New Member with sick dog trying not to panic

[Thelma-louise]

Hi! I am a new member and this is my first post. I have 2 dogs I adopted from a shelter last year. The one that is sick is Tucker a fox terrier mix who loves to eat pillows and stuffed toys. Subsequently he developed a partially blocked intestine last week which became obvious when he started to vomit Wednseday night. I took him to the vet Thursday and he was given a shot that they told me would settle his stomach. Friday he was worse - poor thing couldn't stand and wouldn't go out to pee so I took him back to the vet and they took an x-ray and said he had a partial blockage. Today the vet called and said to bring him home and see how he does but I am very worried - he does not look "right". They gave me Metronidazole 250mg to give him orally twice a day and I gave him his first dose around 5pm today. He now seems very tired, hasn't really moved from the spot he's been in for a couple hours and his heart seems to beating rather fast and hard but he's not panting - it kind of looks like his heart is beating irregularly - you can see his stomach or chest going up and down kind of awkwardly or with a wiggle to it like jello - if that makes sense. They told me to call on Wednesday and report how he is doing but I think I may call tomorrow instead - but can someone just advise if this seems Ok - I have a feeling I am not going to be able to sleep tonight b/c I am so worried about him. They cautioned me not to let him drink too much water today and he went straight to the water dish when we got home and gulped quite a bit down before I could pick the bowl up - so I am afraid maybe the water is causing some bloating or other problems??

Is 250mg 2x daily the standard dose of metronidazole for dogs - he weighs 26lbs.

I read in a older post where a member suggested plain yogurt be given as in addition to the metro as well to help the digestive tract replenish good bacteria - is that still a good recommendation - he loves any type of dairy so I am sure he would love it.

Any help or suggestions or reassurance would be appreciated. I guess I have the new dog owner jitters and a fear of not being a good "mommy". Thanks.

PS sorry for the long post.

[want4rain]

im sorry i dont have any advice. i just wanted to swing by and say a warm welcome from pets.ca and that i hope your guy is feeling better. did your vet give you a laxative??

-ashley

[hazelrunpack]

Welcome to the board, Thelma-louise.

Sorry that Tucker is feeling so ill.

The metronidazole dose looks about right--our 33 pound dog was on the same dose a while back...

Are you seeing his heartbeat or his breathing cadence? (That movement of chest and stomach you mentioned.) And what color are his gums?

[luckypenny]

Has he had a bowel movement since last Thursday? Anything significant?

[Thelma-louise]

Thanks for the prompt responses everyone - I appreciate it. I should have mentioned that Tucker did poop today which is what the vet was waiting for over the weekend and why I was able to bring him home today. He also went twice since we got home but its pure liquid right now which the vet said would last several days - but he has had diahrea periodically since I got him last June which I was also given meds for at the time I had him fixed in Sept.

Shortly after I posted he finally got up and came to me wanting to go out - he peed and pooped and belched quite a bit - and when we came in he ate a bit of boiled chicken and rice and some dry food - and his stomach is gurgling quite a bit now - but he seems brighter. Maybe it was just a reaction to the meds kicking in that caused his heart to race or beat hard and his tiredness? Or was it just from the stress of being away from home for a few days? Guess I will watch for the same reaction after his next dose and see if it happens again - he has to take the metro for 2 weeks so hopefully if this was just a reaction it will subside over the next few days.

I checked his gums and they are pink and moist - he was dehydrated last Friday and the vet showed me how dry his gums were - so I did check them earlier knowing that they also show signs of problems, if any.

Well he seems a bit better now - I feel a little better myself. Thanks again everyone - glad to know there are others to talk to about things like this.

[rainbow]

Glad to hear that Tucker is improving. You can give him plain canned pumpkin (not the pie filling type) for his diarrhea. Also, what do you normally feed him?

[OnelnAMiII25]

Welcome! My Neapolitan mastiff take metro everyday twice a day due to her pancreatic innsuffency. It does not make her tired.She takes 500mg twice a day. My dog also ate a wallet awhile back and was reacting the same way ur dog way. Not walking/pooping/ and vomiting. But I took my dog to the Emergency Vet (that my mom works at) and they had to open her up and take out the stuff that was blocked. So im a little concerned why they haven't done hat for your dog. maybe it/s bc my dog was fully blocked and ur is only partial. Have they taken another x-ray to see if it's still blocked?

[Thelma-louise]

Yes - the vet was hoping since he was only partially blocked he might be able to pass it without requiring surgery since something was ejected with his first vomit - looked like a large hairball. The vet said if the vomitting returned or if he did not peep or poop or did not return to his usual behavior, etc - then we would have to think about surgery. I think his blockage is due to eating pillow stuffing so while its not hard enough to pucture anything internally it is probably just as clogging as anything else. I am pretty sure I am supposed to bring him back next week for checkup so if he's not better by then they will probably want to do another xray.

