Good Thoughts and Prayers Needed! - Page 1

I am so worried, my soon to be12 gsd is very sick.  She thew up her dinner Thurs night and was throwing up bile Fri. A.M. My vet saw her Fri. A.M. said her pancreas and liver were involved, from the blood work.  He gave her a shot for nausua.  She drank very little water Fri. night.  Back to the vet Sat. A.M., another injection for more nausua.  She did drink a little ice water  and she did eat about a cup of chicken/rice mixture.  This morning she drank more water and ate some chicken only if I hand fed her, but walked away after 10/12 small pieces.  She has had Lupis for 7yrs and been on prednisone since so it has really ravaged her organs.  She has always been my diva, and other than the lupis has always been as healthly as a horse, even last wk, if I let her she would do a back flip to catch a ball.  This dog would give her own life for me and trusts me 100%.  I lost her daughter 6/12 to torsion, the surgeon said there was nothing they could do because of the location of the twist.  I cannot believe this could be happening so soon.  We rescued a 7month sable a few wks ago, Katie my diva was very sad when we lost Vida.  She was pooping in the house every day (soft stools) and had lost that spark.  She had really picked up when we adopted Serena, although they have limited contact,Katie's stools were better and only 2 poops in the house in more then 2 wks, and her attitude was much better then this happens!!  God they break our hearts!  My vet gave me his cell # and called late last night to check on her.  He does not want to admit her unless she become dehydrated.  So far she does not seem to be in any pain and she is keeping what little she takes in down.  Any advice/words of wisdom appreciated.

I hope she feels better soon! On her becoming dehydrated- I don't know what your experience is with dogs or what your vet is like, but my vet just taught me how to administer fluids at home (subcutaneously) so our puppy wouldn't have to conitnue to be hospitalized.  It's a little gross if needles make you squeamish but not hard to do at all.  I'm sure at 12 she'd rather stay at home! Best wishes to her and to you.

My thoughts are with you. 

Thank You so far for your support and wisdom.  I know you guys don't know me.  Although I admire the work you do w/your dogs and am blown away by their drive and intensity, they are too much dog for me!   My home although well intented would not be fair to such high drive. I lurk here quite often to gather info and I share from a distance your accomplishments and worries as well!  The human/dog bond never ceases to amaze me.  I love my husband of 25+yrs but we each have a special place in our hearts for our own dog.  When my husband lost "his" dog Vida in June he cried, very few times have I seen him do that.  So in July when we became aware of Serena in the local shelter we reacted w/our hearts instead of our brains and brought her home.  I've rec'd and am following thru w/some great suggestions to address her issues and we will work thru them.  On the upside, Katie has drank a little ice water and ate a few more bites of food since my last post!!  I am keeping my fingers crossed I know the clock is ticking and I want to do the right things by her.  She is very alert and she is moving well, she just doesn/t want to eat/drink w/out coaxing.

I can't imagine what you are going through, but my best friend's mom just had to put her 13 year old lab down on Wednesday for similar reasons.  I guess Labs get some sort of trachea thing where they can't pant, and can not eat anything.  The dog was slowly starving to death she had lost 6 pounds in 5 days.  The dog Jessie, was throwing up bile and could not keep anything down.  The vet gave her subq fluids to keep her hydrated for the last night.  Kathy decided to do the humane thing and end her pain and suffering.  It was very hard for them, but in the end it was the right thing to do.

I wish you the strength to know when it is time for you to send your girl on her way to the bridge, to wait happily and healty for you meet her there. ~Kari

As for anti-nausea medications, there are pills available for it if she can take them and subcutaneous injections are easy to give so with just a little training you should be able to do this at home if your vet trusts you to do so. Keep on with the handfeeding chicken bits. Have you tried chicken broth for her to drink? Some dogs will take broth when they won't take water. Good luck and God bless all of you. I know how hard it is when such a faithful companion is very ill.

chicken broth is a great idea.  It's tasty and salty so it encourages them to drink more.  my zorba's oncologist suggested it when he was going through chemotherapy and it worked great. 

i hope your old gal is ok, our prayers are with you.