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.

[shirley walsh]

thanks James....yes I was relieved that diagnosed the problem...Poor baby must have been in terrible pain. They are keeping her in as she now has diarrhoea. Hope she picks up soon as she is one tough cookie after all she has been through. Her platelets are now normal and her PCV is 31%, so hopefully she will pull through.

[shirley walsh]

Consensus of opinion is that she probably should have spleen removed and stomach reduced in size but only after the pancreatitis has stabilised..

Another piece of news is that she has basically come to the limit of her insurance for this year with this episode ( £6000) yikes

[silvia]

dear shirley i am so sorry we get through all this.. i hope the pancreatitis get stabilized soon and she can gain the strength to go smoothly through these operations....sounds a nightmare and lot of worry for you !!! the fact that the insurance money run off is another huge problem of course.. can you manage to afford these operations and then maybe next year the premium start again so it can help in case she needs other care and special food for life? I bet is not your main worry, but some insurances have a "per condition " threshold, so even if the premium is renowed in the following year they dont pay for the same condition- please check.. even if , at this point, there is not a lot you can do probably (change insurance is not an option with preexisting conditions - they hold the knife i am afraid : ((((

[silvia]

we send Sophie all our love and i really hope she will get the strength to go over this terrible situation soon.

as for the pancreatitis, you already had the James suggestions based on his successful experience (and i am glad it worked James!!!), I dont have direct experience, but i think if you search on this website there are unfortunately lots of our reds with pancreatitis problems and you may see  lot of others suggestions as  well. In many cases this can be controlled easily with the diet.  Once the hard phase is over, you may also find suggestions for a low fat diet that may work and be varied for everyday needs, also for meals different from the hills food i mean- look also at the natural instinct low fat food or other options for raw food for sensitive stomach,

is a trial and error but, although oberon never had pancreatitis, he has a sensitive stomach and  i became very very keen on a raw diet- maybe some of their recipes can help for pancreatitis as well ! (at least this is what i heard)

anyway, these kind of suggestions may only turn useful once she get to normal life again, so as for now best of luck for the further surgeries!! If she 's home and doesnt eat i would try to blend some boiled chicken and gently siringe the puree on her mouth so she can lick it.. maybe blending the chicken with some pumpkin/low fat yogurth or slippery elm of whatever she can accept.. if she doesnt drink is necessary to siringe water (maybe with the chicken broth) in her mouth at regular intervals.. but i am sure the vet already gave these advise..

take lot of care and keep us posted - a huge hug to Sophie

[shirley walsh]

Thank you Silvia for your kind thoughts which are most appreciated. I have shed many tears hoping that she will make it as she is such a strong willed girl. As the hours pass I think that she is holding her own and have hope that she will make it . Her sister Missy is very sad and a lot quieter and missing her terribly, even the two yorkies Lou Lou and Suki are a bit subdued. We shall see what tomorrow brings...

[Anna Kazimierowicz]

dreadful bloat again! I keep finger crossed your poor Sophie will recover soon

[shirley walsh]

She is not doing too well with the pancreatitis. I took her to my own vet this evening as her care was carried out by 24hr emergency vets when I could not contact my regular vet. he has taken more bloods and now weaning her off the steroids. She will not eat or drink but at the moment she is home with me tonight and I can take her back in to get IV fluids  I managed to get some water and a little manuka honey down , but just a small amount. .She is so poorly that I am thinking she may not beat this ...My emotions are all over the place.

[James Doran]

Try and remain calm and strong, Shirley. They are always very poorly when the pancreatitis is bad. My boy was on I/v fluids for a day and a half before I got him home. I hope she is able to eat and drink a little soon without any repercussion, as that would be a great indicator that things are improving. The vet would surely have kept her in if they were concerned about her. Just remember to try and give her only foods with no more than 3% fat. Sending our prayers & best wishes to you both.

[shirley walsh]

Thanks James. My own vet is very good and said at the moment she is not dehydrated. I will phone tomorrow and let him know that she is still not eating or drinking. Although I must admit she is very settled and does not appear in pain.I know she has had a fair bit of Methadone, Vincristine, steroids, etc  will not have helped .I think because I have her at home tonight that I feel totally helpless in that she wont eat or at the least have a little drink. I have not given her any pain medication as she is very settled and heart rate is fine as well as her respirations. My vet has given me prescription food but she wont touch it ..Such a roller coaster of emotions..No wonder I have 7 cardiac stents!..I shall try and keep calm!

[Sue Paterson]

Thinking of you  and Sophie. Even a little honey and water is a major achievement at this point so well done. Being at home in familiar surroundings must help her too, even though its so hard on you to see her so poorly.

Have you tried pureeing a little chicken down? even a smear of that on her lips may help to keep the instinct going. We will try and think back over past doggy illnesses and any thing we did.