Severe Pancreatitis ?

**Reptigirl** · 2nd August 2011, 04:06 PM

I'm a nervous wreck. I was up all night with Holly. I TRIED to go to an emergency vet and the guy was a total JERK! He was "too busy" although he had no other people in his clinic. He also "didn't think Holly was an emergency". He refused to give her fluids until I spent almost $600 in testing and refused to do an X-Ray. Said my regular vet could do that.

I took Holly in for sever vomiting, inability to keep even water down, yelping in pain , inability to poo & yelping when trying to poo. I ended up walking out after an estimate of $600 - $1000 just to "observe" her for a few hours and run a blood panel test. He told me he would not be able to get to her for at least an hour so I was best to leave her and come back. He was going to charge me a full days boarding fee to watch her for 2 hours plus an "observation fee". Now maybe I should not have walked out but I was not going to pay that price when my normal vet staff would be arriving in there clinic in 2 hours! I felt like I was being overcharged for NOTHING. This guy was also a MAJOR jerk! Rude with an attitude!

So after leaving Holly continued to toss up. I got her into my vet right away and they started her on fluids ASAP for sever dehydration. (throwing up all night). My vet was going to run 2 different pancreatitis tests? She was pretty sure that was the problem. She felt her tummy and didn't "feel" a blockage but if the tests came back negative they would do X-Rays for a blockage.

They said she was pretty bad off and she would need NO food or water by mouth for at LEAST 3 days and probably a hospital stay of 3-5 days. I'm waiting on a call for the results of the tests....

My vet said this is sever and if this is pancreatitis hitting her this hard & fast it is very hard to stop. There is a chance she may not make it. All they can really do is restrict food & fluids by mouth and keep her on an IV.

I'm a mess right now from no sleep and the terrible ER vet. Does this sound right? How can she go down so fast? What causes it? Is my vet missing something?

**Sydneys Mom** · 2nd August 2011, 05:15 PM

Oh my God....poor Holly. I'm glad she's finally getting medical help and will keep my fingers and toes crossed that all goes well.

I just can't believe how you were treated with the emergency vet. Was this in a private practice or an emergency hospital? When we rushed Sydney to the emergency at 2 in the morning, the ER vets were rushing from the treatment room with a gurney to help him and someone was coming out every 5 mins. or so with an update. I would definately put in a formal complaint with the practice/hospital about this so called "doctor". Your concerns needed to be addressed in a professional manner and I probably would have walked out too. After being treated in that manner, I wouldn't have trusted them to treat Sydney. I would also ask your vet who they recommend you call for emergency when they are not available. Our vet has a recorded message when the office is closed with emergency telephone numbers and locations to take your pet.

Please keep us updated on Holly's condition. I will be thinking of you and praying for a speedy recovery.

**StillPooh** · 2nd August 2011, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by Reptigirl

So after leaving Holly continued to toss up. I got her into my vet right away and they started her on fluids ASAP for sever dehydration. (throwing up all night). My vet was going to run 2 different pancreatitis tests? She was pretty sure that was the problem. She felt her tummy and didn't "feel" a blockage but if the tests came back negative they would do X-Rays for a blockage.

They said she was pretty bad off and she would need NO food or water by mouth for at LEAST 3 days and probably a hospital stay of 3-5 days. I'm waiting on a call for the results of the tests....

My vet said this is sever and if this is pancreatitis hitting her this hard & fast it is very hard to stop. There is a chance she may not make it. All they can really do is restrict food & fluids by mouth and keep her on an IV.

I'm a mess right now from no sleep and the terrible ER vet. Does this sound right? How can she go down so fast? What causes it? Is my vet missing something?

When Clancy was around 2 years old, we took him to a family party. Unbeknownst to us, he was begging for and receiving many many tidbits of people food, including high fat things like cheese and sausage.

2 days layer, he began vomiting absolutely everything he took in, water included. The vet did an xray first, to rule out a blockage. The subsequent blood tests showed pancreatic enzymes (amylase and lipase) so high they couldn't register properly on the clinic's equipment. Diagnosis: acute pancreatitis. He was put on several meds and nothing by mouth for 24 hours, after which we started with a bland diet (boiled chicken and rice) followed by a prescription dog food.

He recovered without incident, and has never had another episode. But we don't take him to parties anymore either!

I hope your lab results come in soon. Your vet doesn't sound very sure of herself; you might want to consider seeking a second opinion.

**anniemac** · 2nd August 2011, 07:56 PM

I am so sorry! I really hope holly gets better. I did think its sometimes hard to diagnose pancreatis from bloodwork. I will be thinking of you.

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**RodRussell** · 2nd August 2011, 07:56 PM

There is a lot of information about pancreatitis in cavaliers at

http://cavalierhealth.org/pancreatitis.htm

and at

http://www.cavaliercampaign.com/#/ot...ge3/4547905744

**StillPooh** · 2nd August 2011, 08:04 PM

Originally Posted by RodRussell

There is a lot of information about pancreatitis in cavaliers at

http://cavalierhealth.org/pancreatitis.htm

and at

http://www.cavaliercampaign.com/#/ot...ge3/4547905744

Just wanted to mention that panreatitis can be chronic (as in those articles) or acute. My Clancy's rapid onset case was acute and easily diagnosed by blood tests.

**RodRussell** · 2nd August 2011, 09:18 PM

Originally Posted by StillPooh

Just wanted to mention that panreatitis can be chronic (as in those articles) or acute. My Clancy's rapid onset case was acute and easily diagnosed by blood tests.

Yes, there is a big difference. I'd opt for acute any day.

**BrooklynMom** · 2nd August 2011, 11:32 PM

Oh no...poor little Holly!! I have no advice, but just wanted to say that I was thinking of you and Holly. I will be sending lots of prayers to you and hope for improvement as soon as possible.
Hugs to you, stay strong.