GSD with intestinal blockage - Page 1

My 13 month female was just x-rayed and some blockage was found.  I hope to avoid surgery and get it to pass naturally.   She had a small bowel movement yesterday and another this morning, but she will not eat anything today.  I have been giving her Laxatone (oral cat hairball remedy gell) the try to lube her from the top end, but no results yet..   If anyone has any other ideas, please let me know.  Thanks.

You want to be VERY careful with this situation and follow the advice of a good vet. The worst that can happen is that the blockage becomes a full blockage, and/or gut tissue blood flow becomes compromised and the tissue dies. That sets in motion a whole cascade of bad things in the body that could easily lead to death. Once the tissue is compromised, she may die in spite of a surgery.

The fact that she does not want to eat today is very worrisome. Is she a finicky eater? Does she always eat? If she is normally a good eater, this not eating today tells you she does not feel well and I would encourage you to take her back to the vet immediately. She may need real medications and IV support etc.

I know money is always an issue in such cases, but I am telling you that you are playing with fire here. The best way to ensure this dog survives is to make sure she has appropriate vet care and now.

Good luck.

Is she drinking any water? Please take Hodie's advise, once the bowel is compromised the speed with which events proceed to the death of your dog is incredible. I nearly lost my girl to this sort of thing 6 weeks ago, she had to have surgery. The surgeon said if we had waited even an hour longer, it would have been too late. Read the threads 'Some Expert Advise' or 'Prayers Please'.....this a common & deadly thing! Or better yet TAKE HER BACK TO THE VET NOW! Sorry, but it is a painful, & awful way for a dog to die, & she trusts you. Please do right by her! jackie harris

I am just wondering if the vet did or did not  advise you of the seriousness of this particular medical crisis?You should find a way to get this young dog in for the proper care of this blockage BEFORE it turns more serious and life threatening.Im not sure I understand  why this has not been attended to already.By the way im not being judgemental just concerned for this young dog.Good luck

What caused this?

Thanks everyone, she is heading back to the vet!  I did take her into two different vets yesterday and both agreed to give it a chance to pass.  They did suggest immediate surgery as a solution, but seemed to think this was caught quickly and she may still be able to pass it naturally.  She did have a small bowel movement this morning, however, she has stopped eating and will no longer drink water.   Thanks again 

Please keep us posted. We worry about stuff like this! Good luck to you & your girl, jackie harris

The best thing is to take the dog to an emergency clinic or back to a competent vet and do so immediately. Once tissue dies, the toxins released then become part of the problem and can cause cardiac arrest. The bowel tissue itself, if not viable, would, in the best case scenario, have to be removed. We cannot advise you on how she is doing. We do not know the dog and I will tell you that with many, many dogs, it is VERY easy to not catch the distress they are in. They are often stoic until the time it is way too late. Let someone competent who can see the dog advise you. This is a true emergency that could take the life of your dog.

Good luck and keep up posted.

Not being nasty to you, but while you are posting on this site the dog is suffering, NO; one can tell you what you can give the dog in the problem you have

You gave it time to pass naturally, it did not work ,so it has to be got rid of and that is surgery, and as soon as you found it did not pass by its self you should have gone on and got it sorted

I repeat posting on here in those circumtances is wasting  valuable time and the dog is suffering in the meanwhile , pointless when you knew what the problem already was

I hope the Dog will be okay

Steve

Wow!  Some of you folks can be pretty brutal! I thought this site was somewhere you could go to get support and advise and not be chastised.  I did complete a messageboard search prior to submitting this ad , but was unable to locate any information.  Some of you were very helpful and had some compassion, and I thank you for that. 

My female ended up having surgery.  Did she really need it??????  No damaged tissue, we found pieces of a beach towel within her intestine.  Could she have passed it????  Maybe, maybe not.   She is now recovering from surgery, let's hope and pray she has no complications.   I am thankful I watch my dogs closely and caught this very early.  I am also thankful I have a new vet that has gained my confidence and trust and I will be able to place some faith in him in the future.