A Set Back With Bailey

[LadyBailey]

Hello,

 

Yesterday afternoon around 4pm Bailey got up and wanted to go outside. She walked around and had a couple pees and ate a few blades of grass. She came in and about an hour later she wanted to go out again, but this time she really wanted to ate grass. I figured she was hungry as it was time for their dinner, so I fed her like normal. She went out and a little more grass... but when she came in, she looked nauseous and was swallowing hard. She had a few good burps and that seemed to help, but then she actually threw up her dinner and all that grass about a hour later - this was at 7pm.

I spoke to the e-vet and they said that they could see her and give her something for her tummy, so we took her and they gave her a shot of Cerenia and some sulcrate. We got home at 8:45 and she still didn't look settled and was actually crying and stretching. We decided to see once the meds kicked in if they would help her. She fell asleep from 9:15 to 10:15 and as soon as she rolled over on her side, she jumped up and started swallowing hard and looking nauseous. She burped and then laid down again. I decided to give her a pepcid and she laid down for a bit - but again she got up. It was like she was having acid reflux. She didn't have anything in her tummy, so I gave her some Ensure and she drank that. Finally at midnight she jumped on the couch - with me sleeping on the other one keeping an eye on her. I woke to find her in a roach on the couch this morning.

I spoke to our regular vet this morning and they said that I could feed her - so I cooked some chicken. She was sleeping so I didn't want to wake her - so she's only eaten now (1pm). She seems to be keeping it down and she isn't swallowing hard or looking off. She is also sleeping on her side and doesn't seem to have the acid reflux thing going on.

 

For those of you have had gone through the surgery, did your dog bloat again and experience gas? What are you feeding them? Do I need to make any adjustments to her diet? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

I have some Phazyme on had as of this morning, as I read in another thread that this could help with what we were dealing with last night.

[Batmom]

Don't know if any of this is relevant or not. Joseph's surgery was for blockage and foreign body in the stomach, not bloat. BUT. I did notice that if I fed him a little too much at once, while he didn't vomit or gobble grass, he looked/acted too full. If that makes any sense. He also had some trouble waiting to *pee* all night -- I'm assuming his innards were just all sore and weird feeling. That passed after 6-7? days.

 

For a full two weeks after his surgery, I fed him 3-4 smaller meals per day and fed only canned I/D (Hills; went thru Joseph very well, not too hard, not too soft, no gas). Third (or fourth?) week I started gradually adding back his regular food and increasing to regular quantity.

 

'Course you guys are approaching two weeks now, right? Dunno to what extent she would still be healing and having funny-feeling innards as a result of her surgery.

[Burpdog]

Did they tack the stomach considering they took out the spleen?

[carronstar]

Sending prayers for Bailey.

[Xan]

No advice, but hugs.

It does sound like she had some reflux and general upset, doesn't it? I like the idea of smaller meals for awhile, so her innards don't have to work so hard all at once.

 

:bighug

[ahicks51]

Have you considered asking in a great dane forum?

 

Just a guess here as GDs tend to have a much higher incidence of the disorder, so they may be able to give better answers as to post-surgical behavior like this.

[LadyBailey]

Did they tack the stomach considering they took out the spleen?

yes, stomach is tacked down.

[queenwinniesmom]

Hope Bailey is okay. After the scary stuff she's been through, I could understand your worry.

Keep us updated.

[Burpdog]

Do you have any Dane breeders close to talk to? I wonder if the tacking down contributes to a longer recovery time. Also, what happens if there is a reaction to the tacking down?

 

Two out of the three that I had that bloated, one torsed, one did not, one I sent off. The two: one a Dane and one a Dobe. The Dane had gastric torsion and was operated on, never bloated again. The Dane I lost bloated on 1/4 of canned dog food. The Dobe was tubed successfully and never bloated again.

 

The first Dane I changed food to exclude soy and that was the only change, save going to a raised feeder.

 

The Dobe I changed nothing on.

 

To me, it would seem she should have really bland, canned i/d for a few weeks before going to real food. As Batmom suggested, not too much at a time.

 

Sending prayers!

