Fingers Crossed And Good Wishes Needed For Clem

[KF_in_Georgia]

I'll be off to the vet at noon today with new-boy, Clem. He's vomited at least three times since dinner last night.

 

What comes back looks like his food (no sign of any blood). He had a little more than a cup of kibble before 6pm, another half-cup a little after 10 (bedtime treat). He threw up before 11pm and ate it all back down (yech--but he wanted the food so I didn't fight him--but what he'd eaten at dinner was there as distinct pieces); at this point, I thought he'd eaten his bedtime kibble too quickly. But he threw up again about 4am and again about 8am (these were just digested kibble).

 

My first panicked thought was bloat, of course. But everything is still moving: he's peeing and pooping (and vomiting) without straining, and he seems to feel fine--between occasional bouts of "'Scuse me, mom, I've got to go barf on the doormat." At this point, I'm guessing he's eaten something that's irritating his stomach, not going through, but not causing an actual blockage. (Last week he ate the cellophane wrapper left from a package of crackers. He brought that back up a day or so later. I'm pretty sure he hasn't gotten another wrapper since.)

 

Aside from his kibble, he gets one fish oil capsule. He's getting some obedience training, and the training treats have been bits of string cheese (but very little of it--we only train for a few minutes per dog because I have to crate the other dog to keep her out of the way). He's also been getting something called Perio-Support for his teeth (can't tell if it's working or not--he's been getting it for two weeks). His kibble hasn't changed; in fact, we're coming to the end of the bag and he hasn't had any trouble. (Poops are all nice and firm--Iams green bag.) And the girl dog gets all the same food/treats/powder/capsule stuff, and she's fine.

 

Clem (left) with Silver

 

Neither dog has had any breakfast this morning. I'll leave breakfast for Silver when Clem and I leave for the vet's.

P.S. I fostered Clem from 11 November to 22 January, when I adopted him. He's 6 (7 in April).

[o_rooly]

Sending good thoughts for Clem, and his worried mom! Poor guy. Barfing is the worst.

[greyhead]

Good thoughts from here too. Clem looks like a fine addition to the family!

[TINMANPDX]

Sending good thoughts and well wishes for Clem.

[carronstar]

Sending lots of good thoughts for Clem.

[Brandiandwe]

Sending good thoughts for Clem!

[Houndtime]

Good thoughts for your boy.

[KF_in_Georgia]

Poor lad. I don't know who's the most traumatized: him or the vet staff.

 

He was angelic for x-rays and an ultrasound. The Cerenia injection, on the other hand, produced a good, long minute of outraged screams, with the techs apologizing to him and him wanting nothing to do with them. He buried his head in my chest for comfort, meanwhile rolling his eyes back and looking over his shoulder to be sure the techs weren't coming near him--and screaming all the while. (Think of a little child having a screaming fit, peeking between his fingers to see what reaction his screams are getting. I got the giggles watching him. Mean momma.)

 

No bloat, no distension showing on the x-ray. There was one area that looked unusual (but not something she could clearly identify as a foreign object); she also saw lots of liquid and gas and general irritation. She's predicting diarrhea soon. (Oh, joy!) Pancreatitis is unlikely; with that, the dog usually feels bad, and Clem clearly feels fine between bouts of vomiting.

 

We're stopping the Perio-Support for now--not that she thinks it's at fault, but it's one factor we can take out of the equation. She wants small meals, bland food. I brought him home and gave him some chicken. I've cooked some rice and some oatmeal, and they're cooling in the refrigerator for later meals today. I'll probably not give him any more cheese training treats (or any dairy stuff) for a few days, until things are all settled. (If I want another training session, I'll chop up some turkey franks for him.)

 

If things don't improve, we'll go back, probably take another x-ray to compare and see if the unusual area is in the same place. Meanwhile, he's settled at my side, sleeping off his noontime adventures.

[GreyPoopon]

Poor guy. I hope his system settles soon and doesn't get upset again.

[Guest goofydog]

Poor Clem. I feel for both of you Kathy and am sending happy wishes for resolution of the big V. Hugs to Clem and Ms. Silver.

[macoduck]

That Cerenia injection produced screams in my dogs too.

[galgrey]

Poor boy. I hope he's feeling better soon.

[KF_in_Georgia]

That Cerenia injection produced screams in my dogs too.

Silver had to have Cerenia when she couldn't stop throwing up after her spay. She's my Drama Queen, so I wasn't surprised when she let out a yell heard throughout the vet clinic. But Clem would pause to take a breath, we'd all think he was about to stop, and he'd just start screaming again...and again. At least we know that he's not remotely stoic about pain.

 

He was asleep here by 2pm and didn't budge until I got him up at 5pm. I took him out to pee, brought him back in and gave him half-a-cup of cold oatmeal (which he swallowed in one gulp), and he's been back asleep (snug under a blanket) for more than two and a half hours. Temperatures are dropping fast, and I hope we can avoid the predicted diarrhea, at least until tomorrow. I've got a lot of work to do tonight, so I'll be awake if he needs to go out.

 

Fortunately, I work from home, so I won't have to leave him alone at home until Saturday (Silver and I have a R.E.A.D. session at the library). I'm hoping any gastric distress is well under control by then.

[hikinghounds]

Poor boy. I hope he continues to feel better.

[tbhounds]

Hope he's feeling better--one tip for your vet clinic--keep the bottle of Cerenia in the fridge. It's an off label trick that will help take the burn out of the injection. Hopefully, he'll never need another one :-)

[KF_in_Georgia]

Yeah, they had the bottle in the fridge, and we still got this reaction. I'd hate to think what would have happened otherwise...

[Remolacha]

Congratulations on Clem, and I am sorry he is having problems! I hope this turns out to be something minor and he gets over it quick!

[Charlies_Dad]

Good thoughts for your boy, he sounds like a sweetie.

[KF_in_Georgia]

Clem has spent most of the last two days asleep with his head in my lap. He doesn't seem to feel bad (he still hops across my living room). Sleeping-touching-mom is normal for him. (His former mom--he was a bounce when her work schedule changed--said he was "clingy". Glad Cling Wrap is "clingy"; Clem is a whole different thing they don't have a word for yet. He lived here for 11 weeks--8 of them on meds--before I could leave him and not find pee or poop on my return.)

 

I think we've dodged the diarrhea. In fact, I was worried that we'd gone in the other direction, but he finally pooped today. He's happily eaten rice, chicken, and/or oatmeal for a day and a half, and we went back to his regular kibble today.

 

For safety's sake, I'm going to assume that this may be lactose intolerance. He routinely has been getting about half a teaspoon of yogurt frozen into the end of his Kongs without a problem. But Tuesday he got about a quarter of a stick of string cheese (cut up as training treats), eaten on an empty stomach before dinner, and he was throwing up about 5 hours later. The cheese is the only thing that was new to his diet. We'll resume training this weekend--with chopped up turkey franks as treats.

[Houndtime]

Glad he is doing better.

[carronstar]

So happy he is feeling better!

[EllenEveBaz]

Hope it's smooth sailing from here out for your distant, aloof boy.

 

 

At least we know that he's not remotely stoic about pain.