UPDATED W/ A TRIP TO THE VET--And the sick Doodle saga continues

[Heather & Brinkley]

So, first Brinkley was itchy.  Then he was itchy with hotspots and getting worse.  So I took him to the vet, he was given a steroid shot and then given Presnidone. The first day of the shot he ate and drank like a horse.  The second day, he drank a lot but eating was normal.  That's about where we left off with my previous posts.

Today, I spoke to the vet first thing in the morning.  He didn't seem alarmed at his lethargy because he was still acting like a sleepy version of himself.  He told me to monitor him and call him in a week unless things got worse.  One hour after I got off the phone with the vet, I noticed one streak of red in the second log of Brinkley's poop.  He's been having massive poops because he was eating more, so we concluded that since it was just one streak, it looked more like the hard poop scratched him.  The blood wasn't intertwined.  Sorry for TMI!!

He perked up and seemed okay so he played a bit with one of his friends. Then I dropped him off at home and went to grab dinner.  An hour later I got a call from my parents that said Brinkley was really lethargic again and that they were worried.  

I came home to find a semi-lethargic dog but not nearly as bad as I had imagined.  Then 20 minutes later he threw up... and threw up... and threw up.... five different times. 

He hadn't eaten any of his food so I was wondering what he was throwing up. Then it dawned on me.  While Brinkley and Max were playing, my friend's husband was watching them. Normally, it's my friend that watches them. She knows to pick up her dog's food because Brinkley can't eat Max's food. I think he got into Max's food which is a store brand, I believe.  But Brinkley has a very sensitive stomach and he doesn't do well on anything that has a lot of fillers. Then, it dawned on me that Brinkley was given a rawhide while at their house.  When we looked at the back, it was made in China.  Yikes!  Brinkley had a hospital stay after he ate a China bone by accident.  

I think the Prednisone already messed him up and Brinkley wasn't feeling well already and then, all these foreign foods sent him over the edge. Does this sound like it could be it?

I have a call into the vet to call me back first thing in the morning.  And if we need the appointment I have a vet appointment scheduled for 12:30.  

I'm leery to give Brinkley his dose of Prednisone tonight...especially on an empty tummy since he's vomited so much. Thoughts... on all of this??

UPDATE**

Brinkley slept through the night but then he woke me up whimpering so I rushed him outside.  I had a feeling he had to either go to the bathroom or throw up.  The latter was the case.  He threw up three times within minutes.  He hadn't had much to eat so all he was throwing up was yellow bile and BLOOD!!  I freaked!  I threw on clothes, yelled up the stairs to my dad (remember, I'm living with my parents for two years while my husband is living in Massachusetts and going to Physician Assistant school) and we all jumped in the car and headed to the vet.  While in the car, I called them to tell them that we were on our way and couldn't wait until our 12:30 vet appointment.  Instead, we'd needed to be seen ASAP because of the blood.  

They got us in right away and after three hours at the vet, tests, etc. showed that he has pancreatitis and possibly a scraped or torn esophagus.  No obstruction, thank goodness!  We reduced his Prednisone dose, he's on anti-nausea bills and an acid reducer that will help coat his esophagus so it can heal.  

He was also given a shot of meds that stops the vomiting.  It lasts for 24 hours. They only wanted to stop it for that long, because if he starts to vomit again, then there could be a larger problem which they don't want to mask with a week long dose of pills.  He vomits tomorrow morning, we go back to the vet.  If not, we will check in periodically next week by phone.  

They are 99% sure there isn't an ulcer because that would show up in poop and throw up as a coffee ground look.  This was bright red.

I'm exhausted.  I've also had a flat tire and the AC in my rental property went out-- all within in moments of Brinkley getting sick. I do events on the side and I have 48 cupcakes to make and decorate for a Saturday morning party.  My time at the vet was the time I had carved out to make the cupcakes.  It's going to be a long night.  Phew!

 

 

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

I have no advice other than what has already been given, but i can reassure you that there is no such thing as TMI when it comes to our dogs on DK!!!!!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Everyone is talking about Prednisone like it is an evil medication. It is in fact, IMHO, a miraculous, life saving medication with many serious side effects. I think everyone needs to keep that in mind.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It has saved JD's life, for sure.

