Sophie and the dreaded bloat

[shirley walsh]

Have had a very distressing week with Sophie...She had bloat last week and I had to rush her to an emergency veterinary hospital which was luckily only 10 mins in the car. She last had bloat and torsion in July 2013 ( she had bloat and torsion 3 times in 8 months in 2012-2013, then last year had mammary tumour removed which really knocked her for six ) She went into shock very quickly this time. She had previous gastropexy x2 in the past so I of course was so worried that her stomach had torsion as well. They initially decompressed the abdomen with x2 needles as she was getting really distressed. She was then anaesthetised and oral tube was passed without any difficulty. I got her home the next evening looking a lot better. She was on antibiotics as she aspirated during the procedure. She was put on ranitidine and metaclopromide to aid gut motility. I gave a gig sigh of relief that she did not require surgery...However the next morning she had fresh blood on her shaved abdomen at the site of the needle puncture wound...I thought that was a bit odd...and there was a large red mark which I thought was a razor burn. I phoned the vets and they were not unduly concerned. With a bit of sustained pressure the bleeding stopped. Sophie was a bit quiet for the rest of the day but was eating and drinking etc. By late evening I was getting a bit anxious and thinking she was too quiet. Checked her mucous membranes and they were nice and pink and my hubby said to stop worrying and said she was fine ( he is a surgeon ) The next day she still looked 'depressed' and I thought that something was not right. I phoned the vets to say I was not happy with her and that I was going to bring her in. They initially said to bring her in layer that afternoon but I said I was bringing her in now. Well I just got my keys and bag together and was about to go out the door with her when Sophie collapsed in a heap!. By this time I was starting to panic as I was on my own and no way could I carry her to my car. I managed to get her up on her feet and somehow got her in the car. When I arrived at the vets I said she needs to be seen now!. Luckily the vet came out and we both carried her to the consulting room. Her mucous membranes were white and she was in a bad way. I thought that she was bleeding internally and her blood clotting was not right. The vet warned me that there was a very real possibility that she would not make it!. I was beside myself that I may lose her...Anyway they took some bloods for a clotting screen and it showed very low platelets and her PCV (packed cell volume) was low. There was no way they could do anything surgical as she would just bleed out. It was then decided that she should have a blood transfusion  and I suggested her sister Missy would be an ideal candidate. Bless Missy who gave her blood to save her sister. It turns out she has had an idiopathic thrombocytopaenia which they are not sure of the cause. It could have been antibiotic related ,or she has used up all her platelets with bleed which was not enough to be catastrophic to kill her. (she had fluid in her abdomen which was a mixture of red blood cells and fluid) They commenced her on prednisolone and she also had a one of dose of vincristine to kick start her bone marrow. I got her home yesterday and taking it very slowly with her. Getting her bloods checked tomorrow. Hope they show an improvement. Apologies for the long post.

[James Doran]

No need to apologise, Shirley. I know only too well the stress that this condition imposes on you and of course Sophie. I was lucky in that I never got to the torsion/surgery stage with my boy. One thing I do believe, however, is that we all know our own dogs, and we know when something's wrong with them. Always trust your instinct on these matters...I know I do! I hope it helped you to talk about it. Offering our sincere thoughts, prayers & best wishes to you and Sophie, and that she quickly recovers. James & Romeo.

[shirley walsh]

Thanks for the support. It is good to talk to people who know exactly what you are going through. All her previous presentations were exactly the same. I took her up to Edinburgh (my home city) to the Royal  Dick Vet School of Veterinary Studies and was investigated after her 3 torsion and bloat in the space of 8 months. It was found that she had slow motility in transition of food out of her stomach. I think she is very different to her sister in that Missy is a bit scatty and Sophie tends to be a lot quieter and gets stressed at times.  Hopefully her bloods will have improved.

[silvia]

Shirley I am very sorry , such a scaring and distressing time for you !! Please keep us posted I hope she reacted well to the transfusion. ....thinking about you. ..

[shirley walsh]

Some good news today ...her platelets have increased . will have more bloods done on Monday so hopefully she will continue to improve. She is still anaemic but will see how that improves, still early days.

[Ellen Turberfield]

I hope Sophie continues to improve, one of my other boys bloated aged 12
Vet didn't want to operate said he wouldn't survive dye to his age
I insisted they did, couple of days later he was home making the
Most of all the attention, you know what's best for your own dog.

[shirley walsh]

Sophie is one tough cookie , she never ceases to amaze me....She is definitely a lot brighter so hopefully her blood picture will reflect that....

[Sue Paterson]

I hope all is going well now Shirley. Keep strong...

[shirley walsh]

Update on Sophie

Had another very detailed ultrasound scan of the abdomen. The blood/serous fluid has been re absorbed about 90%. Her spleen is enlarged and a possible clot probably in the splenic artery but not totally occlusive and there is possibly another clot in the liver. She has had both IMT and probably AIHA. Her platelets have come back to normal and her PCV is at 31.9% so still anaemic.Her treatment continues with prednisolone and depending on her clotting screen results she may start clopidogrel (stops blood being too sticky and reduces the clotting ) She is still very lethargic but it is still early days . I wonder if the prednisolone is making her depressed and of course she is still anaemic. She is still a worry but she has come through so much that maybe I am expecting too much at this stage..

Shirl

[shirley walsh]

My poor baby now has pancreatitis. She did not want to eat and drink so took her back to vets...I felt that her belly was sore but there were no specific signs that pointed to anything . After discussion with the vet bloods were specifically taken to see if she had pancreatitis...results positive ..My poor baby must have been in pain...Now given some strong analgesia and hopefully she will start to eat.

Shirl

[James Doran]

Hi Shirley, My boy also has it. Despite the shock, I'm sure you agree it's a relief to find out what's wrong. The good news is that it can be managed with a low fat diet. The sad news for Sophie is that she won't be able to have everything she used to eat. I go by the rule of only things with no more than 3% fat. I use Hills low fat I/d tins and kibble (they can be bought much cheaper online than from vets) and also white meats and some fish occasionally. She should respond quickly to the change in diet. Best wishes from us.