Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis ( HGE ) - Update Post #21
Well, we've had a rough weekend
Diesel's poops on Friday started to get a little soft so I wasn't shocked on Saturday morning when his first poop of the day was diarrhea. I didn't notice anything unusual & always take a peek at his poop as I scoop. He had breakfast, I crated him (too chewy still to be left alone uncrated!) went out for a couple hours & when I came back took him out of his crate & he didn't make any signs that he had to go out ASAP, but he looked a little odd in his demeanour.
I was just putting groceries away before taking him out when he suddenly crouched for a poop in the kitchen - he has never pooped in the house before. I felt bad for him because I knew he had diarrhea & knew he felt bad for pooping inside. As I was cleaning up I noticed bright red blotches in his poop. Bloody poop is not something I ignore. Regular vet was closed (of course) scooped the diarrhea for a sample & took him to the emergency vet.
As soon as we got there, he pooped again on their mat, less poop came out but still bloody. Few minutes later he vomitted his entire breakfast then almost passed out. The only things ruled out by Emerg were no parvovirus, a quick rectal exam was normal & according to the xray no obstruction. They said if it were an obstruction there would have been more vomit vs diarrhea. As we were with the vet he tried to make a bowel movement & nothing but blood & mucous came out - no fecal matter.
So he was diagnosed with HGE & is now back home after a 24hr stay with IV & meds - I have to administer drops of Metronidazole every 12hrs & he's on Medi-Cal Gastro (canned) food for the next day or so then I can slowly reintroduce his regular food. If he vomits or has bloody diarrhea I am supposed to bring him back in.
The Emerg vet needs to work on their bedside manner, they seemed pretty vague about answers no matter how persistent I was & kept reiterating that he was doing better so it's not that serious & gave me the "we'll never know what caused it" answer & said he could come home. I only gave up with my inquiry because they charge SO much money & our regular vet is open again on Monday.
Tonight I started googling HGE so I can be more informed when I speak to our regular vet, but I am wondering if anyone else has gone through this & can offer any advice? Like if you were able to pinpoint the cause of your HGE case & how did you do it?
I will be asking about his potassium & sodium levels as it can indicate whipworm or Addisons, I need confirmation that Leptospirosis (he was supposed to get his first vacc of this Monday), Coronavirus, worms, parasites & any pancreatic issues have been ruled out as well. I will need to know what his RBC & WBC are & I may insist on an ultrasound just to be absolutely sure there isn't something wrong with his spleen or other organ.
Right now I can't sleep a wink, but Diesel is alot sleepier than normal & a little wobbly I assume lack of food & probably still a bit dehydrated & anxiety, he is alert (when called) & his regular happy go lucky self, but given Labs are famous for being so stoic I am skeptical at times... this was really scary
Well, we've had a rough weekend
Diesel's poops on Friday started to get a little soft so I wasn't shocked on Saturday morning when his first poop of the day was diarrhea. I didn't notice anything unusual & always take a peek at his poop as I scoop. He had breakfast, I crated him (too chewy still to be left alone uncrated!) went out for a couple hours & when I came back took him out of his crate & he didn't make any signs that he had to go out ASAP, but he looked a little odd in his demeanour.
I was just putting groceries away before taking him out when he suddenly crouched for a poop in the kitchen - he has never pooped in the house before. I felt bad for him because I knew he had diarrhea & knew he felt bad for pooping inside. As I was cleaning up I noticed bright red blotches in his poop. Bloody poop is not something I ignore. Regular vet was closed (of course) scooped the diarrhea for a sample & took him to the emergency vet.
As soon as we got there, he pooped again on their mat, less poop came out but still bloody. Few minutes later he vomitted his entire breakfast then almost passed out. The only things ruled out by Emerg were no parvovirus, a quick rectal exam was normal & according to the xray no obstruction. They said if it were an obstruction there would have been more vomit vs diarrhea. As we were with the vet he tried to make a bowel movement & nothing but blood & mucous came out - no fecal matter.
So he was diagnosed with HGE & is now back home after a 24hr stay with IV & meds - I have to administer drops of Metronidazole every 12hrs & he's on Medi-Cal Gastro (canned) food for the next day or so then I can slowly reintroduce his regular food. If he vomits or has bloody diarrhea I am supposed to bring him back in.
The Emerg vet needs to work on their bedside manner, they seemed pretty vague about answers no matter how persistent I was & kept reiterating that he was doing better so it's not that serious & gave me the "we'll never know what caused it" answer & said he could come home. I only gave up with my inquiry because they charge SO much money & our regular vet is open again on Monday.
Tonight I started googling HGE so I can be more informed when I speak to our regular vet, but I am wondering if anyone else has gone through this & can offer any advice? Like if you were able to pinpoint the cause of your HGE case & how did you do it?
I will be asking about his potassium & sodium levels as it can indicate whipworm or Addisons, I need confirmation that Leptospirosis (he was supposed to get his first vacc of this Monday), Coronavirus, worms, parasites & any pancreatic issues have been ruled out as well. I will need to know what his RBC & WBC are & I may insist on an ultrasound just to be absolutely sure there isn't something wrong with his spleen or other organ.
Right now I can't sleep a wink, but Diesel is alot sleepier than normal & a little wobbly I assume lack of food & probably still a bit dehydrated & anxiety, he is alert (when called) & his regular happy go lucky self, but given Labs are famous for being so stoic I am skeptical at times... this was really scary