# Afternoon at the emergency vet...



## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Will be keeping an eye on for updates, as you're able. Hope you all get some rest.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

So far so good - she has asked for more food which I refused, has been out and strained a bit, but no more blood, chased next door's cat back into his garden, drunk a reasonable amount of water, and is now snoozing again. I think I might try for a few hours sleep in case of disruption in the early hours.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Fingers and paws crossed for a quick and full recovery!


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

lily cd re said:


> Fingers and paws crossed for a quick and full recovery!


haha. Hope she’s on the mend quickly.


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## scooterscout99 (Dec 3, 2015)

Agreed. On a weekend it’s better to be conservative. But isn’t it always a weekend when these things happen?


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## Fenris-wolf (Apr 17, 2018)

Hope Poppy gets better soon?


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Hope you all can enjoy a quiet Sunday. Feel better Poppy!


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Hoping Poppy is okay !


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Poppy was up a couple of times in the night, and then vomited blood streaked fluid around 7am. Straining a bit, but no real diarrhoea. I gave her a tummy settling tablet and, on the vet's advice, a tiny breakfast of sensitive diet - the current best practice is to feed little and often rather than to starve. I need to get the antibiotic into her next - the very young vet said to use gloves as it is possibly carcinogenic, which surprised me. On checking it online she meant it is possibly teratogenic, which as I am in my 60s is hardly an issue!

Poor Poppy is very miserable and uncomfortable, but reasonably settled - it's when she starts stretching and pacing I know she is in pain. So now it is keeping up the tablets and watchful waiting. The big danger is dehydration, but at the moment she is drinking well - should she deteriorate she would need to go on a drip ASAP. Vet told me to phone immediately if I have any concerns, and it is very reassuring to know there is advice available at the end of the phone line, and the vet hospital only half an hour's drive away (rather less than that yesterday, although I did try to stick to speed limits!). 

I will get her in to see her usual vet tomorrow - Pippin is already booked in for a check up, and if necessary I can use that appointment and make another for Pip.


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## Muggles (Mar 14, 2015)

Poor Poppy! Fingers crossed she improves soon.


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## Carolinek (Apr 2, 2014)

Hope Poppy recovers quickly. Good thing you acted right away. Lily had a bout of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis about 8 years ago, it was very scary.


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## Newport (Jul 16, 2014)

Good thoughts for Poppy! I hope she returns to good health in short order.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Well, she has gone from moping to bouncing on the window sill to bark at the neighbours' dogs, so I think she is feeling rather better!

I found two formed but very soft, black poos on the emergency mat in the bathroom when I went up for a bath. It is usually Sophy that uses it, but Poppy slipped off upstairs at one point, and there were traces of grass, so I think they were hers, and a reasonably good sign. Oh the joys of pet ownership, when the colour and consistency of faeces becomes a topic of absorbing interest and concern...!


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## Carolinek (Apr 2, 2014)

Good news! Hope the trend continues.

I’m a nurse, Conversations about poop and vomit are my wheelhouse ?


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Poppy is much better - lazy day yesterday with tiny meals and regular doses of medicine, then last night we went to bed around 8.30pm and slept till nearly 7.30am - she hardly stirred all night. This morning she was moderately bouncy, ravenous for breakfast, and no sign of the horrible vomiting that started our day yesterday. I suspect acute colitis rather than HGE, but am very glad I did not risk leaving it over the weekend. I will ask her vet about avoiding more episodes when we see him this morning, and stock up on emergency supplies at the same time.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Does Poppy have any sort of formal diagnosis for her frequent tummy upsets? 

My Gracie really did struggle so much with extreme reactions to food and stress and stomach acid, but I never got any answers from the various vets we visited. 

For her, it began with bloody diarrhea as a puppy, which I at least managed to trace back to dehydrated liver treats, and then throughout her life: diarrhea in response to any excitement or food changes, and vomiting bile if she had too much fibre or didn't have some kibble before bed and again before any morning activity.

