California woman plays with her dog after eating. This proves fatal: ‘If I can help just one person’
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Pet emergencies have a way of turning devastating in a matter of minutes. Sometimes, the warning signs look deceptively mild at first.
One California dog owner is sharing her own heartbreaking experience with mild-looking symptoms that spiraled out of control. She expressed a hope that her video could help someone else act faster than she did.
‘I did all the things and she made it out perfect'
Content creator C. Jacksonn (@houseofseventails) shared the story of losing her golden doodle, Nala, to a recurrence of bloat. Her video has since accumulated more than 42,000 views.
Jacksonn said Nala had experienced a bout of bloat two weeks earlier. Jacksonn “caught it in time” to get her emergency surgery.
“I did all the things and she made it out perfect,” Jacksonn said. “We come home, I'm isolating her, I'm not letting her do anything. You know, I'm trying to feed her just chicken and pumpkin, and I'm listening to the doctors, the vets' request. I gave her all her medicine. I, like, followed all the steps. Two weeks, she was perfect. She started eating again, she was her normal self.”
Then, early one morning, Jacksonn noticed Nala's stomach looked slightly swollen again. However, the dog was still acting like herself, barking and alert. Jacksonn decided that if things didn't improve, she'd take Nala to the emergency vet once it opened at 7 a.m.
Within the next hour, everything changed. Nala became “red, restless,” and “she wouldn't sleep.” She tried to relieve herself outside, and “within the next 20 minutes,” things “just went downhill.”
‘She passed away in my arms. We didn't make it in time'
“5 a.m., like, she was foaming at the mouth,” Jacksonn said. “Her stomach started getting huge. She couldn't walk. She was crying … It was horrible … She was howling … And I just know she was in pain, and that sucks for me. I was just begging God, like, ‘Don't take her.'”
Unfortunately, Jacksonn and Nala did not make it to the emergency vet in time. Nala “passed away in [Jacksonn's] arms.”
In her caption, Jacksonn laid out the following detailed warning signs for other owners: unproductive retching, a swollen or hard belly, extreme restlessness, panting or pale gums, and whining from abdominal pain.
“If you see these signs, do not wait,” she wrote. “Do not give home remedies or wait to see if it passes. Get to an emergency vet immediately — minutes matter.”
Jacksonn also shared prevention tips. These included avoiding heavy exercise close to mealtimes; using slow feeders for dogs who eat quickly; and splitting daily food into smaller meals. She said in her video that she “gaslit” herself into thinking “it's not gonna be that bad.” She hoped others would learn from her mistake.
“If I can help one person and save a dog, then I'm gonna do that,” Jacksonn said of her video.
What exactly is bloat, and how dangerous is it?
What Jacksonn described is gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), commonly known as “bloat.” When a dog experiences bloat, its stomach fills with gas, fluid, or food and can twist on itself, cutting off blood flow. The Veterinary Center of Central New York says bloat “is always an emergency.”
Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine also says the condition is life-threatening and requires immediate medical and surgical intervention. Of all breeds, “large, deep-chested dogs are most at risk.”
“[GDV] twisting restricts blood flow to the stomach … reducing blood return to the heart and causing systemic shock and multi-organ dysfunction,” Cornell writes. “It also pushes against the diaphragm, making breathing more difficult … The pressure inside the stomach may cause it to rupture or lead to tissue death (necrosis) … Additionally, the spleen, located near the stomach, frequently twists along with it, potentially leading to significant internal bleeding.”
Even with treatment, VCA Animal Hospitals reports the mortality rate for GDV ranges from 10% to 45%. PetMD confirms that “if untreated, a dog with GDV will die within hours.”
@houseofseventails EVERY DOG OWNER NEEDS TO READ THIS
Warning Signs Every Owner Must Know: Unproductive retching / dry heaving (trying to throw up but nothing comes out) Swollen, tight, or hard belly (feels like a drum) Extreme restlessness or pacing (can't get comfortable) Panting, drooling, or pale gums Whining or signs of abdominal pain
What to Do: If you see these signs, do not wait. Do not give home remedies or wait to see if it passes. Get to an emergency vet immediately—minutes matter.
Quick Prevention Tips: Avoid heavy exercise 1 hour before and 1–2 hours after meals. Use a slow feeder or puzzle bowl if your dog gulps food. Divide daily food into 2–3 smaller meals instead of one huge meal. Please share this or tag a dog owner who needs to know this. Acting quickly and knowing the signs could save yours.
#DogSafety #DogBloatAwareness #GDV #DogHealth #PetSafety ♬ original sound – Erin Condren Shop
What happened to Nala after her first surgery?
The surgery the vet performed after Nala's first episode, known as a gastropexy, is the standard preventive procedure for at-risk dogs. Both Cornell and VCA describe it as highly effective, specifically at preventing the stomach from twisting again—not at preventing bloat, or dilatation, from recurring in the first place.
Without a gastropexy, VCA reports the recurrence rate for bloat can run as high as 75%. Cornell reports the recurrence rate for the twisting component specifically at just 3-5% once a dog undergoes a gastropexy.
The surgery likely did its job of preventing another “twist.” However, the underlying dilatation itself can still return. This appears to be part of what made this second episode so difficult to anticipate, despite Jacksonn following her vet's recovery instructions to the letter.
Buzz News has reached out to Jacksonn via email.
