laeral Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Yesterday Mica was fine, went for her usual run, helped me feed the horses no dramas. When she went to bed she was a little unsettled and changed positions more than normal but didnt seem to bad. Today she is lethargic and quite quiet. she wouldnt eat her breakfast which I have never seen her refuse before. She has been quiet all day. She has tried to poop a couple of times with not much result but I found a couple of drops of blood on the grass. She doesnt seem to be straining or anything though. My brother and his son where here today and she perked up then (she LOVES my nephew) but now she is back to her quiet self. I gave her some boiled chicken and rice for dinner to see if she would eat. She ate a couple of mouthfuls but not much. She doesnt seem to be sore anywhere just quite lethargic and mopey (sp?) As she doesnt seem to be seriously ill, I was going to wait and see if she was feeling better in the morning to take her to the vet. The drops of blood in her poop has me worried though. Ive never seen her sick before in her 4 years, which is why I am so worried but maybe I am just overreacting! Any ideas or thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Poor Mica. She perhaps should have seen a vet today... it could be constipation/a blockage/an infection/an injury, or something else.. .even if it is 'just constipation, the longer you leave it the more uncomfortable it will be , as matter dries out in the intestine and becomes difficult and painful to pass. Please don't give her anything to try & 'help' like oil or anything, in case it is not simple constipation. No food either.. but plenty of water/broth/lactose free milk if she likes it ...and keep her resting. Good luck at the vet tomorrow if needed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laeral Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 (edited) Thanks Persephone She is drinking well but I may make some broth to encourage her to have a little more. If she was constipated would she be trying to go to the toilet often or straining? She doesnt seem to be really straining when she has tried to go and hasnt wanted to go much. Vet trip in the morning it seems. ETA I was worried about a blockage this morning as she is fed a raw diet but hasnt had her vegies for a few days. We are doing some training that requires chicken wings as a treat so she has eaten a couple of them instead. This means she has eaten a far bit if RMB for the last couple of days. Might be a bit much poor little thing! Edited March 12, 2011 by laeral Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifi Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 If she has eaten more than her usual RMB, there's a fair chance its become dry & chalky and wont pass. I agree with Pers, I wouldn't be giving her any oils until the vet has checked its not a blockage and determines treatment from there. fifi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laeral Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 Yeah Fifi I was worried about that. She had a bit of diarrhoea earlier but again not much. She had a quick run around the yard but is still too quiet. She will be going to the vet in the morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Hope Mica didn't get worse overnight, and hope all goes well at the vets . The diarrhoea can be from an infection of some sort..but it can also be a sign of constipation... only liquid can seep past the mass of faeces ... thinking of you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laeral Posted March 13, 2011 Author Share Posted March 13, 2011 Thanks for your thoughts Persephone. She didnt get any worse overnight luckily. We have been to the vet this morning. She has haemoragic gastro, but no blockage thankfuly. She has had something to settle her tummy and some antibiotics. She is drinking well and showing no signs of dehydration, so I just have to give her some medicine three times a day and just kep her quiet. If she stops drinking or gets dehydrated he said she would need to go on a drip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifi Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Glad you've been to the vets, and caught this early as HGE can be VERY serious. keep up the meds and absolute rest. Did the vet recommend some electrolyte supplement in her water ? fifi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laeral Posted March 13, 2011 Author Share Posted March 13, 2011 No he didnt fifi. I meant to ask him when we were talking about dehydration but forgot Any thoughts on what would be good to add to her water? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifi Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I would use lectade - comes in a sachet of powder. One sachet per 2litres water. fifi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 She has haemoragic gastro, but no blockage thankfuly think I'd prefer it was a blockage ... as fifi said HGE can be very debilitating ... Take care.. and contact the vet if she appears ANY worse , or the drinking slows down ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laeral Posted March 13, 2011 Author Share Posted March 13, 2011 (edited) Oh really I have never had a dog with this before so dont know much about it. The vet didnt seem to concerned, said she should be fine in about 48 hours. She isnt vomiting and doesnt have much diarrhoea, just seems quiet. She still seems realitively happy though Now I am worried. I will keep a close eye on her and take her back if there are any changes. ETA have just been having a look at HGE, sounds very nasty. She definitely is not as sick as most of the symptoms seem to suggest. she has not had serious vomiting or much bloody diarrhea, just a few spots. She did vomit once but that was it. Hopefuly it was caught soon enough and is not to serious. Edited March 13, 2011 by laeral Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifi Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 (edited) Just keep up her fluids & meds and keep her quiet and confined (crate would be best) If she becomes 'flat' or more lethargic, or there is bloody diarheah(sp) then I would get the vet to admit her and put her on IV fluids. don't panic, most recover well, its getting it early and ensuring hydration and meds are consistent. fifi I am surprised the vet didn't admit her for IV as a precaution, vet must be confident that its very mild & caught early. Edited March 13, 2011 by fifi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormie Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Just curious, how did they diagnose the HGE? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laeral Posted March 13, 2011 Author Share Posted March 13, 2011 The vet did a faecal smear. Didnt send it away though as they studied it on site??? Fifi, the vet said her colour was good and she was showing no signs of dehydration so didnt want to give her IV fluids yet. If she got any flater or stopped drinking I was to take her in and they would put her on IV fluids then. She is feeling a bit better this afternoon, even looking for food for the first time since Fri. I was advised not to feed her anything though so may wait until morning to give her a small meal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I'm glad she's feeling a bit brighter She may enjoy some chicken soup ...:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormie Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Did they take any blood and spin it down? We would normally diagnose HGE by symptoms as well as spinning some blood down to get a PCV. HGE is generally very dehydrating, so because there is less fluid in the blood stream, you tend to see a high red cell count on the PCV. Then you look at the total plasma protein and if its in the normal range, then those two results along with the symptoms tend to give you the HGE diagnosis. If she has HGE, I'm surprised they would send her home? As I said before, its a very dehydrating disease so usually a few days in hospital on fluids in order to correct the pcv as well as administering medication. In any case though, I hope she continues to improve and gets better soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laeral Posted March 13, 2011 Author Share Posted March 13, 2011 No bloods were taken. He based his diagnosis on symptoms and faecal smear that had some blood in it. She is certainly not gravely ill, just quiet. Maybe they dignosed her wrong??? Either way Im glad she is not as sick as they are supposed to be when they get this illness! She may just enjoy a small amount to eat Pers. It has been 2 days since she has eaten, aside from a bite of boiled chicken and rice last night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormie Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Its quite common to see blood and also mucous in stools when they have a colitis (an upset large bowel), because the lining of the bowel becomes inflamed and can bleed. That's why I was asking, to know what made them diagnose HGE in particular because as you've read it's a pretty serious condition! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now