Zoe is sick :(

[Joanna, Zoe & Bender]

I'm so torn on what to do...

Tuesday night Zoe started to feel sick. She was pacing around and kept eating grass outside. Throughout the night she woke up about 5-7 times gagging and throwing up. With each gag there would be a SQUEAL before she threw up. I have never heard her do that before and it made me extremely worried. At one point I thought she ate a mouse and it was squealing inside of her (i know i'm pretty retarded sometimes). Anyways I decided I was going to take her to the vet first thing AM.
Once we all got up and ready she was no longer throwing up and was just lethargic and sleeping curled up. Although she wouldn't eat I thought she would just need rest so DH and I both went to work.
When DH got home he said there was no signs of throw up but she was still eating grass but not taking her dinner. When I got home I discovered that my husband is awful at checking things thoroughly. She went into the farthest room (the only room with carpet might I add) and threw up multiple times and had multiple episodes of diarrhea. Her diarrhea had mucous and blood. That was around 8pm and her regular vet is closed! So off we went to the pet ER.

The dr saw her right away and advised they would like to hold her over night, run tests, x-rays, blood panel, put her on an IV, etc. The whole deal! I asked if she could get the IV since she was dehydrated and would take her to her regular vet in the morning. They said ok but DH thought it best we keep her there just in case anything happened at home. He thought it best that she stays with professionals that know how to handle a situation if anything happened. I personally felt more comfortable taking her to my regular vet but he was right. I would just die if anything happened to her.

They called last night at 12 to update us that her blood panel came out normal and they found no foreign objects in her stomach in the x-rays. This morning they updated us that she is still not eating, has not thrown up, but has had 3-4 episodes of bloody diarrhea throughout the night. The want to keep her until tonight to see if she will eat and keep it down.

My dilemma is...
I would like to pull her from the ER and take her to our regular vet. Does that make sense to do or is that just not necessary? The ER has not given me any explanations as to what is causing Zoe to be so sick. I think I would feel more comfortable at our vet but DH is saying a dr is a dr. Should I just keep her where she is until they call to pick me up?

[Jen and Annie]

Did they do a fecal?  Seems like that might be the first thing they should do??

[Joanna, Zoe & Bender]

They mentioned they would last night but haven't said anything to be about it when I spoke to them. Ill ask them

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I agree. 

[Joanna, Zoe & Bender]

Thanks Sandy! On the phone with them right now.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm very sorry to hear this.

I would ask if the blood panel they did is complete and not just a CBC and chem panel. Sometimes thing show up with the liver or pancreatic enzymes, vitamin & mineral levels, etc. that don't show up in a routine panel. Also, an ultrasound will often show things that Xrays miss. Obviously, something is wrong, and somebody need to figure out what that is. You do need an explanation.

Is there an internal medicine specialist connected with this ER, or just regular vets? If there is an IMS dictating things, that would be great. If not, she would probably be better off with your regular vet than with just GP vets at an ER.

I hope you can get to the bottom of this, that nothing much is wrong, and that Zoe is better soon. I know how awful it is to not know the best way to help your dog. :-(

 

[Joanna, Zoe & Bender]

Thanks Karen. The paper shows the test is called Chem 17/lytes/CBC :(

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Joanna, read thru this discussion on Pancreatitis and see if any of it sounds like what's going on with Zoe. I just tried calling Jane so she could chime in here but couldn't reach her. This might shed some light, though:

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/healthandmedicalissues/forum/topi...

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

The symptoms do sound very much like when Guinness had Pancreatitis.  I'm pretty sure the Vet would have tested for this, but I'd ask just to be sure.  I would definitely want to talk to my regular Vet, but if Zoe has to remain on IV meds and fluids she's probably in the right place.  When Guinness was admitted to the hospital, the Internist took charge of the primary care but conferred with my Vet every day.  I'm so sorry that you and Zoe are going through this and I sure hope that she turns the corner soon.

[Pam & Trixie]

Im sorry to hear Zoe is sick. I like the idea of having the ER fax over the test results...And also looking into more blood work like Karen Suggested incase they did not run all the tests. (it does kind of sound like pancreatitis) I hope they figure out what is wrong soon & she is feeling better very soon!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I am so sorry to hear about Zoe. I would call my regular vet and discuss all this. Then if necessary the vets can confer with one another in vet talk and decide what's best. The trouble with regular vets, usually, is that if the dog has to stay overnight, no one is there. I don't think a fecal will give you answers. Zoe could have an infectious disease problem, or a primary GI problem or many things. Good vets should know what to order and how to interpret the tests. Many of us, including me, make educated guesses but we are not vets and we are not on the scene and privy to all the information. I wish Zoe a speedy recovery.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

You have received a lot of good advice - I agree to fax them over to your regular vet.

 

This could be MANY things, but just throwing it out there that this similar thing happened to my chihuahua after he ingested tainted chicken tendons quite a few years ago. Nothing showed up on blood panels, xrays, you name it.  He eventually just got better. I hope that is not what you are facing, but I am telling you this to prompt you to think about what Zoe has been eating - is there ANYTHING out of the ordinary she could have gotten into?  Any new treats?

 

Paws crossed - this is the WORST FEELING and I know how it is 100% - wouldn't wish it on anyone :(

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Very good point -- do a search on all the items you feed her, treats included to see if there are any recalls on any of it!