Fudge Had to Go to the Emergency Vet Last Night! Luckily, She is Fine!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Yesterday, it rained all day. Not a light rain either....it was a "walk your dog and get drenched day," which I did twice. The dogs were bored, so I gave them a new bone in the evening and settled down to watch Dancing With the Stars.  If you know anything about me, no one bothers me when DWTS is on. My family even has instructions to hold all calls from the Pope. About an hour into the show, I hear a god awful sound and minutes later, another one. I go out into the foyer and Fudge is frantically circling, licking her lips, moaning, and gulping. I immediately thought she had Bloat. When I let her outside, she was frantic, trying to eat grass, making whimpering noises,  and I noticed that she had vomited in the house, which I assume was the source of one of the loud noises.  Of course, I was home alone.  I checked for obstructions, did not see one, and loaded them in the car and by this time, she was less frantic, but still gulping.

Part of the reason for this discussion is to remind everyone to have a plan when there is an emergency.  I lose my keys every single day. I have already lost my set of car keys and could not find the spare set of keys or the single spare key we keep for emergencies. I couldn't find my phone and kept running to and fro trying to find things and wasting valuable time. Finally, I located the spare key, got ahold of my pet sitter to keep Vern, and Fudge and I made our way to the ER vet.

Once we got there, Fudge's symptoms seemed to be far less severe (naturally) but she was gulping and extending her neck repeatedly. They ruled out bloat, but thought she might have an obstruction.  Fudge was perfect and made me proud. They x-rayed her and did not see an obstruction, but did feel she had shards of bone in her colon waiting to pass. When I got home, the bone I gave them only had a few tiny pieces missing, and the only other thing I know that she has been chewing on is an antler. I will say they have a basket of bones, so I can't be sure.  They gave her fluids and medicine, sent us home with more medicine, and want her on a chicken and rice diet for a couple of days to let her esophagus rest. 

They said no food and water for 8 hours and when we got home, I put the food dishes up and Fudge sat in the kitchen staring at the bowls.  She would not move away from those bowls, and I disobeyed the doctor and opened a can of Fromm soft food and gave her just a bit.  Of course, I found out moments later why no one calls me Dr. Laurie, when she threw it up.  The good news is when she threw up that time she threw up some feathers and what looked like a tiny bone and that seemed to stop the gulping.  She slept all night and did not move this morning when my husband got up. Today, she is tired, but seems better and ate her chicken like a champ. 

I am going to try and have a small kit by the door from now on in case of another emergency. Thank goodness if was not bloat, because every second counts, and I lost many with my poor organizational skills and forgetfulness. Another reminder to get Pet Insurance, because this 4 hour visit cost over $500.

P.S. Nothing proves to my family more than this how much I love my Fudge. I did not hesitate to turn off Dancing with the Stars to take Fudge to the vet.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

I am so glad to hear that Fudge is ok. Incidents like this are so scary. 

F - you may be glad to know that you are not alone when it comes to the "can't find my keys, glasses, cell, etc. etc."!  I resorted to putting a small basket on the corner of my desk that I dump that type of stuff in upon returning from a walk or whatever. 

P.S. - I can understand why you would be upset if someone would disturb you when you are watching DWTS & William Levy doing Salsa!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Linda, LOL about William Levy :) This season has been good. Thank you!

[Bonnie and Kona]

Poor Fudge and poor Laurie! I hate that you were alone during this emergency. Maybe the fact that you gave her the food and she threw up the feather and bone bit was just what she needed, Nurse Laurie. I hope you do follow through with your plan to put an emergency kit by the door....being in a panic is not conducive to finding lost keys etc. I'm glad Fudge is okay, but I am still so sorry you both went through this.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Thank you, Bonnie. I hate withholding food...maybe because I hate when someone does it to me...LOL! I am going to follow through. I do have the leashes by the door.

[BG and Gavin]

Poor Fudge!  I hope she is back to her normal self tonight.  Thanks for the reminder about having a plan.  I just clued into the fact that we should keep Gavin's health file in the glove box so that we have it when we travel up to the cottage.  I also need to get the number of the Emgency Vet there in case (knock wood) anything goes wrong.  One lucky thing is we have a fellow cottager in our community who is a vet and he keeps a kit with him for emergencies.  But he is not always there...

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

BG, Thank you. Good idea about the glove box, since you travel with Gavin. I went to the wrong place last night, so writing the address and number down is wise.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Plus, in a case of bloat, it's recommended that you call ahead so they are waiting and ready to get the dog into treatment immediately when you arrive.

[Martha & Cooper]

How scary for everyone!  So glad Fudge is better.  Sorry you missed DWTS, but I am sure you can probably catch it online somewhere.  ;-)

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Thanks, Martha!!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Possibly, Fudge may have been gagging at how rediculous DWTS gets after a few weeks.

8-7-9 blah blah.  Rumba, Cha Cha...

Yawn, Yawner, Yawners

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Joanne, Since I like you so much, I will overlook the DWTS comment. LOL  I love this season and am not ashamed to admit it :) Fudge loves the show, too...LOL!

[Bonnie and Kona]

@Joanne & Spud  ;o)