Pancreatitis?

I tried to search DK for discussions on pancreatitis & the search function doesn't turn up anything. I'm sure there is something on here about it, so if anyone can point me in that direction, I would greatly appreciate it!

We've had a crazy weekend so far, because our Captain decided to start throwing up on Friday. We thought he probably ate something since he is a big time chewer and does spend quite a bit of time outside. He was acting normal -- no poop issues, drinking water, playing normally. I fed him chicken and rice yesterday (Saturday), and he seemed to keep that down fine and everything else still seemed normal. Today, he had some more chicken and rice for breakfast and things seemed to be going well until this afternoon. I heard Captain upstairs and he wouldn't come back down when I called him, so I went to check on him. I found him trying to vomit and then when something finally did come up it was pinkish colored like there was blood in it. Needless to say, I am freaked out!

I got in touch with our vet who said it either sounded like pancreatitis or (less likely) acid reflux. He suggested I give him Prilosec 30 minutes before dinner tonight and keep an eye on him to see if that helps. If things are still the same tomorrow, we'll bring him in to run tests. Scary!

I hate when our little guys are sick & especially when all you can do is the waiting game.

Does anyone else have experience with their doods having pancreatitis (or acid reflux)?

Guess I'm just needing some doodley support right now!

***Update 1-17-11***

We just dropped Captain off at the vet for testing. At some point during the night, he threw up the chicken & rice, so the Prilosec didn't help. Now Guinness is confused because he doesn't know why we left his brother at the vet :(

Also, last night Russ found a little twig of mistletoe on the back porch. We looked around the yard & there is a tree that hangs over one of the corners that has mistletoe growing on it. So now we're worried he ate some of that.

I'm hoping they figure it out soon & that he starts feeling better soon. I'll keep y'all updated.

***Update #2 1-17-11***

The vet called & said that the blood work came back with no problems. His pancreas looks fine. He also said that in the x-rays he didn't see any foreign bodies in his digestive tract. Yea!

He did have some stuff in his small intestine, so he gave Captain an enema and they are waiting for him to poop now. He also fed him and no vomiting yet, so fingers crossed we're over that.

He did a fecal and said that there was some bacterial overgrowth which is normal with GI issues. He'll put him on antibiotics as soon as he for sure isn't vomiting anymore.

Won't really know more until he poops, but at least 2 big things were ruled out. Thanks for all the support! We should know more in a couple of hours.

***Update #3 1-17-11***

The vet is keeping him overnight just to keep an eye on him. It sounded like he was doing great though -- keeping fluids/foods down. We'll see how tonight goes! Hopefully, we'll get some more news & I'll get to pick him up tomorrow morning!

***Update 1-18-11***

I talked to the vet this morning. Captain is doing well. He kept his food down and seems to be feeling pretty good. His poop is still really soft, so they are going to give him another big dose of Flagyl and see if they can get it firmed up before they send him home. I should be able to pick him up around 3:30 today. Sounds like it was just some kind of bacterial infection.

I've been through a lot with Guinness, but this is our first health scare with Captain, so thanks for all your doodley support!!!

***Update #2 1-18-11***

Captain is home!

I meant to post earlier, but I've been busy boiling chicken and making rice for him. He's on Flagyl and Prednisone for the next little bit. The general diagnosis was GI distress/Inflammatory bowel disease. If he isn't 100% in 7 days, they want to see him again, but we're hoping that he is back to his good ol' doodley self by then! Thanks again for all the well wishes and support!

Here he is hanging out with his brother after he got home:

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Permalink Reply by Ricki and Tara (doodle) on January 17, 2011 at 9:16am

Wow! Mistletoe!! OMG!! I'm glad to hear that he is with your vet now and hopefully they can get to the bottom of this quickly so Coach can get back home and be his old doodley self again! I'll be watching for your updates! Thanks for this one and in the mean time paws and fingers are crossed that the vet finds something minor and easy to fix!!

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Permalink Reply by Jane, Rooney & Stuart on January 17, 2011 at 11:01am

Thanks for the update! I know that you must be worried out of your mind. I could do nothing but cry when Rooney was left at the hospital. Hang in there - Captain is where he needs to be - we are hoping they get to the bottom of it soon. Please let us know what happens. Praying.

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Permalink Reply by Laurie, Fudge, and Vern on January 17, 2011 at 1:19pm

Poor Captain. Hope he is feeling better soon and please keep us posted. Sending positive thoughts your way.

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Permalink Reply by F, Calla & Luca on January 17, 2011 at 1:28pm

Good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*() on January 17, 2011 at 1:34pm

Yes, please let us know as soon as you hear. I know how worried you must be. I was just sick leaving Bella for her spaying and that was routine and she was not sick going in. We will be thinking of you. We HEART YOU Captain

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Permalink Reply by Libby D. on January 18, 2011 at 8:03am

That is precious! Thank you & Captain says thank you, too!

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Permalink Reply by Christine & Shelby on January 17, 2011 at 3:18pm

Great news Libby! I bet Guinness is confused as to where his buddy Captain is. Thanks for posting the updates... I've been wondering how he's doing. Take care of that big boy... We're thinking about you!

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Permalink Reply by Jane, Rooney & Stuart on January 18, 2011 at 2:59am

Just saw updates #2 and #3. All good signs fur sure! This is kinda where we ended up with Rooney - they never could pin point what caused it. I wonder if our fur babies had the same bug? Rooney's blood work was normal too but the x ray's showed his pancreaous, stomach and intestine linings were all swollen. Once I got Roo back home he bounced back really quickly but didn't have any puppy zoomies for several days. Please continue to let us know how Captain is doing. This just sounds so similar to me.