Acute Gastroenteritis/Colitus

[gd4]

Hi all,

My little Trina who will be two years old on 5/31 has again given me a scare. During the night on Thursday, she messed in her little play pen. The stool was formed but soft.. She ate a normal dinner that night with a small amount of pumpkin. I thought I saw her straining outside earlier in the day on Thursday but didn't see anything come out. which prompted the pumpkin. The day before she went to her respected doggie daycare for half a day. Sometimes, she gets a little excited and has soft stool after a visit. After her little mess, in the morning, she did not eat her usual egg for breakfast. She vomited up yellow bile which is normal when she doesn't eat breakfast. She went outside and had diarrhea. This proceeded throughout the day where she would go outside and strain and have diarrhea. She ate some white rice in the afternoon and ate some of her human grade turkey treats last night. She did not vomit any more. Before bed, she played and acted normal. When we woke up this morning, she would not eat and vomited the yellow bile again. She went out and had a semi soft bm. Came in and vomited more bile. At this point, I brought her into the vet this morning. She did not have a temperature but continued with liquid and some blood. The vet manipulated her stomach and found that it was not sore. She gave her metronidazole pills and an anti-nausea shot. She felt it was acute gastroenteritis/colitis and told me to put her on a bland diet. The pup had more liquid with some blood when I brought her home. No vomit. She ate some white rice with boiled chicken tonight. She is otherwise alert and lively. I am so upset and scared. I was told to watch her and if there is a lot of blood or vomiting to bring her to ER. Knowing her history of garbage can dog, I worry that maybe, she ingested something that I did not see. The vet could not feel anything but stated if it was small, she might not. I am a nervous wreck. Trina had parasites (Giardia) earlier in the year that showed no signs in October. I switched her flavor of dry kibble this week to lamb from salmon but she has eaten it before and it is the same brand. I don't think it would do this. I suppose as long as I am carefully monitoring, if she did ingest something that is doing this, there is time to catch before fatal? I am hypersensitive due to the loss of my senior pup in a similar situation on Labor Day in 2017. But, they felt hers was possibly, an undiagnosed cancer tumor. Please help. Sorry for the long post. :( g

[sanford]

Poor Trina! I went through something similar with Carrington years ago with the same diagnosis, and experienced the worry and helplessness you feel. The vet got us through the episode with meds and diet, and I hope the same for you. That aside, there is still the alternate possibility that Trina ate something without you seeing. Our pooches are expert at this, as you know. If that turns out to be the case, the symptoms are temporary and will abate. Keep us posted with Trina's progress.

Edited February 10, 2019 by sanford

[Idaho Cairns]

Be positive and patient--you are in this for only a couple of days.  If it continues then you may have a problem but, in my experience, these episodes come and go with dogs and most end up being just temporary

Edited February 10, 2019 by Idaho Cairns

[Kathryn]

My Allie, though when elderly (15) rather than young like your Trina, started to vomit yellow bile in the morning if she didn't eat.  The vet said it was a kind of reflux, and she put her on a kind of pepcid antiacid.  We had no more stomach problems of that nature.

I am amazed at what a dog can eat and still pass. My cairns have absolutely been experts at this, consuming and passing all sorts of scary organic and inorganic items. As Idaho said, most of their discomfort -- if they even appeared uncomfortable! - was short-lived. Soft simple diets just like you are feeding Trina helped, and they recovered after a couple days (and then went on begging for and expecting that rice/broth/turkey diet or its equivalent for much longer). 

Doesn't take the worry away, though, does it? Let us know how she fares - they are tough little dogs...

[gd4]

Thank you all so much for your feedback. This evening, she ate some boiled chicken with a little rice. She devoured the chicken and had no more vomiting or diarrhea. She took her metronidazole pill at 10 pm. I left her downstairs with my husband who passed out in the chair only to return to see that she had eaten the part of soft top of his suede slipper. I give up. I really don't know what to say. I had worked all day and left her with him. She seems fine and I think suede should be digestable in small portions but no words. I am exhausted after our ordeal the last two days and two hours at vet, not to mention my wallet .... then, this tonight. Prayers that she will get through all. this. :(

[Guest dog person]

Let's hope this is an acute issue rather than chronic.      Wait and see if symptoms clear up, otherwise additional testing, x-ray/ultrasound may be recommended by your vet to see if there is an obstruction.

If you don't see improvement in 72 hours or symptoms get worse head to the ER.

My cairn had an episode like this at age 2, lab work done, pancreatitis ruled out, subq fluids, meds, bland diet and rest.   All better 10 days later, never happened again.   Vet thought maybe he had a virus/stomach bug.    

At the time I was listening to a homeopathic vet on the internet that advised giving small amounts of garlic as a tick repellent.    Not only doesn't it work, it nearly killed my dog.   I only had done it for a week or two.

As soon as I stopped that nonsense, the dog was well.

PS: Many years ago my neighbor at the time was using rat killer to rid her home of mice, a dog I had at the time may have ate part of a dead mouse that had been poisoned (they run outside to look for water) and she was very ill for about a week, she responded to veterinary treatment and it never happened again.

Edited February 10, 2019 by dog person

[gd4]

My little sweetie made it through the night without accident or vomit this morning. The diarrhea has stopped. She is alert, lively and resting. She also loves her boiled chicken which is reassuring to see her eat; also, she takes the bitter metro pills easier with the chicken wrapped around. She is picky with food and treats (only likes things she is not supposed to eat which has brought many gray hairs). I am hopeful that she will continue to move in a forward direction (fingers crossed). I suppose if there is an obstruction, it will eventually come to light. They did give her an anti-nausea shot that lasts 24 hours which should be ending around now. The Vet told me with her experience that the shot will not prevent dogs with obstruction from vomiting so I pray that she continues to exhibit signs of no nausea.

Edited February 10, 2019 by gd4

[Pepper Bug's Mom]

Brodie says hi to Trina (his garbage dog twin) and hopes she feels better! Yikes!  Hang in there and breathe!

[gd4]

Awe! Tell Brodie hello. see below pic of my cutie. I love her so much. Thanks to you, all. She is still begging for her bland diet. So far, no diarrhea since late Saturday and no vomiting. :)

[sanford]

6 hours ago, Pepper Bug's Mom said:

Brodie says hi to Trina (his garbage dog twin) and hopes she feels better!...

Here is another Garbage Dog!. I took this photo of a sweet Pit Bull mix at the dog run. On his muzzle it says, "I Eat Garbage"... placed there by a loving, but traumatized, vet-bill-paying owner!

Edited February 12, 2019 by sanford

[gd4]

Awe! Poor pup! I know how traumatizing it can be! The garbage pups truly can scare us! Thank you for sharing :)