He gave me quite a scare this morning since he didn't wake up when I called his name several times - my other dog even nudged him and he didn't budge -so I put my hand on his head and he slowly picked it up which was such a relief. But he got up and we went out side and he peed and pooped - which looked a little better - more like pudding now so there is some texture or consistency returning - and he ate fairly well some boiled chicken and brown rice and then a handful of dry food called Natural Way - which is wheat free so I thought it might be better for him.

Both my dogs are picky with their dry dog food - I have tried almost everything out there - they should offer sample sizes more since I have wasted a lot of money on food they won't eat. Even the vet couldn't get him to eat and he tried everything he had as well - so I tend to stick with boiled chicken and rice and occassionally add peas and carrots.

Anyway this afternoon he did go for a walk and played ball with me and my other dog Daisy for about 15 mins and then he laid down and just watched a bit - but the fact he had some interest in it was good. He just seems really tired - and it comes and goes - like he gets a small burst of energy and then gets tired quickly - but all in all he seems "OK" and this may just be part of the recuperation period and he just needs a fews days to get back to his old self.

I'll have to look for the plain canned pumkin next time I go shopping. I did give him a teaspoon of plain yogurt this morning hoping it would combat some of the side affects (if any) of the antibiotic he is taking. Thanks all.

[Shabby]

Just wanted to drop by and say "Welcome to Pets.ca!!"

Hope your baby is feeling better soon, you're a good Mommy!

Take care.

[edslinda]

welcome I just joined and MAN OH MAN love the support. Your a good mom and i hope your pup feels better real soon

[Thelma-louise]

Just wanted to thank everyone for their support, encouragement and advice. Tucker is doing much better today - ate well, peed and had a normal poop for a change and played ball and hide and seek and chased me most of the morning. The vet called to check up on him and since he was doing so well told me to taper off his metro over the next 2-3 days. What was really cute was that Tucker went to the basket where all his toys were kept and found it empty - he gave me such a questioning look - no more toys, all gone. I really don't want to go through this again. Thanks again everyone.

[OnelnAMiII25]

I'm glad your Tucker is better. About the no toys...... they make a toy thats made out of Fire-House (it's red) it's indestructible. I live in Illinois, not sure if you have this store where you live, but we purchased it in Farm and Home. But I'm pretty sure they have it at Petco or Petsmart. My Gianna has had it for almost a year, and no holes.

Go to this website, this is the one I have: CombatŪ Extreme Bone Tug Dog Toy

http://www.bamboopet.com/dogs/toys/

[Thelma-louise]

Thanks very much for the info - I will certainly check it out. I have yet to find anything this little guy or his playmate Daisy ( a Jack Russel mix TERROR) can not tear apart and destroy and then eat. I did keep a few squeeky toys but now put them away in the cupboard when I am done playing with them. Now if I could just get them to lay off chewing sheets, blankets, clothing, pillows, etc! Wouldn't it be great if they made edible toys (other than rawhide bones) - or stuffed toys with kibble - at least then it would be safe if they did eat it and no harm would be done.

[rainbow]

Originally Posted by Thelma-louise

Both my dogs are picky with their dry dog food - I have tried almost everything out there - they should offer sample sizes more since I have wasted a lot of money on food they won't eat. Even the vet couldn't get him to eat and he tried everything he had as well - so I tend to stick with boiled chicken and rice and occassionally add peas and carrots.

Boiled chicken and rice with occasional veggies is not a balanced diet and should not be fed for an extended period of time as they are not getting all their proper nutrition. You need to put them on a premium/holistic kibble that you will only find at a small independent pet store. Check out the Food Forum here for some good suggestions.

A good website to read is www.dogfoodproject.com and click on the links on the left hand side of the page like "Ingredients to Avoid" and Label Information 101", etc.

Another good site with excellent information is www.dogaware.com .....there's lots of good links there as well.

If you have any questions about any of the brands ask them in the Food Forum here.

Glad to hear that Tucker is doing much better. We'd love to see pics of him and Daisy.

[OnelnAMiII25]

Originally Posted by rainbow

Boiled chicken and rice with occasional veggies is not a balanced diet and should not be fed for an extended period of time as they are not getting all their proper nutrition. .

The chicken and rice may not be proper nutrition, but it's a blan diet only meant to be given for a day or 2 so the dogs stomach has time to "heal."
I never meant for anyone to give it to the dog for a long period of time.

[Longblades]

And I'd like to add that while he is so obviously having digestive issues may not be the time to switch his food. Some dogs have to be moved over to a new food gradually. I'd try it later, when he is better, and keep him on what he is used to for now. After the bland diet of course.