Persistent Vomiting: Need Suggestions

[palmettobug]

Aww, how precious and wonderful!

[45MPHK9]

Enjoy every minute you have with her.

[FiveRoooooers]

I wonder if pulverizing the kibble and making a slurry of sorts with milk and/or water combo might be easier on her system? for you and Jane.

[Remolacha]

How unfair for you that this happened, and yet how lucky for Jane to have you to make the best of her last days (which I hope are many!)

 

Another suggestion, I have been trying to compensate for Conner's old man loss of muscle mass. The vet suggested plain whey powder. It is very digestible, apparently tastes good, and is almost pure protein. Very similar to the powdered goat's milk, but it might work as a change.

[KF_in_Georgia]

We went back to the vet's yesterday. Jane's been panting a lot, and the vet agreed that she's grown much more painful in just a week.

 

She's been eating well, and she put back the weight she lost, but she's moving slower. She's also not sleeping well: often, she's lying there, watching me, but perhaps not comfortable enough to sleep. I asked my vet what he would do, and he said there are two options at this point: put her to sleep now, or start her on pain meds to give her more time.

 

She's still enjoying meals and cuddles and wagging her tail, so I opted for pain meds. I also made a last appointment for us next Thursday--to make sure I don't let this drag on until she loses all the things she loves. Frankly, I think we might not have that long.

 

(When we put Silver to sleep in October, she was very uncomfortable. In her case, we were hoping we'd be able to deal with a growth on her side but then discovered she had a large growth on her heart that had sprung up in just three weeks. We put her to sleep the same day as the ultrasound. I'm determined not to let Jane get that uncomfortable--especially since she won't get better.)

 

The vet put Jane on Tylenol 4 (codeine). (He's not a fan of tramadol for serious pain; by the time you get a high enough dosage, there are other, unwanted reactions.) He prescribed one-half to one tablet, twice a day for pain; we've stopped the other meds except for the Pepcid. I gave her a whole pain tablet last night (after dinner) at 8pm because I wanted her to get a good night's sleep. She was out for about 14 hours, getting up and turning around to lie down again twice in the night. This morning, she's peed, had breakfast followed by half a pain pill, and she's sleeping with her head against my thigh. (Note to self: Take her out to pee right after you give her a pain pill, because once the pill hits, she's not going to budge.)

 

After she finished her kibble and milk this morning, she hunted around her crate for any stray pieces she'd left. I don't want to give her more kibble and risk triggering the vomiting again. I've got some little treats I'll share between her and Q, and I'll give them something about 4 today (if she's awake then). We were on a food schedule of 8am/8pm, but I'm going to let that go. We'll have a meal, and the next meal will be at least 12 hours later--whenever she's awake and on her feet--and just let her sleeping determine the schedule. (It's only for a few days, Q will eat anything, any time, and I work from home and can be flexible about waking and sleeping and work.)

Edited January 20, 2017 by KF_in_Georgia

[Neighsayer]

How sad! Hug that hound! Sending hugs to you, too!

[Batmom]

Sending lots of hugs for you both. You're a good friend to your dog, you know?

[FiveRoooooers]

You're a good dog mom.

[RaineysMom]

You're a good dog mom.

this ^^^.

 

sending many hugs to Jane and you.

[Remolacha]

[KF_in_Georgia]

I called Jane's vet today to cancel our appointment for euthanasia tomorrow.

 

The Tylenol 4 has been a wonderful choice for her. I can't imagine that she'd be doing as well on something like Tramadol. She's actually bouncing around--when she's awake. (The weather has been warmer, and it's sunny after the weekend storms.) She's still eating eagerly, and there's been just one episode of vomiting (soggy kibble coming back 14 hours after mealtime). After the first night on the Tylenol 4--when I gave her a whole pill and she slept 14 hours--I've given her a half pill twice a day. Meals are at least 12 hours apart, but sometimes more like 13 or 14 hours, depending on when we all wake up, and I've given up trying to decide whether we're having dinner or breakfast. This morning, it was at 10:30--brunch?

 

There has been only one episode of panting from pain. It was getting near mealtime, so I went ahead and fed her. And she hasn't had a problem keeping down the pills.

 

I have greyhound stuff to go to with Q on Friday and Saturday mornings, and that'll be the first time Jane will be left home alone since this all started. I'm hoping she'll just sleep through our absence.

I know the Tylenol 4 reprieve won't last forever, but I'm grateful she's still here and feeling good. Tomorrow--the date I thought we'd have to euthanize her--will be the 12-week anniversary of her arrival here.

