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  1. #1
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    Help with sick foster mama and pup- sorry it's long

    Hi!
    I posted a while back about a mama lab and her 6 puppies I was fostering. Well, it's been quite the journey with them- sorry this ended up being such a long post...

    I previously posted about a puppy that was sick with nausea and vomiting. I think my last update was that they did ultrasound and barium study and decided he had a senesitive stomach. Well, he did ok for a little while but then got worse- vomiting multiple times a day- always drooling. We did an endoscopy and his stomach and small intestines were full of ulcers. Biopsy showed he has helicobacter infection. He started on triple antibiotics along with prilosec, sucralfate, and cerenia. He was doing ok for about a week and then Thursday started with nausea again and each day it's getting worse. Today he's actually vomiting again. I feel so helpless watching him go through this- with nothing I can do to make it stop. He's so skinny too- you can see his ribs... he's just about 12 weeks and 18lbs- his littermates are probably 35-40lbs now- they were HUGE puppies.

    Does anyone have any experience with any of this? Any thoughts? Could there be something else that's causing him to not gain weight. When he vomits it's usually just white foam or mucous- so it's not like he's losing all his food. Normal stools- and when he's feeling ok, he's a happy playful puppy. He's eating prescription I/D canned food and getting 5 of the 5.5oz cans a day.

    Than mama....oh mama. She went to the shelter to be spayed 3 weeks ago this coming Tuesday. I got a call that there had been complications and she had had a lot of bleeding so they sent her to the vet's office. Initally they were going to keep her the night, but then called me and said she was doing better and could come home. I went to pick her up, and she didn't seem right. I've had a lot of dogs come home after surgery and they are always a little groggy, but she was so sleepy. I asked about it and they told me it was normal, that she had had a hard time waking up from anesthesia so was going to be more sleepy. I got her home and in the house and then started some of the worst 24 hours of my life.

    I got her home and into the house onto a dog bed. She was sleepy, but alert and would wag her tail when I talked to her. She didn't want to eat at all that night, but did drink some water. I wanted to give her pain medicine but was afraid to give it becuase I didn't want it to cause nausea esecially where she wasn't eating. I was also worried it would make her more sleepy and then I wouldn't be able to assess her. Her gums stayed pale, but no different than at the vets.

    Around 10pm I noticed she was cool- Temp 98.3. I talked to the vets office and they said try to warm her but was probably still from anesthesia. I covered her with fleece blankets and continued to monitor her. All night- I sat by her checking her gums, bringing her water, checking her temp.

    There were 2 times during the night that I got ready to take her to the emergency vet- each time talking myself out of it. Nothing had changed with her assessment. 4am came and I told Babe, we were almost there- it was almost morning and we could talk to a doctor and see what they thought. Was this sleepiness still expected as they had said it was?

    I gave the shelter an update at 7am and said I thought she needed to be seen again, just to ensure this really was still "normal" I called the vet around 7:30- the doctors weren't in and they said they would have a doctor call me back. That's when Babe started panting. I thought to myself, that's it I'm bringing her in. The panting was was brief- and then back to how she had been. My husband helped me get her in the car and I called the vet and said I was just going to bring her.
    It's a 30-35 minute drive to the vet. I was watching her in the mirror the whole time- breathing was regular and her eyes were open. Then something happened. Babe arched her head back and made an awful noise- her eyes rolled back a little. I jumped out of the car and got to her and yelled, No Babe, no- you're going to be ok, we're going to the vet. I thought maybe she had had a seizure (I now know, she was dying) I got back in the car and called my husband hysterical. She couldn't die....I drove, as fast as I could. I called the office and told them what was happening and that Babe wasn't doing well. I continued to watch her in the mirror, eyes were still open and her breathing was normal. I was holding her paw and telling her how much I loved her, that we were going to get help, that she just had to hang on. I was so scared.

    We got to the vet and they helped me carry her in and they took her out back. I was crying. I knew they needed to take her out back but I didn't want to be away from her. I asked if I could please go be with her and they told me no. I was so scared she was going to die. If she was dying, I wanted to hold her, I didn't want her to be alone with strangers. It felt like forever, but was probably 20 minutes, until the doctor came to talk to us.

