Poochie II in trouble

Poor little Poochie, had his brekkie and his usual 2 hour mental runabout round the area. Then we came home and I left him on the patio, to rip up his latest find. It went very quiet, then a bit of whimpering. Poor little mite had a dose of the runs and had vomited. He was shaking and whining, he was sick once more and laid drooling and whining. I called Jan, who was in bed, bless her, and she came out straight away to take him to the vets. Poor little thing was definately in pain and just wanted cuddles, something he normally doesn't care for. The vet saw him within a few minutes, examined him and determined he had a distended stomach and abdominal pain. He had two X-rays which showed a distended stomach but luckily no blockage. There were some 'items' in his stomach causing gastritis. He was given three injections including a pain killer. The vet gave me a prescription for him if he is no better by tomorrow, plus a tin of special food for tomorrow if he is OK. If he is the same or worse tomorrow he will have to go back to the vets. Poor little mite is now resting on the patio.

Of course all this vet stuff isn't cheap, even though they do give the dogs home a small discount. I know that funds are very tight, so I am going to ask for some money for them. The El Capricho web site http://elcaprichobaza.jimdo.com/ has ways for you to donate, they also have a stall once a month at Baza. I know lots have given already and they are very grateful. You can also donate at Vista in Baza or you can give me your donation and I'll pass it on. Even the smallest donation makes a big difference. You may not think 50 Cents or a euro is much, (you can actually donate small amounts via Paypal), but they all add up!. I will keep his condition posted.

Glad to know you got an instant diagnosis and hopefully things will pass , literally , by tomorrow . I phoned Jan earlier to see what the vet had said . Poor Poochi II , many cyber hugs being sent from across the Altiplano.

Poor Poochie... he is normally such a happy chap. Hope he is on the mend and back to his normal antics before long.

Some have said the link to Capricho Paypal doesn't work. I have Messaged to get this looked into. I will let you know when it is sorted.

Lots of hugs to you and Poochie 2

Well, after a day asleep, he's back to his old self! 12:30am and he's running around like a maniac again. I can't tell you how pleased I am. I'll stay up with him for a bit. First thing he was after was food, so I have given him half a tin of the stuff the vet gave me, which he ate with great relish. I can then go to bed and get some sleep. A great big thanks to Jan, who got out of bed and came and took him to the vets, her dedication to all the animals she cares for is exemplary and I know she pays for a lot of these things out of her own pocket, Including this last, not inconsequential bill, for Poochie.

The problem he was diagnosed with usually occurs when a dog eats too close to exercising. We make sure ours have chilled down for at least an hour before feeding.

In general, larger dogs are more susceptible to this problem. and it can be fatal.

I'm glad to hear he is better.

Poochie Chilled? them two words don't fit with him. He is full on when awake. He is absolutely fine now. Just eaten the last of the stuff the vet gave him. So back to 'normal' today. So as twisted said it could well have been that, the little lunatic is off like the clappers once he has eaten his meal, he has always been like that. The thing is when he has eaten I take him straight out for him to do his business. Otherwise he is good and does it on a small area of the patio I have covered in Cat litter. Perhaps it is better that way than having to clean it up whilst we are out? sort of a dog toilet. It's dead easy to clean up, the cat litter is perfumed so little smell. Does anyone else have a dog 'toilet'?

The condition TFS is referring to is bloat . Thankfully x-rays ruled this out . A nasty condition and yes very often fatal.

All dog owners should be aware of the signs this video explains them

http://www.thebark.com/content/recognizing-signs-bloat-video

Very similar to Poochie's symptons I believe but his gut showed small foreign bodies causing the problems and no twisting . These sort of signs need a dash to the vets at all times . Infact watching the video I was nearly screaming get the darn dog to the vet - idiots !!!!!!

I reckon it was Bloat then, due to the X-Ray which showed a hugely distended stomach. His symptoms were very similar, indeed almost exactly as in this video. So well done to Jan, her prompt appearance saved his little skin.

Well I suppose all that Bloat gas had to come out eventually. He's passing the most eye watering gaseous eruptions (farts) So now he is Stinky boy!. The little hooligan has Chewed the wooden Sofa arm to shreds. I thought the little Scamp had gone quiet, he's got scores of stuff to chew including my left leg. There will have to be a bit of sanding down and varnishing, Thing is, he's such a jolly little chap you just can't get angry with him.


The Damage


The Culprit showing no remorse.

I ca only assume there was a 'backlog' of poo to come out, I have never seen a dog, or anything for that matter, poo so MUCH. Whatever was in there causing the problem is definately out now. I have not put any photos, you might be eating a meal. But 1 night on the patio expelling the stuff left a very serious mess!!!. I seem to have spent the last week up to the eyeballs in doggie do. Oh the pleasures of owning a dog.

So, we can say that Poochie has 'missed the bloat'

Ill get me goat coat.......................

One of our dogs suffered from bloat last year and was very lucky to survive he only did because of the speed with which we were able to get him to the vets and the vet operating straight away. Once the gut starts to twist it stops the blood supply to the internal organs and hence is often fatal. He was in 'intensive care' for 2 days but luckily there was no lasting damage. His stomach has been sewn to the stomach wall so that this cannot happen again. We were very fortunate as we had just picked him up from kennels as we had been on holiday, got him home and realised there was a problem had we been even a few hours later and I think it would have been the big kennel in the sky for him. As twisted said this is usually more common in the large deep chested dogs and is thought to be (in some cases) caused by exercising to soon before or after eating, dogs that bolt their food and take in lots of air can also be a problem ( one of our dogs had a toy in their food bowl permanently so that they had to move it around in order to get to the food) and we always feed our large dogs from a raised feeding bowl. Having said all that our vet said that the jury is still out on the cause. We were also lucky being insured (as we are still based in the UK) we could have bought a small car for the cost of the care he received.... BUPA for dogs. It just pays to be aware of your own dogs behaviour and if in doubt get them to the vet.

I am afraid that is one of the reasons I don't own a dog of my own. Where on earth would I get the money for vet bills. The last one was 40.00 euros, with discount. Sometimes, at the end of the month, I don't have 40.00 Euros. It wouldn't be fair to the dog if he was ill and I couldn't afford to take him to the vet. I would never forgive myself.