Please pray for me

This is Kolchak's mom here. I've been accused of writing his blog, but those are just nasty rumors. 

I'm blogging tonight FOR Kolchak. He has just come out of surgery. He stomach flipped (torsion I think it's called) sometime between 9am and 1:30pm when we were gone to Sunday school, church, and Target. When we came home, he was just not the same. So, long story short, his surgery started at 4pm and ended just before 9pm. I met with the vet to discuss the "findings" which, I have deduced, mean crummy things. SGT Bates (nee SPC Hayden - see blog entry on 1st trip to the vet) saved him initially by simply inserting a needle into the swollen area of his abdomen. The sound was like pushing the release on a basketball. sssshhhhh This was to prevent more damage and his stomach actually corrected itself at this point. He did vomit during the initial anesthesia and they tipped the table, cleared what they could, and continued on. There is some fluid in his lungs for which they have put him on antibiotics. His spleen survived and not all spleens do so that was good news. However, he has a 2" x 2" patch of necrotic (dead) tissue on his stomach confirming that his stomach did twist. The vet did a double stitch job to isolate the dead tissue. She then told me that there is a 40% survival rate when this damage has been done. Something to do with platelets clotting in the stomach once the stomach corrects and the blood flow is restored. I think the platelets stops blood flow to the stomach again. He is on blood thinners now. 

When I left the Veterinary Treatment Facility (VTF), he was still intubated and on the OR table. She said it would be 1 1/2 hours until I could see him so I reluctantly decided to come home. He will have his vitals checked every 5 minutes for the next 24 hours. Fortunately, he is at a military facility so he has vets and vet techs on “watch” for him in three hour shifts. He won’t be alone. The vet will let me know if there is any indication of a slowing of his pulse. I came home to rest in case I am not able to on Monday and so I can bring the children and Isabella to post if Kolchak isn’t going to make it. No matter what, we’ll be up there tomorrow morning. 

I’m feeling rather helpless now. There is nothing I can do, but I know God knows he is at the VTF and we love him. His earthly dad knows what is going on so soon the deployed Wolfhounds will know. Kolchak is loved by many. Please, please pray for his healing. Only God can help him now. We need him to be OK. He’s only been with us for just under a year, but he is an integral part of our family. The house is empty tonight. My heart, our hearts, will have an empty space if he crosses the rainbow bridge. Please pray he doesn’t do that now and we can have many more goofy years with him. 

I don’t know what else to say as I have so many concerns, what-ifs, questions, and such as you do. 

Mahalo nui loa for your prayers for our boy.