Willow Update

[Moviedust]

For those of you who were keeping up with the Fretful Nights thread, here's an update.

After having a chat with DH, he took Willow to the vet on Monday. (I knew I married him for a reason!) So the information I have comes through him.

Willow was given a complete rectal exam. Her anal sacks were emptied, and fecal matter was tested. Apparently, she has a bacterial infection, though the dr wasnt sure if the infection was in the anal sacks or the digestive track. She's been given Flagryl to take twice a day, and she is due to return to the vet next week for a follow-up.

The good news is she is improving. Sunday night, before even going to the vet, she slept through the night for the first time in three nights. Monday night, she had a bowel movement that we actually could see. It was solid without blood, so she seems to be on the mend. It could have been the vet expressing her anal glands or it could simply be that the pumpkin etc. was getting through the system. At any rate, things are looking up!

The bad news is that today it is raining, so I'm having a heck of a time getting either of the girls to go out to do ANYTHING, let alone poo with constipation!!

[matties mum]

So please that things are sorting out ---Aileen

[Cathy Moon]

Glad to hear little Willow is on the mend!

Was she scooting at all before this problem?

[Moviedust]

Glad to hear little Willow is on the mend!

Was she scooting at all before this problem?

Nope, I didnt see a single scoot.

I'm kinda suspicious, really. Willow went to the vet last Monday for a checkup to get her insurance started. During that visit, the vet checked her temperature (rectally, of course). Then on Thursday night, three days later, she suddenly develops this infection.

First of all, if it was her anal glands causing the complication, wouldnt the vet have noticed Monday that the glands were quite full?

Secondly, could the thermometer have infected Willow? I saw the vet coat the thermometer with lubricant, but it could have had germs on it.

I wasnt at the vets office for Willow's second appointment, but I'll certainly be there for the follow up exam. I'm going to ask a few questions. They counted the exam yesterday as a "follow up" (cheaper than main exam) appointment to the visit last Monday, though technically the visits are separate cases.

Do you think the vet should have seen something or even infected Willow by using a dirty thermometer? Or do I just have an over-active imagination???

[Cathy Moon]

My vet doesn't check the anal glands on my three unless I ask them to or mention that they've been scooting, or if the dog is having a problem that could be related to anal glands and the vet wants to eliminate that as a factor.

Both India and Geordie have to have their anal glands expressed by the vet every so often. India gets very thick stuff that will not always come out on its own.

[GusWilson]

My dog had a bacterial this summer, antibiotics got him feeling better. one thing i learned was that sometimes bright yellow poo means there is pus in it from an infection... I thought the yellow was bile b/c he had nothing in his stomach.

[Karlin]

A bacterial infection could even have been there a while and could definitely be causing the night discomfort. They can get very bad cramping and gas for example. And they will get the runs constantly. I had a cat with this problem and Flagyl was her best friend. At the time I feared I could not keep her as she would (excuse the detail) drip feces around the house. She was a kitten, came from a bad background, and was very underweight and so forth, but the flagyl cleared it up and she has never had diarrhea since in 7 years of living with me! Such infections can hang on as low grade infections and improve then worsen, improve then worsen... so can be hard to diagnose initially or even notice... and a dog coming from a puppy farm situation would be eactly the type of candidate for this type of thing because they are stressed, and poorly fed and cared for. I bet she will be a whole lot happier now! I don't think it would have been the thermometer as vets keep them in disinfectant when not in use.

My vets wouldn't routinely check anal glands unless I ask.

[Mary]

So glad Willow is on the mend!

[Moviedust]

Willow never had diarrea; it was only constipation. If she had the runs, I wouldnt have been so worried! She had loose stools when she first came to us, which was most likely due to the stress of the transition. Since then, she's had healthy diet and uh... well, a healthy system.

I was concerned that she might have a blockage at first, but then she pooed (inside). (see Fretful Nights thread). Even so I thought it was related to something she ate (she's a chewer/swallower), so when I heard she had an infection I was a bit taken back. The situation seemed to develop very suddenly.

[Remali]

I'm glad to hear that she is doing better! It's so scary when our animal kids aren't feeling well.