We almost lost our dog.....a warning

[luv2sparkle]

We have a little mini daschund named Maxx. We love this little dog more than you can imagine. Sunday night my son came home
from work and found him throwing up. He has thrown up before if he got into something that he shouldn't. We try to be really careful about that. That alone wouldn't send off warning bells in my head, but I would keep an eye on him. I was asleep but my son said he stayed up with him for about three hours. He didn't sleep with anyone that night as he usually does. I woke up the next morning to find spots all over the downstairs. I put him in his enclosure with his bed and before long he had bloody diarrhea. I scooped him up and took him to the emergency clinic and found he had a condition called Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis. Had I not taken him in he could have been dead within 24 hours.

I had never heard of or had a dog get this before. They don't know what causes it. They had to give Maxx and IV and antibiotics which
is the treatment. He came home after 24 hours but wasn't quite himself until yesterday. He will take antibiotics for a few more days.

I thought I would tell you all about this as a warning. When I think how close we came to losing him I could cry. So if your dog seems
lethargic and is throwing up watch him! If you see a blood in his stool keep an eye on him and get him to the vet!

In honor of Maxx, I will post a couple photos of him.

 

[Dandi]

OH sweetheart, how terribly scary for you all! Maxx is such a handsome little guy, you must love him to bits!! Thankyou for the warning, I'll be sure to be on the alert should my girls ever display such symptoms. I'm so glad you got him to the vet so quick and hope that Maxx makes a very speedy recovery! Big hugs to you, what an ordeal! xx

 

[davi_el_mejor]

Glad Maxx will be alright! What a horrible ordeal. Sending good thoughts to him. Fell better little guy!

This is my list of things to do when my dogs are doing things out of the ordinary.

Throwing up-

Yellow bile- Signs of an upset empty stomach, if it continues after feeding and the dog throws up bile only again, try a bland diet for a few days. I would also see what the dog is doing before it throws up.

Frothy white (spit)- something may be wrong (something in the throat), monitor closely and if anything else happens seek veterinary help

All food- not a good sign. Could be a blockage somewhere in the system. If it continues after every attempt of feeding for two days, seek veterinary help. If the dog isn't pooping either, seek veterinary help quickly.

Blood- seek veterinary care immediately

Bloody poop-

Normal stool with bright red streaks - Alarming, but not necessarily a panic situation. It means the blood is coming from the end of the system not inside.

Normal Stool with dark black spots (dried blood) - Seek veterinary assistance. Signs of bleeding somewhere in the GI track

Diarrhea should always be monitored. If it continues for more than two days, seek veterinary assistance

Bloody diarrhea is a reason to seek immediate veterinary care.

ETA: I think you did everything right! I added the list in hopes it would help others in case they experience something out of the ordinary.

 

[yssie]

Oh thank goodness you took him in!! I'm glad to hear he'll be okay - that's terrifying

 

[JewelFreak]

How great he will be ok! He's a real personality, you can tell from his picture! The key is action as soon as unusual stuff appears -- you did a great job.

 

[Amys Bling]

Davi thanks for that list!!!

So happy to hear that your dog was saved and doing better!

 

[vintagelover229]

I'm so happy to hear he is going to be alright! What a very scary thing to happen! I'm so very happy that the vet's were able to figure out what's wrong and bring him back to health. I don't know what I'd do if I lost my furbaby and I've only had her for 6 months.

Continued healing dust his way.

 

[AGBF]

In honor of Maxx, I will post a couple photos of him.

luv2sparkle-I am so glad that you sought care in time! Maxx is adorable and, obviously, most loveable! Thank you for posting his pictures!

Hugs,
Deb/AGBF

 

[luv2sparkle]

Thanks everyone! Evidently this problem is not that uncommon and they have no idea what causes it. I have never had another
dog who had it either. All breeds can get it.

Maxx is a real mooch and we occasionally feed him table food like bits of chicken or a pizza crust. But really very little. He has gotten
into my son's bedroom trash can and eaten candy bits which has made him sick, so that is what I initially thought it was and I was just
going to watch him. All of our dogs have been really healthy (I guess we have been really lucky), so I was a little slow on the uptake.
Never again!

My son at college wanted to come home from school and go to the hospital and sit with him! Even after Maxx came home he got
someone to cover his shift and the coffee shop and wanted to drive the 2 hours home to see him! We are all so crazy about this little
dog! If he hadn't made it I think all 7 of us would have been completely devastated.

 

[yennyfire]

Yikes, how scary! I'm so glad that Maxx is ok! He's adorable! Thanks for the warning!

 

[Ara Ann]

Aww, how scary! Happy to hear he will be alight though. And ironically, we had a health scare with our little "Max" this weekend too, he had a nasty reaction to a pain medication...was very scary...but he's doing better too. So from my poochie to yours, woof!


What kind of dog food do you give Maxx? I ask because most commercial dog foods have a lot of fillers in them and not a lot of whole food...if it is corn based, or has a lot of bi-products, you may want to try a more natural food, a lot of dogs have digestion problems from commercial dog food.

Our Max had major digestive problems too but is doing much better now on Blue Buffalo food for small dogs. He loves it and hasn't had any major tummy issues since starting on this. I do have to be careful to make sure he eats on a regular schedule, if he eats later than normal or misses a meal, he will get tummy spasms and have discomfort...but over all he is doing great on this brand.


Wishing your Maxx a speedy recovery!

 

[luv2sparkle]

Hi Ara Ann We feed Maxx Royal Canine specifically for mini dacshunds. he has not ever had any kind of digestive problems other than the occasional getting into a trash can and eating candy. This was so out of the blue. Anything that he eats from our table is pretty much a whole food without any additives because I have many allergies.

That is why I wanted to tell everyone to watch out for these symptoms that are so very deadly! My Maxx says to your Max!