URGENT - very ill little doggie.

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Miss M

Miss M

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My aunt and uncle have a 12-year-old Dachsund named Zoe. I just got this text:

Zoe has been throwing up and has liquid BMs for 3 - 4 days now. Know any cures? She can't keep anything down and we're concerned about dehydration too. What we've seen on the internet tells us the obvious. Take her to the vet.
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I asked if they can administer a sub-q bolus. My aunt is a nurse, so if she's got the supplies, I know she can do it.
 
Usually when adult dogs have both vomiting and diarrhea it indicates a blockage that needs to be surgically removed.

Usually the blockages are fabric (socks and underwear being particular favorites) or large pieces of squeaky toys or rawhide bones, so a barium study (barium and radiographs) is usually the first course of action.

At age 12, I would not expect her to eat such things... ask if they have had any corn on the cob recently- there was one case of a dog that had a blockage due to eating those.

If they have not already done so, tell them to take away her food and water for at least 12 hours. Sub-Q fluids would be great. If she doesn't have access to them right now, tell her she can allow Zoe to lick an ice cube in the morning, but she must not be allowed large amounts of water at once.
 
With a dog,.. watching this for more than 24 hours would be dangerous I would think. If she can't pass something that is stuck in her, she can cause her intestine to telescope into itself. This causes the intestine to die. I do think this is a red light situation and the dog at least needs an x ray to decide if this is cancer or something that will pass. The dog could die if she is not properly diagnosed.
 
With it being an older dog I would be worried about parvo because it attacks older animals as well as puppies.
 
Thank you all so much! I think somewhere in there they took the food and water away as recommended. They'll take her to the vet in the morning if there is no improvement.
 
Less potentially expensive than a blockage may be pancreatitis which can pass with fasting etc.
But after this long I would think the dog would be in serious condition.
 
If it were just a day or maybe 2 of it with some improvement starting I would say she ate something like too much chocolate or a mild toxin. That will pass. After 3 days of no improvement I would get a vet appointment asap. At that point the odds of it being life threatening without treatment are just too high. It could be practically anything.
 
I was wondering if a toxin might be a possibility. I know they are very careful with her, because her system is easily upset, but I thought it might still be a consideration.

I really doubt she'll be improved enough in the morning for them not to take her to the vet. I'm sure she will be going.
 
Miss M":3fxrl5sw said:
I was wondering if a toxin might be a possibility. I know they are very careful with her, because her system is easily upset, but I thought it might still be a consideration.

I really doubt she'll be improved enough in the morning for them not to take her to the vet. I'm sure she will be going.
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Update? :(
 
I just heard a short time ago that Zoe is at the vet. They're starting off with bloodwork and some fluids. I'll update as I get more info. :)
 
Schipperkesue":312eschi said:
Just a heads up to everyone...never discount Parvo. I lost a year old dog with full vaccinations to Parvo.
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Ooooooooh. Thank you for telling me that.

UPDATE:

Zoe is back home, looking a little better and possibly starting to recover. She's got meds to help stop the vomiting and diarrhea, and special food. They don't really know what is the matter at this time, but are to take her back if she isn't better by Saturday, or follow up next week if she is better. Keeping her at the vet long enough to find out what was wrong would have been very expensive. It seems that perhaps all she needed was meds to stop that vicious cycle, and fluids. :shrug: I am guessing that the vet ruled out obstruction somehow.
 
Miss M":lffp71n4 said:
Schipperkesue":lffp71n4 said:
Just a heads up to everyone...never discount Parvo. I lost a year old dog with full vaccinations to Parvo.
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Ooooooooh. Thank you for telling me that.

UPDATE:

Zoe is back home, looking a little better and possibly starting to recover. She's got meds to help stop the vomiting and diarrhea, and special food. They don't really know what is the matter at this time, but are to take her back if she isn't better by Saturday, or follow up next week if she is better. Keeping her at the vet long enough to find out what was wrong would have been very expensive. It seems that perhaps all she needed was meds to stop that vicious cycle, and fluids. :shrug: I am guessing that the vet ruled out obstruction somehow.
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You are welcome Miss M. We all love our little old dogs very dearly, but we also have to decide how much intervention and money we want to put into an animal, weighing that with remaining lifespan and severity of the problem. I applaud your sensible approach. I had to struggle with this issue myself just this spring.
 
Schipperkesue":1c3h4uup said:
You are welcome Miss M. We all love our little old dogs very dearly, but we also have to decide how much intervention and money we want to put into an animal, weighing that with remaining lifespan and severity of the problem. I applaud your sensible approach. I had to struggle with this issue myself just this spring.
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She's my aunt and uncle's dog, but yes, it's an issue we face any time one of the animals in our care becomes ill or injured. :)

Zoe update: Got a text from my aunt. She says Zoe is better today, and eating rice and boiled chicken. Her stool has some consistency now.

To tell you the truth, when I got the first text from my uncle asking for help, I didn't think she was going to make it. I'm glad it looks like I was wrong. :D
 

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