Tummy Troubles for Bridget today :(

[raygur]

Bridget woke us up at 3AM vomiting (mainly foamy phlegm). I let her out and she threw up some more. Then she came back in and at 4:30AM she threw up again and then again at around 9AM with a lot of retching and drooling. I called the vet and took her in at noon. He took an x-ray and said there is a lot of gas in her belly. He didn't see any obstruction there. She is usually not a drooler, but she has been drooling quite a bit today. He gave her 2 shots. One to stop the vomiting and one steroid shot (not sure what that will do). Since then she is as lethargic as ever. It is almost evening and she still hasn't had a drop of water.
He told me not to feed her at all today (which isn't difficult, since she has no appetite). He told me to prepare boiled chicken, which I am doing now, and rice and see if she will eat that tomorrow and also to call him in the morning to update.
Please send your healing vibes...
Thanks

 

[ROROSHELTON]

Healing vibes to Bridget!!! I know what you are going through. Brutus has had several stomach issues. The last one was pancreatitis....too many treats, a few table scraps. Put her into pancreatitis. When Brutus gets an upset stomach, I've found that Pepcid helps. He's 75# so he gets a 20mg Pepcid. Too much acid in the stomach can make it upset. Does Bridget get table scraps? Could she have gotten into anything? How old is she? What does she eat? If she doesn't drink any water for 24 hours, she needs to go back to the vet. It's very easy for them to become dehydrated and you don't want them to go over that critical hump to that point. Hope she's feeling better soon!

 

[ELubas]

Sorry your girl is sick :( Hopefully the fast will do it and it will pass. We are sending gentle boxer wiggles

 

[raygur]

Thanks for your concern. Bridget just gets and occasional piece of banana or watermelon, but never any table scraps. She has just been eating Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance dry dog food. Typically, she gets 2-3 cups a day. Her only vice is that she loves an occasional bully stick. Usually, we watch that it doesn't get too small, because she will swallow it whole and cause problems. We throw it away when it is about 3 inches long. We feel that this is what happened, that she did eat one and we didn't catch it. She is about 2 1/2 years old.
What concerns me most is that it is about 24 hours now since she last drank water. MY DH just took her on a walk and she just plopped down on the floor afterwards, but has no interest in drinking, where usually after a walk she drinks half of what is in the bowl.

 

[Gruntsmom]

Many healing vibes going out for your Bridget - I'm so sorry she isn't well. I hope she does better, too, with the fast - her tummy needs to rest. Did the vet say anything about her not drinking, or was she given subcutaneous fluids to hydrate? Dehydration is not a good thing. Please keep us posted.

 

[ChristyA]

Hi,
Dehydration can be a life-threatening problem, you have to watch her very closely. Water is much more essential than food. Here is some info regarding dehydration.

Symptoms of Dehydration
Lethargy
Loss of appetite
Sunken, dry eyes
Dry mouth tissues
Increased heart rate
Slow capillary refill time (color should return to gums immediately after pressure is applied)
Loss of skin elasticity (in the skin turgor test, skin on the back should return immediately to normal position when pulled up and released)

What to Do
Place the dog in a cool area.
Give small amounts of cool water every few minutes.
Rush the dog to a veterinarian if symptoms are pronounced. By the time symptoms appear, dehydration can be serious and may need to be treated with subcutaneous or intravenous fluids and other medical intervention.

What Not to Do
Do not feed dry food.
Do not give large amounts of water immediately as this can cause vomiting and further dehydration.
Do not use ice packs as this can constrict blood circulation and hinder cooling.

Dogs at Risk of Dehydration
Senior dogs
Pregnant or nursing dogs
Puppies
Heavy coated or dark coated dogs
Dogs with fever
Dogs with diarrhea or vomiting
Dogs who have become too hot
Dogs without access to water
Dogs with any illness

Preventing Dehydration
Make certain your dog has fresh water at all times.
Provide outside dogs with shade (considering movement of shade) and plenty of fresh water in the shade in containers that won’t tip over. Containers should be set in the ground several inches.
Make sure there are no objects for tethered dogs to wrap their chains around, preventing access to water.
Provide water close-in as chains can shorten simply by twisting if the dog moves in a circle.
Take along plenty of water for your dog and offer it frequently when traveling or participating in outside activities.
If your dog refuses to drink, check in his mouth for something stuck. If there’s no obvious reason for refusal to drink, consult a veterinarian.

Keep a close eye on her. Call the vet first thing in the morning, or you may have to call or go to the ER vet this evening.
Let us know how she is doing.
Christy
Dexter 9/98-6/08
Sophie 9/98-missing her friend

 

[ROROSHELTON]

Poor Bridget. Stopping the food is the right thing to do, and starting with small amounts of boiled chicken and rice is good to see if she'll tolerate it. But please follow up with the vet in the a.m. With the weekend coming, my vet is a fortune for emergencies. They may need to do some bloodwork if they haven't already. But the lack of water and dehydration is what to be concerned about. Good luck and keep us posted. Healing vibes for your baby from Brutus and I!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[djheitz]

If you haven't already discarded it, try offering her the water the chicken was boiled in. That may be enough to tempt her into drinking.

 

[angleheart]

I would say that if she hasn't had any hydration in 24hrs, it's getting serious and she is probably going to need IV or sub-Q fluids. To be honest though, I don't know if I would wait until tomorrow if it truely has been 24hrs.

 

[GDOGS1]

sending out some of those good ol' boxer healing ((((vibes)))))your way,sure hope Bridget feels better soon



MoM & DaD of GDOGS 8/18/05 Brindle,Docked,Floppy and full of Zest