    I can't quote, but he said she was not doing good. He said she had an arrhythmia and wasn't responding to the lidocaine. He didn't think she was going to live. He said she was semi comatose. He said the only chance was to get her to the emergency clinic where she could see a cardiologist, but he still felt her prognosis was grim. He said we had to make a decision. I was crying and said No, No we have to try, we have to take her.

    They brought Babe out on a stretcher, and when she saw me she lifted her head and wagged her tail. I knew she was still fighting, she hadn't given up. We drove the 10 minutes to the emergency clinic. I held her paw and talked to her the whole time.

    When we got there, they came out with a stretcher and wheeled her in. I gave her a kiss- not knowing if it was the last time I would see her. I asked them, if she got worse and they thought she was dying could they please get me so I could be with her. I sat in the waiting room crying.

    The shelter director went out back and them came out waving for me to come over. I didn't know if she had died. She said I want you to see her, she's going in to surgery. she was bleeding internally. The arrhythmia was due to the blood loss. I got to spend about 5 or so minutes with her as they prepped her for surgery. I had my hand on her head and told her what a good girl she was. I told her she had to keep fighting and we would fight right along side her. I told her we loved her.
    The doctor at that time felt if she could find the source of bleeding, Babe could survive. Even though I knew she needed surgery, I was scared for her to go under anesthesia again. I kissed her goodby and watched them wheel her off. They said they would call the shelter as soon as surgery was done.

    The vet called and said she was awake from surgery and they had found the bleeding. The removed two liters of blood from her abdomen. She stayed at the emergency vet for 3 days she got 2 blood transfusions, was on a heart monitor and lidocaine drip. It's amazing how she recovered.

    The night she came home I was a mess. I didn't sleep- I watched every move she made, listened to every sound. That night she started having urinary symptoms- trying to urinate multiple times. I thought maybe it was a UTI so dropped off a urine at the vet. They called me within 10 mintues and said I needed to bring her in for blood work because based on her urine they thought she might be in kidney failure. Blood work ended up being ok and they thought maybe it was medullary washout- due to all the fluid loss she experienced. The next night she started to have vaginal bleeding so they started her on antibiotics. She was doing ok for a while...eating and more active (while still being activity restricted)

    She had an EKG last week and her heart rhythm was back to normal. I told them she was still having urinary symptoms and they felt it was just her still healing and becuase of all the trauma. Well, Saturday I woke up and found her in our bedroom closet- weird. She had a hard time standing up and was wobbly when walking. I got her outside and she went to the bathroom but then came in an went in her crate. She didn't want to get up to eat..... I took her temp and it was 102.5. I was concerned but the doctors said they weren't worried.... I took her temp again around 2pm and it was 103- I called the vet and said I was bringing her in. They did blood work and her white blood cell count is 33 -high normal is 16. So, she has an infection, but they don't know where.... (recheck urine was clear) I asked if we should do an ultrasound of her abdomen and they said it won't show anything..... So they put her on Doxy- and we'll do blood work again in 1 week.

    I won't go into it, but one of the other puppies got puppy strangles and nearly died. It has been a stressful month! If you have any thoughts on Babe please let me know. She's still lethargic but no temp today. I'm wondering about infected uterine stump or someone else mentioned pneumonia (no other respiratory symptoms)

    Thanks for any and all suggestions- and good thoughts!



  2. #2
    Best Friend Retriever
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    Oh, I'm so sorry you have been going through so much, when all you were trying to do was help! Thank you to you & your husband for taking in this poor momma dog and loving her! And her babies! I'm sorry I don't have any medical tips for you--I've heard of something called pyometra, but surely that would have been the first thing your vet would have thought of.....Do you have to go through the shelter vet, or could you take her somewhere else for a 2nd opinion? Please keep us posted how poor Babe is doing.....She is a lucky girl to have found her way to you!

  3. #3
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    So sorry Babe is going through so much. Bless you for doing so much to help her. You are her angel. Hopefully she is turning the corner and beginning to heal. I can understand the lethargy after all she's been through. Maybe an appetite stimulant to help get her to eat so she can gain strength.

    Don't have any suggestions for the puppy. Hopefully it can heal and catch up.

    Many prayers and much mojo being send.
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  4. #4
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    Oh my gosh...I'm so sorry to hear this...all good thoughts from me for all.

    My first thought with the vomiting puppy is pancreatic enzyme insufficiency (with possible pancreatitis involved).

