Severe Pancreatitis ?

[Reptigirl]

No News yet I talked to my vet about 2 hours ago and for some reason the test results had not come in yet. She was going to do an in office test for pancreatitis but apparently they were out. I ment to call her back before they closed but somewhere between exhaustion & keeping up with a high energy 2 year old time got away from me. They only good news is I know that even after they close the vets go up there 2-3 times during the night to check on everyone. I know she really goes because I have seen her up there at odd hours.

I'm super uneasy about the fact none of the tests came back yet. They gave her something for her nausea & a mild sedative. She has not vomited since she has been on the nausea medication. They said she has mainly just been sleeping due to the sedative. She is on IV fluids and needs to stay that way for several days.

I'm super stressed out and worried. I guess I was hoping for a diagnosis by now.

She also said that the mild "click" she had in her heart is more noticeable and is now an obvious low grade murmur. Also she noticed a change in her postiure and was checking her hind legs. She said she may be having a little bit of hip trouble because she is pushing both of her knees outwards to stand. When she is sitting her hind legs keep "sliping" outwards and she keeps having to readjust to stay in a sitting position. She said some of this could be due to the stress of whatever is bother her + dehydration. The posture change happened suddenly with the vomiting so I was assuming it was from being in pain & vomiting? Once we get this cleared up I fear we may seeing a few new specialists.

[Sydneys Mom]

What a bummer....you must be on pins and needles waiting for news. Will keep thinking good thoughts for you and Holly.

[SuzRN]

Thinking of you and Holly. Hope she gets better soon.

[StillPooh]

No News yet I talked to my vet about 2 hours ago and for some reason the test results had not come in yet. She was going to do an in office test for pancreatitis but apparently they were out. I ment to call her back before they closed but somewhere between exhaustion & keeping up with a high energy 2 year old time got away from me. They only good news is I know that even after they close the vets go up there 2-3 times during the night to check on everyone. I know she really goes because I have seen her up there at odd hours.

Do they not have 24 hour on site vet techs?

Not to frighten you, but if that is the case, I would move her to another hospital ASAP. She'd be better off at home than being left alone for hours at a time in a cage in an empty clinic.

I don't understand why they don't have amylase and lipase levels back yet.

[mommytoClaire]

Oh goodness, I posted a response last night, but it's not showing. I had a dog who had chronic pancreatitis. His first bout we weren't sure he would make it. But he recovered and went on to live a great life even though he developed diabetes due to the scarring in his pancreas. I am trying to get out the door for work, but wanted to mention that my Nash also had back leg, backend weakness during and right after the pancreatitis, which was related to the pancreatitis, and eventually went away.I'll check back later to see how things are. Saying a prayer for your baby.

[Reptigirl]

Hum... well Good news... but I'm skeptical.

Her pancreas enzymes came back normal so they are considering sending her home this evening.

I'm thrilled that they are normal but that does not explain the very sever vomiting. Even more concerned that she was trying to poo and couldn't and was clearly in pain.

I know sometimes I watch the animals "too closely" and notice every little detail with them but I've never seen any animals vomit THAT many times over the course of one night. Not only that but she turned so lethargic in just a matter of hours. Would simply "eating something bad" make her not want to move? I watch the dogs so closely, I don't take them off our property, and I keep the place relatively organized & clean. I can't imagine what she would have eaten. A piece of a raw fresh carrot? A single piece or two of chicken scratch grain licked up off the ground? A raw egg with dinner that she normally gets once a week with no problem? My vet is against raw foods (well human food all together) and thinks maybe the egg would have set her stomach off?

I'm wondering if she could have a blockage that my vet can't "feel". My vet said that she can normally feel a blockage

I just feel something doesn't sound right. Maybe everything is fine & Holly was just over exaggerating.

[Furrfoot]

They didn't do an x-ray or any other tests to check for a blockage? (From personal experience) in people at least, when you get dehydrated from a blockage and get fluids, you feel soooo much better, it's a remarkable change, so I'd be skeptical too. Is she keeping down water? Pooing or at least passing gas? If the blockage is up high, I don't know how the vet could feel it (thinking plastic wrap, etc. in the stomach), though admittedly, I'm not a vet , so...

When Rose had her bout of not feeling good a while back, they couldn't find anything wrong, so I asked them to x-ray her and (even though we saw my last pick vet at our clinic) they promptly did. The vet came back and laughed a little and said "the owner's always right"- sure enough, she had swallowed something (that thankfully she threw up).

[Sydneys Mom]

I just feel something doesn't sound right. Maybe everything is fine & Holly was just over exaggerating.

DON'T second guess yourself. More than once, I felt foolish bringing Sydney into the vets for something that I thought I was over reacting on. Each time there was something that had to be treated. I have a wonderful vet, and when I appoligized for always calling or bringing him in she said "that's what we're here for, he's your dog and you know him best and if something doesn't seem right it probably isn't."

Trust your instincts, insist on an xray or get a second opinion if needed. The worst that could happen is that you were wrong, but at least you will be at ease that Holly is OK.

[Soushiruiuma]

Hum... well Good news... but I'm skeptical.

Her pancreas enzymes came back normal so they are considering sending her home this evening.

I'm thrilled that they are normal but that does not explain the very sever vomiting. Even more concerned that she was trying to poo and couldn't and was clearly in pain.

I know sometimes I watch the animals "too closely" and notice every little detail with them but I've never seen any animals vomit THAT many times over the course of one night. Not only that but she turned so lethargic in just a matter of hours. Would simply "eating something bad" make her not want to move? I watch the dogs so closely, I don't take them off our property, and I keep the place relatively organized & clean. I can't imagine what she would have eaten. A piece of a raw fresh carrot? A single piece or two of chicken scratch grain licked up off the ground? A raw egg with dinner that she normally gets once a week with no problem? My vet is against raw foods (well human food all together) and thinks maybe the egg would have set her stomach off?

I'm wondering if she could have a blockage that my vet can't "feel". My vet said that she can normally feel a blockage

I just feel something doesn't sound right. Maybe everything is fine & Holly was just over exaggerating.

Could it have been something poisonous? Pesticides, cleaning products, medicines, garden plants/weeds. Possibly a reaction to meds she is on, double check that dosages are correct on labels, and that the pills/tablets are in fact the right prescription (this would be an error at the pharmacy, filling the prescription incorrectly). Eggs can carry salmonella, but I don't think dogs are especially sensitive to it. Perhaps some med she is on weakens her immune system?

I would ask for an x-ray if she isn't *clearly* on the mend. I once knew a Jack Russell that ate a lightbulb and had lots of broken glass in his intestines. He pulled through, without surgery, but was in bad shape for quite some time.

[Desrae]

I'm glad to know she is ok, if only our pets could talk and tell us what is wrong. I would complain about that first vet to the BBB or somewhere!