SpotTheDog Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Graphic bodily functions ahoy, so don't read on if squeamish! My 14th mth old bull arab X is off his form. He ate on Sunday morning, and has touched nothing since. We went to bed early last night for our normal early Monday start (5am), but hubby was woken at 3am by the noise of the dog trotting up and down the hallway. We got up to him to find he'd done two sloppy poos in the family bathroom. I put him outside while I cleaned those up. He came back in, peed on the living room rug (he hasn't peed inside the house since toilet training) and then proceeded to throw up right beside it. His vomit was full of grass, which I assumed he'd eaten while outside while I was cleaning up crap, and a lot of bile. I cleaned all that up (and then didn't bother going back to bed). He appeared fine for the rest of the morning until I left the house just after 8am. He was pestering his 'favourite' cat, Cleo, for attention, and generally mooching about as he does in the mornings. I put him outdoors before I left with a full bowl of food, as I do every morning. (He's fed once a day in the mornings.) There have been no recent changes in his food. I came home this evening and he was fairly bright - excited to see me, lots of wiggling etc. However first thing I noticed was his bowl was untouched, he hasn't had even one mouthful of that food. Once the 'you're home!' excitement wore off he became very flat. Usually he shadows me around the house, tonight he's content to lie and watch. He's been twitchy, shivering very gently as he fidgets around his bed as though he's trying to get comfortable. I have offered him food and he's turned his nose up, but he's drinking. His gum colour is good. His belly isn't taut or swollen, and when I was feeling him over there was gurgling depending where I pressed and while he looks a bit unsure there was no yelping. I took his temp and it's normal. So we went out in the yard for a trot about - I wanted to see would he poo or wee. I threw the ball and he went after it, perhaps not with his usual gusto, but happily enough - he's fairly energetic. Back inside, and within two minutes he'd thrown up all the water he'd drunk this evening. Then he went back to the water bowl. He's now lying at my feet on his mat again, flat on his side. He appears a little more comfortable - some of the fidgeting has eased. I've booked a vet appt for 8.45am - I caught them just before they closed this evening but it was literally 10 mins to go, so I figured I'd watch him overnight and go in the morning if he's no better. I am ALWAYS paranoid about Gus and intestinal blockages because he's such a trash can. However he'll also dig up foul old bones from the yard, and eat cat crap if he can find it out there. (Don't you love dogs?) Any thoughts? Anything else I can do for him this evening? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 (edited) VET app't sounds good - tonite would have been better ... .. hope it's just a bug . Edited June 20, 2011 by persephone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpotTheDog Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 VET app't sounds good - tonite would have been better ... .. hope it's just a bug . Have problem with late vet - I can't drive at night. I'm likely to kill him and me both - I have keratoconus and I just can't see. Which begs the question of what I'd do in a major night time medical emergency - dunno, taxi? Police?(!) Had booked the vet for tomorrow morning before the episode of vomiting up water. The nearest out of hours vet to me is up to 20 mins away up the highway - on a wet, cloudly night like this with poor visibility I'm as likely to plant the car into a tree as I am to keep it on the road. It's a problem. He's kept down the drink he had just after vomiting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ams Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 (edited) Spot maybe take away the water and access to any food for the rest of the evening. If he has an upset tummy or at worst case a blockage the constant peristalsis of vomiting will just dehydrate him quicker. IMO it is better to stop him from ingesting anything further until you can get him to a vet. If you ring the after hours vet service and explain they may do a home visit for you? Edited June 20, 2011 by Ams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpotTheDog Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 (edited) Spot maybe take away the water and access to any food for the rest of the evening. If he has an upset tummy or at worst case a blockage the constant peristalsis of vomiting will just dehydrate him quicker. IMO it is better to stop him from ingesting anything further until you can get him to a vet. If you ring the after hours vet service and explain they may do a home visit for you? Hey Ams - just tried that! If he gets worse in the night I'll get a friend of mine who's local out of bed to drive to the vet with me. I went through his symptoms with the OOH vet in the next town, and they're on call all night. The twitchy fidgety shivering bothers me and I talked it over with them, they have said it can just be a symptom of feeling really rotten. Just texted my friend now to see where she is and what she's up to - if she's home I may see if she'll come up to the vet with me now, but she could be at work. Gus, meanwhile, is keeping the water down and is just resting. /edited to clarify I tried getting the OOH vet to come to me. No joy. Edited June 20, 2011 by SpotTheDog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm266 Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Hi Spot, Sorry to hear Gus is unwell. I am in Wallan, and keep unsociable hours, so am available if you need any assistance to get to the vet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ams Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 B*gger! