Pop Quiz Solution

Man, are you guys smart!

Lots and lots of you answered the Vital Animal News: July 14, 2024 pop quiz, and most of you nailed it!

And Nikki just beat everyone in her rapid response, and won a free enrollment to my Smart Vaccine Alternatives short course! Yay, Nikki!

Out with our magnifying glasses!

Let’s uncover the clues and see why this was a clear case of gastric dilatation/volvulus ($44 words for twisted stomach).

The article about the World’s Tallest Dog dying suddenly after an unexpected illness and surgery revealed several clues.

As the old timers in medicine well know, most diagnoses are able to be made with just two things:

1. History

2. Physical exam

In this case, the history was the reveal, though the article left us hanging. Here’s the clues that were provided:

• Breed: Great Dane. A deep chested BIG dog. He set records for size! These guys are most at risk for this disease, as there’s more room for a tummy to move and twist.

• Likely kibble fed. Why? Owned by a vet employee, who reported he could eat 6-10 cups of food a day. This dry junk swells in the stomach, adding weight and mass enough to aid the flip and twist that effectively kills the organ, making it a deadly bag of endotoxins.

• Sudden surgery that he didn’t recover from. Classic, sorry to say, as every second counts, and I suspect this poor guy’s time from twist to surgical untwist was just too long.

Who’s at risk?

This is a kibble disease, it doesn’t occur in wolves or coyotes or dogs fed species appropriate diets, which resemble prey.

If this sad story helps your mind make the jump from convenience (kibble) to real raw food, great. That can be as simple as buying frozen raw pet food to get started.

And there are books and courses (one of my students likes this one) to help you if and when you decide DIY is your path to wildly healthy, long lived, Vital pets.

The Vital Animal Podcast has inspiring episodes on raw fed animals as well, so dive in.

Your dog or cat will thank you with a brighter countenance, sweeter breath, amazing stools, and a coat that reflects the sunshine!

Ready for a happy ending? Or maybe you’re already living one? Let us know in the comments.

And thanks for all the responses! I may pop more quizzes in future newsletters, you smarty pants, you.

Will Falconer, DVM

p.s. If you haven’t joined my free Vital Animal Pack yet, a cool library of freebies awaits you and you’ll never miss a thing, like my upcoming Rabies Masterclass coming Tuesday.