Dallas died, I tried several times to write this piece. It went through many revisions. The early drafts were more clinical, and Sue would insist that I also try to convey the human part. For her, we needed to not only tell people about GDV but let them know how special Dallas was. For the two of us, at least for this part of our lives, the dogs are our kids. They're not "just" dogs. Dallas, for all her quirks, was an extremely loving dog and her death hurt the two of us in a way that only a dog owner can understand.

I sincerely hope that I have struck the balance I sought in this piece I wanted to tell dog owners about GDV, and also convey my sadness upon losing one of my canine family.

We miss you, Dallas. I hope that this information can save at least one other dog from what you had to go through.

Learn more about this author, Robert Gillis.
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