    As mollysmama mentioned...could you get another vet to look at them? Something about how this seems to have been handled really worries me.

  5. #5
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    Good morning and thank you for the good thoughts. The puppy has been seen by a general practice vet, an emergency vet, and an internal medicine specialist. I don't know all that much about pancreatic enzyme insufficiency, but don't they normally have loose or bulky stools? Also, I believe he had blood work before his endoscopy and as far as I know it was all normal..... Last night was a long night as he was naseous for most of it. But, this morning- happy, active, and biting my feet =)

  6. #6
    Senior Dog labsnewfy's Avatar
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    I am so sorry about Babe I hope and pray the antibiotics kick in and she is feeling better soon and they figure out what is going on with her if the meds don't work. Thank you for going with your feelings that something was not right with her and taking her in. Vets are good but you are with the pup every day they only see for a moment so when they are having an off moment that is when we have to step up and say something is off, as you did for this sweet girl.

    i hope her puppy starts feeling better and gaining weight soon. Is he being fed small meals several times a day? I am wondering if that isn't part of his problem especially if he is throwing up foam and mucus. Would he let you hold him up in a sit position for 20 minutes so his food settles kinda like what is done with a megaesophagus dog? Just to make sure his meals are getting to the stomach and digested a bit so he starts getting the nutrition. Continued good thoughts for both of these sweet babies.
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  7. #7
    Senior Dog Charlotte K.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by labsnewfy View Post
    I am so sorry about Babe I hope and pray the antibiotics kick in and she is feeling better soon and they figure out what is going on with her if the meds don't work. Thank you for going with your feelings that something was not right with her and taking her in. Vets are good but you are with the pup every day [snip] Is he being fed small meals several times a day? I am wondering if that isn't part of his problem especially if he is throwing up foam and mucus. Would he let you hold him up in a sit position for 20 minutes so his food settles kinda like what is done with a megaesophagus dog? Just to make sure his meals are getting to the stomach and digested a bit so he starts getting the nutrition. Continued good thoughts for both of these sweet babies.
    Yes, megaesophagus can manifest even later than this. The rescues we have had with this had to be fed a slurry from a very raised bowl, on stairs or step stools. Then we held them, towel over the shoulder, like a baby we were burping. Sometimes before the enlargement occurs it is VERY hard to figure out the motility problem. Presumably he has been wormed with Panacur? No matter what it is, it can't hurt to add Prozyme or other digestive enzymes to his food so that he gets the most out of it.

    As for the mama, I had one rescue who nearly bled out at the vets. Having a bad feeling, I called back after the last evening check begging them to check her one last time, which was weird since I had lots of fosters spayed there. The tech who did check saved her life. She went on to live another 15 years.

  8. #8
    Senior Dog
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    So sorry you have been having such a hard time while doing such a wonderful thing. No thoughts on either dog other than they are lucky to have you - sending good thoughts for a full and complete recovery for both.
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
    Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015

    Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009

    And remembering:

    Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
    Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015

    And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014

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  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by labsnewfy View Post
    I am so sorry about Babe I hope and pray the antibiotics kick in and she is feeling better soon and they figure out what is going on with her if the meds don't work. Thank you for going with your feelings that something was not right with her and taking her in. Vets are good but you are with the pup every day they only see for a moment so when they are having an off moment that is when we have to step up and say something is off, as you did for this sweet girl.

    i hope her puppy starts feeling better and gaining weight soon. Is he being fed small meals several times a day? I am wondering if that isn't part of his problem especially if he is throwing up foam and mucus. Would he let you hold him up in a sit position for 20 minutes so his food settles kinda like what is done with a megaesophagus dog? Just to make sure his meals are getting to the stomach and digested a bit so he starts getting the nutrition. Continued good thoughts for both of these sweet babies.
    Yes, I feed him 5-6 times a day. I haven't tried holding him upright after meals... the weird thing is, he never throws up food. He can throw up 15 minutes after eating and it's only mucous.

  10. #10
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    Hi-
    Yes he has been dewormed with Panacur. I asked about adding a probiotic especially when we added all the antibiotcs but never got an answer. I have Proviable, would he get a whole capsule?

    Could it be megaesophagus if he isn't throwing up food? He also doesn't always throw up. These days he's mostly nauseous, drooling and foaming at the mouth. The times he does throw up, it's never food- always just mucous or white foam.

 



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