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My dog (8 year old Lhasa Apso - Bichon cross) was acting really strange yesterday morning (really hard and bloated stomach, wouldn't move, obviously in pain, vomited) so I took him into the emergency vet. Did xray and blood test and he has acute Pancreatitis and was extremely dehydrated. Vet said it could be the medication he's on (Vanectyl-p) or something else. We kept him in over night on IV + pain meds and anti-nausea meds, and I just called and apparently he's still been vomiting a bit, abdomen is still distended, and they haven't been able to feed him yet so I'm keeping him there. The vet said he could just be running the normal course for Pancreatitis or it could be worse, and said that it might be too early to tell which it is. I've booked him an abdominal ultrasound for this afternoon and he'll stay at the vet on IV until the appointment and I'd also like to keep him on it afterward. After I get the ultrasound, what are the possible outcomes of this?
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Apr 6, 2015 15:33
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| # ? Apr 20, 2024 00:11 |
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My cat had SEVERE acute pancreatitus, emphasis severe and not the average case. It sadly led to her passing 4 days later, but she had probably the worst of the worst case, which was signaled by crazy calcium levels. It's likely she probably had some sort of cancer or something that caused her pancreas to malfunction as she had a recent lump appear. Anyways, it's a serious issue, but dogs can be treated more easily than cats and many pets will recover without long lasting issues. Sometimes it can become chronic pancreatitus or the episode could result in your pet becoming diabetic - which can be managed well just like a person. The best treatment is fasting in the vet hospital with supportive care while the pancreas rests and heals. Dogs can fast way better than cats, because cats get organ failure from not eating. Ultrasound might be painful for your dog with pancreatitus so managing pain is important discussion with your vet, but it's an important diagnostic tool and will tell them if they need to do anything more than wait it out. They'll also shave the belly area, so just mentally be prepared for that change. Usually you'll know a lot more in the next few days, recovery can take a week if things are going well. Things might get expensive, but this is something that they can recover from. Good luck and good vibes to your pup.
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Apr 7, 2015 01:20
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We had an 8 year old golden retriever who ate a fruitcake from under the Christmas tree. She was bad enough that after a couple days we went in to say goodbye (she was at the e-vet) but she perked up at seeing us so much that we decided not to put her down just yet and she made a full recovery. It was very dicey and absolutely nothing we could do but wait and see. After a monstrous emergency vet bill, we took her home after maybe 4-5 days. We ended up dropping her off at her normal vets for observation for a day or two while we were at work. She lived another two years after that, we ended up losing her to something else entirely. Fingers crossed that your little dude improves soon.
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Apr 7, 2015 02:09
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Ultrasound went well and there aren't any complications/nasty surprises, just the pancreatitits. It's a bit on the severe side though so he'll be at the vet on IV and pain killers for a few days more (vet is hoping to have him out before a week because of his age), but it should be a pretty standard recovery. Should be. Sure was interesting driving from one vet to the other for ultrasound with an IV bag & tubes hanging from the overhead mirror in the car. Thank god I'm in a position where I can pay for everything, must be hell to go through tight on cash.
Gringo Heisenberg fucked around with this message at 06:39 on Apr 7, 2015 |
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Apr 7, 2015 06:25
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Update: I went to visit him at the vet today. He ate (and a good amount too), for the first time since before we took him in Sunday afternoon, while I was there. He has kept it down so far too (~4 hours later). Vet said the only time he has puked recently was a bit of bile this morning, probably because he hadn't eaten anything. Vet recommended bringing him home now since he seems to be doing alright, although he's still got some pain probably and his abdomen is still distended. I wanted to leave him there another night, but based on how stressed out he was and the fact that the vet recommended it, I figured leaving him would do more harm than good. Sent us home with some gastrointestinal veterinary wet food (1.5 - 1.75 cans a day, given throughout the day), Tramadol for the pain (really hope it's strong enough), and the usual instructions (watch for vomiting/diarrhea/lethargy, make sure he's eating and drinking, as little physical exertion as possible, etc). Right now he's doped up and passed out about 5 feet from the front door, where he plopped down when he got here. I was surprised that the bill wasn't astronomical like I was expecting. It was around $1500 - 1700 with all the tests and staying there with IV for two days. And most of that was the first day testing stuff. I had read that it could cost up to $1000 a day to keep him there with everything, but the cost/day was about $250. Said they see about 1 case of pancreatitis a day and he should pull through fine. I'm going to make him a vet appointment for Friday just to be safe, assuming something doesn't go wrong before then. Gringo Heisenberg fucked around with this message at 23:49 on Apr 7, 2015 |
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Apr 7, 2015 23:47
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| # ? Apr 20, 2024 00:11 |
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So glad to hear things seem to be improving!
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Apr 7, 2015 23:59
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