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Avanti* Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Any thoughts? Anything else I can do for him this evening? Keep him warm, which I'm sure you would do. On reading your post the symptoms have some similarity to when my dog came down with pancreatitis. They took X-rays for blockages at first but after more tests discovered it was her pancreas. That was 3 years ago. She's ok now, but cannot have any fatty foods. I hope it isn't that but it’s good you have the vet appt in the morning. Wishing he is back to his old self soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpotTheDog Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 jm266 - thanks for the offer. More puke. Friend has dropped things to come over and we're going to broadford vet. Wish Gus luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ams Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 **LUCK** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm266 Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 jm266 - thanks for the offer. More puke. Friend has dropped things to come over and we're going to broadford vet. Wish Gus luck. No worries, glad you are able to get to the vet tonight. One of my boys had a blockage just over 12 months ago, few symptoms apart from the flatness and water puking. He swallowed a peach stone. Hope all goes well for Gus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D & D Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Good Luck :crossfingers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zombie Bait Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Good Luck at the vets I was once looking after my MIL's dog, an ACD. She left for hol's at about 6am, I got up at 8am with the dog drooling, straining to go to the toilet and generally looking uncomfortable. I called the vet (Saturday morning) and got him in within an hour. She thought he was constipated, gave him some laxatives and sent him home with instructions to only give him a tiny meal of rice and chicken. Did as instructed, dog seemed ok. Sunday morning he was throwing up and it smelt like poo. So off to the emergency vets who took xrays of his guts and he was badly compacted. They had him on laxatives, IV fuids and were doing enemas on the poor dog for the next 24 hours. Close to $1000 later (it was a long weekend) he was home and happy. Apparently he had eaten cooked bones when he was at an offleash park on the Friday afternoon and they had set like concrete in his bowel. The poo smelling vomit was because everything was backing up (sooo gross). That incident was 5 years ago now and Basil is still with us. He has to have a different diet as he now has bowel issues but otherwise is a healthy happy boy Hoping Gus is home and healthy and happy soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swizzlestick Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Good luck. Hope it's just a tummy bug, and he is feeling better soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HazyWal Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Good luck Gus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 vet is the best spot.... I hope he is Ok and that you all travelled safely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keira&Phoenix Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Oh no Good luck Gus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Good Luck! When Dante had his blockage he was in obvious discomfort, in the end he was vomiting what smelt like he was pooing out of his mouth, it was horrendous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpotTheDog Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 Back from the vet. Gus is home with me to be observed for a couple of days. He was moderately dehydrated by the time we got to the vet, having puked again. The really startling thing however was it was as though his physical condition was deteriorating in front of my eyes. He weighs in normally at 27kgs - on the scale at the vet he was 21.8kgs. We put a lot of things together - I had noticed him down on his pasterns somewhat on Saturday and thought it was curious - he was like that as a pup but was fed well and had come out of it. Very odd for it to appear again. Anyway - no diagnosis. Bloods done, vit B and anti-emetic given, home with lectade and instructions for chicken n rice for three or four days. Bloods spun while we waited - results generally good, some results a bit wacky but could be the vomiting / stress. Still enough that the vet didn't say "The dog's fine, it's just a bug". Gus is on strict obs with hydration and a cup of food at a time over the next 24 hours - if he starts throwing up again, back to the vet. At the vet he alternated between happy MAD happy and then would stand, head down, eyes closed, and sway - at one point I had to catch him, thought he was going over. I think that's the waves of nausea. Anyway, we're home, I owe my mate a slab of beer for doing this for me, chicken 'n' rice poaching on the stove at the moment, and I'm trying to juggle my working day tomorrow around the hound... Thanks all for support! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ams Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Keep us updated please SpotTheDog. :hugs: to the lad. I hope he feels better soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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