Sunday night, Peter Kerr was surprised to see his long-\time best friend, support companion and dog, Ottis, suddenly struggling. His pet of six years was suffering from a twisted stomach that came on quickly and without warning.
Kerr, a divorced father of three, is an Army veteran who was discharged for medical reasons and now supports himself, his dog and his children, with whom he shares custody with their mother, Breanne Witte. Due to his medical discharge, Kerr relies fully on his disability benefits to support his family.
Kerr adopted Ottis, a Great Dane and American bulldog mix, six years ago, Witte said.
“I got Ottis because my house was broken into and I wanted a large dog to protect my house,” Kerr said. “He isn’t much of a guard dog, he is a big softy. He goes with me everywhere. He loves snuggles on the bed, he loves snuggles on the couch. He is my best friend.”
Ottis is more than just a best friend for Kerr. Being a disabled veteran who served as an Apache helicopter mechanic during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, Kerr suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and Ottis supports him emotionally.
“I talk to him and it seems like he listens,” Kerr said.
Having moved to Longmont to be closer to his children, Kerr doesn’t have much support or any family in the area and depends on Ottis for a big part of his support system.
“I’m Batman and he’s Robin, or sometimes he can be Batman and I am Robin, and we go together everywhere and he truly is my best friend. I don’t know what I would do without him,” Kerr said.
Sitting on the couch, snuggled with Ottis, Kerr was surprised and scared when the dog became restless, started drooling, attempted to vomit violently and stretched with his backend higher than his front.
“He wasn’t himself,” Kerr said.
Ottis, pictured before his emergency surgery for a twisted stomach, is a "big softy," according to his owner, disabled veteran Peter Kerr. Courtesy photo“They said had I not gotten him to the hospital as quickly as I did, he most likely would have died,” Kerr said.
Ottis’ symptoms pointed to a condition referred to as dog bloat, according to Fetch blog on WebMD.
“Bloat happens when a dog's stomach fills with gas, food, or fluid, making it expand. The stomach puts pressure on other organs,” the site states.
The condition can result in blood flow to the heart and stomach lining being cut off, a tear in the stomach lining, a hard time breathing and sometimes gastric dilatation volvulus — the stomach rotating or twisting.
The site also states dogs experiencing these symptoms need immediate treatment.
“Vets aren't sure what causes bloat, but there are some things that raise a dog's risk for it, including, eating from a raised food bowl, having one large meal a day, eating quickly, a lot of running or playing after they eat, other dogs they are related to have had bloat, eating or drinking too much or stress,” according to the site.
Kerr also learned that because Ottis is a larger breed he was more prone to the condition.
“I guess it just spontaneously happens. There is nothing that he did or I did that created it, it just happens,” Kerr said.
The veterinary hospital informed Kerr the operation and recovery would be costly, and half of the estimated payment was due right away. Concerned for his dog and eager to get the treatment Ottis required, Kerr gave the vet everything he had.
“I spent every cent that I have just to put the down payment for the surgery. They wanted the money to get the surgery done and I spent all of my money that would have went to groceries, car payment, the day-to-day bills that I have,” Kerr said.
Being on medical disability, Kerr is on a fixed income with little room for savings.
Despite his financial situation, Kerr did not hesitate to pay the down payment to get the surgery started. After Ottis pulled through the surgery and was recovering, Kerr called his ex-wife, Witte, to try to figure out how to get through the situation.
Ottis wears his protective cone as he recovers from emergency surgery for his twisted stomach. Courtesy photo“This means the world to me. It’s going to help Ottis immensely. We hope to get the surgery paid for and he will be home. I’m truly humbled and gracious for the response that the GoFundMe has gotten. I don’t know how to thank people but from the bottom of my heart, truly I am thankful,” Kerr said.
Ottis is now home, resting. The GoFundMe page has a goal of $7,000 with $4,405 donated as of when this article was written.