[ramonaghan]

So glad she is doing better. Happy 12-week gotcha day.

[XTRAWLD]

Yay to bouncing around!

[Remolacha]

treasure every minute!

[FiveRoooooers]

Yay for both of you!

[Batmom]

[juliemac]

Such good news for Jane ... what a great life these past 12 weeks have been for her. She's so lucky to have found you, and I know from your posts that she returns the gift to your life.

 

Continued prayers that you'll be together for a long time. We'd love some pictures if time permits!

[RaineysMom]

continuing to send Jane and you hugs

[SanTanSnuggles]

You are a blessing to your Jane. Hugs to her and you. I just read your story

and there are no words that can express how much love you have given

her, even though it has only been a short time. It is the ones that we have

the least time with, that sometimes leave the greatest love with us to remember.

[KF_in_Georgia]

Jane (top) and Q.

 

 

My living room is Slumberballs, pillows, and blankets.

[Houndtime]

Glad to read that she is doing better.

[XTRAWLD]

This is great. Comfy and happy doggie.

[KF_in_Georgia]

I cannot tell you how massively furious I am right now.

 

When Jane started getting sick, you guys know one possibility was that she had something on her stomach--something she'd eaten that she shouldn't have had. Maybe from her previous home, but possibly not. She's never been a sneak-chewer here, but who knows.

 

So we did an ultrasound on the 12th--which was supposed to tell us whether she had something in her stomach that shouldn't have been there--and her vet diagnosed cancer. And she's taken a total of 13.5 Tylenol 4 tablets since then, which a healthy dog should never have had.

 

She just threw up a sock.

 

Not a full ankle sock. Just the kind that covers your foot and barely rises higher than the top of your shoe. The kind I wear. It's pinkish red, which means it could easily be mine. Mine are never matched--I gave up on that years ago--so looking for a mate won't tell us anything useful--like how long ago she swallowed it. (My best guess is New Year's Day. I was gone much of the day and she was crated, but if she'd tucked a sock in the crate... The first vomiting was early on January 2nd.)

 

So--does Jane have cancer? And just coincidentally had a sock in her gut?

 

Or has my vet of 15 years (and his staff ultrasound person) completely blown the diagnosis, and compounded that by prescribing meds Jane absolutely never should have taken? Dear god, I was ready to put her to sleep on the 19th, and I've been compromising her liver with these meds ever since!

 

I'm taking her in to see him tomorrow. I want another ultrasound. I want to know if they're seeing the same things now that they saw on the 12th (give or take a sock). Either way, Jane will no longer be a patient there (neither will Q). Tonight, I'm going to give her extra food--an amount that would have made her throw up in the days when it had to share stomach space with a sock. I'm not going to give her the Tylenol 4. (I just refilled the damned prescription today.). If the food she has tonight makes her vomit, we'll see another vet. Actually, we'll see another vet anyway to talk about the impact of the Tylenol. And if the vet's ultrasound person says they see something wrong tomorrow, we'll get a new ultrasound with the new vet and start from scratch. (There are other vets available at this practice, but I'm not willing to deal with the awkwardness of running into our current vet during visits, and I'd never trust an ultrasound at this place.)

 

I've been thinking of my other dogs. When Oreo and Jacey died, they were at the ER and it had nothing to do with the current vet or his practice. We put Sam to sleep at the current vet's, but that was my decision; the old boy was ready to go. With Tigger, the fill-in vet missed osteo on his x-ray; my regular vet said he looked at it afterward and didn't see the cancer, but we saw it on new x-rays at the ER three days later. At least, if they misdiagnosed that one, they didn't cause any actual harm (beyond some unnecessary trauma for Tigger and some extra vet bills; but if they'd said cancer and we'd put him to sleep then, I'd certainly be second guessing that decision now). We put Silver to sleep after an ultrasound, but that wasn't the practice's ultrasound person; it was a specialist. And we only did the ultrasound because Silver's lab numbers were awful. The day we put her to sleep, she was in a lot of pain and clearly in trouble, and we had knowledge to go on from outside the practice so that--although I'm still missing her a lot--I'm not second guessing that one. But I'm starting to think I've been very lucky.

Vet appointment Thursday at 5pm.

[ramonaghan]

Wow. I hope tomorrow brings good news but can't even imagine how you're feeling right now.

[FiveRoooooers]

Let us know how it goes tomorrow. We will be thinking of you.