[CaliforniaGreys]

Lots of prayers from here

[greysmom]

Our dane had the surgery and the tacking and she never had another problem. We did feed 3-4 small meals a day of a very bland diet (rice and chicken or boiled ground beef no kibble or regular canned) for about a month after, and she always ate out of a raised feeder.

 

If she's having a gas problem you could try adding some yogurt to help get her stomach bugs back working on track. Were you raw feeding before? It may be that her system is adjusting to a cooked diet. You could also give her a Pepcid each feeding to catch the gas before it starts.

 

Hope Bailey feels better soon!

 

greysmom

[Guest paulamariez]

Still keeping your precious Bailey in my prayers for a quick healing! I'm thinking maybe a daily Pepcid might help too. I suffer from reflux myself and that's when it really gets you, when you lay down! It just keeps coming up, it burns and sometimes makes you feel nauseous. It seems like that may be how Bailey's feeling. (no, I haven't tried eating any grass yet!) Bueller's been having little tummy upsets taking his antibiotic and I've added a Tagamet to regimen and he's doing much better. He kept getting up during the night and kept swallowing hard and licking his chops, like maybe he had some refux too. He even got up and puked early one morning, very unlike him! But he seems much better since I started giving him his Tagamet (similar to Pepcid. It's just what our vet recommended) every afternoon.

[LuvAPuppy]

My Dane was tacked prophylactically. She never bloated. Bailey had major, major abdominal surgery and I can imagine it will take things a while to heal fully. the most common method of 'pexy is to take a shaving of tissue off of the outer stomach and wrap it around a rib and suture it back in to place. Bailey could be doing too much too soon considering her major ordeals.

[Guest LynnM]

Most dogs are kept on Simethicone and Pepcid and/or Omeprazole for a good long time after bloat surgery.

 

Elderly dogs that bloat frequently do try to bloat again, but careful observation and giving meds can prevent it.

 

Lynn

[RaineysMom]

Nube was only allowed the Science Diet I & D (had to look online, it's for digestive problems) -- it's mostly rice and a meat type binder. He was also on an antibiotic and something like Pepcid for his stomach, as well (he might have been on two, it's been 2 years and I can't remember 100%) for at least 3 weeks. We only introduced his Canidae kibble after 2 weeks..... is Bailey on any kind of stomach stuff? That may help? And yes, we fed very small meals -- in fact, since then we feed him 3 times a day (smaller meals) where we had been feeding just 2 prior to the bloat.

 

Nube didn't eat any grass for that whole time, but that's because he has a poop cover on his muzzle, so whether or not he would have if he could, I don't know....

 

Bloat is one of the most scariest things -- I know how you feel :(

 

Continuing to send healing hugs Bailey's way!!!!!

 

Kim

 

Bailey -- dis is Nuber Duber here. You let your tummy get better, okay? It's no fun, I know!!!!! sending you kissies!!!!

Edited August 19, 2008 by RaineysMom

[fliggie]

Just catching up on the under-the-weather-pups this evening and wondering how Bailey is?

[LadyBailey]

Do you have any Dane breeders close to talk to? I wonder if the tacking down contributes to a longer recovery time. Also, what happens if there is a reaction to the tacking down?

Actually a friend of ours has a dane and she was tacked but it wasn't because she bloated - they did it while she was in surgery for another reason. I spoke with her last night and she made a good point ... Bailey's stomach is smaller now, so she needs to eat smaller meals. Just like everyone suggested here - feeding 3-4 meals.

 

Yesterday Bailey was fine and I made sure that it was a quiet day for her. I fed her small meals throughout the day, but she woke me at 4am and was crying and wanting to go out. So I let her and she went for the grass right away. But then I also heard her tummy making loud sounds, so I gave her some chicken. She ate that and promptly jumped into bed with me and slept until 7 without problems.

Today I have been feeding two small meals and she will get another one before bed time.

I think what triggered her episode on Sunday was that she was hungry, ate grass and then it snowballed into a massive stomach upset. I am only feeding her cooked chicken with some sweet potatoe and/or pumpkin and she eats it without problem. Her antibiotics are done and I haven't been giving her anything for the last day - no pepcid or sulcrate and she has been fine.

 

Thanks everyone for your tips.

[CaliforniaGreys]

That's great news.

[4greyhounds]

I am so Happy she is feeling better, that is Greyt News!!!!!