[Jennifer and Jack]

I have Addisons disease so I would be dead without it, however, the side effects are horrible long term ..I could not list all the side effects from being on steroids for over 10 years...I look at it as a life extending, better quality of life medication ...

My eyes, bones, and healing ability are shot from the drug though.

[Heather & Brinkley]

I don't think we are saying it is an "evil" medication, but after a morning at the vet, Prednisone is what started this off (according to the vet) and I was following their instructions to a tee.  There are a lot of meds that are perfect for one person (or dog) but horrible for another.  For instance, my mom was on Humira for rheumatoid arthritis and it cured her... but caused cancer in another friend.  That doesn't make the drug evil-- it just makes it a bad choice for one person and great for another.  Brinkley has a sensitive stomach and this wasn't right for him (or the dose that they put him on wasn't right for him actually)-- and in my opinion curing itching was not worth all of the other health issues that came along with the itching cure.  In his case, I'll think twice before using steroids and next time will need to be a much serious illness to warrant the use of steroids... and itching isn't one of them. But I'll stress again, nobody is saying it's evil-- it's just a tough drug for some.   

[F, Calla & Luca]

My choice of words may not have been the best. I realize you are not saying Prednisone is an evil drug. And yes, dosages need to be carefully titrated.  And I certainly agree it's best reserved for significant illness.

I think it would be hard to prove Humira  caused a particular cancer but the immunosupressants certainly are implicated in some cancers.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The itching can be a symptom of a serious disease, though, and can lead to severe, systemic infections and even seizures if you let it get to that point without suppressing the immune response...that's the problem with severe allergies. They really can be life-threatening. But steroids are not a long-term treatment for allergies; they sometimes have to be used when a quick fix is needed, but if a dog has symptoms more than 4 months of the year, you seek other treatment options, which at this time are limited to immunotherapy shots, or other immunosuppressant drugs like cyclosporine. 

I do think the dosage is very important, and part of the reason I had mentioned that JD's specialist doesn't like the steroid injections. She is very cautious about prescribing steroids for him at all, but she does when necessary.

[Heather & Brinkley]

UPDATE** (also put this in the body of the message)

Brinkley slept through the night but then he woke me up whimpering so I rushed him outside.  I had a feeling he had to either go to the bathroom or throw up.  The latter was the case.  He threw up three times within minutes.  He hadn't had much to eat so all he was throwing up was yellow bile and BLOOD!!  I freaked!  I threw on clothes, yelled up the stairs to my dad (remember, I'm living with my parents for two years while my husband is living in Massachusetts and going to Physician Assistant school) and we all jumped in the car and headed to the vet.  While in the car, I called them to tell them that we were on our way and couldn't wait until our 12:30 vet appointment.  Instead, we'd needed to be seen ASAP because of the blood.  

They got us in right away and after three hours at the vet, tests, etc. showed that he has pancreatitis and possibly a scraped or torn esophagus.  No obstruction, thank goodness!  We reduced his Prednisone dose, he's on anti-nausea bills and an acid reducer that will help coat his esophagus so it can heal.  

He was also given a shot of meds that stops the vomiting.  It lasts for 24 hours. They only wanted to stop it for that long, because if he starts to vomit again, then there could be a larger problem which they don't want to mask with a week long dose of pills.  He vomits tomorrow morning, we go back to the vet.  If not, we will check in periodically next week by phone.  

They are 99% sure there isn't an ulcer because that would show up in poop and throw up as a coffee ground look.  This was bright red.

I'm exhausted.  I've also had a flat tire and the AC in my rental property went out-- all within in moments of Brinkley getting sick. I do events on the side and I have 48 cupcakes to make and decorate for a Saturday morning party.  My time at the vet was the time I had carved out to make the cupcakes.  It's going to be a long night.  Phew!

[BG and Gavin]

My goodness Heather, you have had a tough couple of days.  I hope that Brinkley recovers quickly.  I know that pancreitis can be very serious business.  I will keep a good thought for you both tonight and hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

[Becka]

Thanks for this update, Heather--I'm glad that it wasn't worse news, like an obstruction. Good luck with those 48 cupcakes and big kisses to Brinkley, who I'm sure is already feeling better because he's not throwing up anymore.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I hope this is the beginning of Brinkley getting better.

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

Brinkley and you have certainly been through a lot. I hope the vomiting stops and he is better! Thinking of you all.