Luckily, a stable routine, occasional "reset days" of just plain white chicken or turkey, and a diet of Nutro Ultra Kibble soaked in a bit of water kept her going nicely for 14.5 years.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

We are just back from the vet’s. He reckons, given the very black, sticky poos she did yesterday morning, that it is probably a perforated ulcer. Treatment is just what she is already getting, but he recommended continuing the Zitac for several more days and keeping her on the sensitive diet permanently, limiting other food, including treats. He said anxiety and eating the wrong things are the probable cause of her IBS type gastric upsets, but this bout differs because of the quite considerable bleeding, hence the ulcer diagnosis. I shall bake some chicken and rice treats, and distribute those to the people who insist on giving her handfuls! 

I now feel guilty for not being more sympathetic when she had me up in the night - shows how stoical even Poppy is, that she was not screaming in pain. The vet says she is doing well, and he doesn’t need to see her again unless things look dodgy.

Pippin cat, who also saw the vet this morning, is confirmed to be in remarkably good health for a big, nearly 17 year old cat with long term arthritis!


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Poor Poppy but it sounds like she’s getting over this and healing and you have a plan to avoid problems in the future which is good.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Poor Poppy  I hope she enjoys her new treats. It really is amazing how they carry on even when they're in pain.

Best wishes for continued healing!


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## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

Sweet Poppy. I'm so sorry she has gone through this, and hope her healing is rapid. Maybe the new food plan will help resolve this over the long haul.


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## Newport (Jul 16, 2014)

Well, Poppy, Navy can relate. He is also permanently on a rx sensitive diet food- in his case due to repeated episodes of gastritis. I hope this becomes a solution that works for you and your mom, so you can all get back to enjoying your life together. 

Best wishes!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Yes, I am hoping the sensitive diet will help longterm, although her vet warned me to expect occasional upsets from stress or getting hold of other foods. I am well stocked with Zitac and a good diarrhoea paste, complete with pre- and probiotics, just in case. She bounced awake this morning, ate her tiny breakfast with gusto, and is now snoozing, but given how quickly she became really poorly over the weekend I am not taking anything for granted - not least because the common causes of gastric ulcers in dogs are decidedly unpleasant. The vet did not seem particularly concerned, though, saying she was making a good and rapid recovery, so I won't borrow trouble, either.

Sophy has been angelic, although she has told me that if she doesn't get a proper walk SOON she will explode - she came close to it yesterday evening wanting me to get down on the floor and play wrestle or to set up Hunt the Treat, but accepted a wander round the estate as I was still feeling a bit fragile. We had only got a hundred yards from the car on Saturday when we had to dash to the vets, Sunday both Poppy and I were in recovery mode, and yesterday even the short walks I thought Poppy would be up to were curtailed by shooting in the hills - the last thing Poppy needs is more stress, so I didn't argue when she wanted to go back to the safety of the car as soon as possible. Only three weeks till the shooting season ends, thank heavens. I wish now I had noted all her gastric upsets - I suspect there would be a close correlation with the months of sudden bangs...


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## Fenris-wolf (Apr 17, 2018)

Poor Poppy. I'm happy to hear she's getting better, and hope she continues to?

I'm glad Pippin is in good health??


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## Mick (Sep 7, 2012)

fjm said:


> Poppy has been having one of her gastric upsets, which didn’t worry me much till this afternoon when she had extremely bloody diarrhoea while we were out walking. A neighbour lost her dog to haemorrhagic gastroenteritis, so it has been on my watch out for list. I dashed both dogs back to the car, ready to drive to the vets, then remembered it’s Saturday so phoned them instead. Poppy was so bright and bouncy my worry abated a little, but the on-call vet agreed it could easily turn into a full blown emergency, and it would be best to start antibiotics at once. So a 20 mile drivel to meet her at the surgery there, where Poppy did a very good impression of a perfectly healthy dog - no fever, no tenderness, no dehydration, pink gums and bouncing in the hope of a treat.... She has started the ABs, had a very tiny supper of canned sensitive diet, which I now keep in the cupboard, and has now settled down for a snooze. I have poured myself a restorative whisky, and will be watching both of them like a hawk - if it is something infectious Sophy will probably get it too…
> 
> Thank heavens for a peace of mind bank account, and a car!


Your story sounds familiar, however, Sasha (9.6 yrs. standard), had bloody diarrhea episodes twice: 1), when we left her at the kennel (we adopted her at 11 mos.,) due to emergency, for 2.5 days, but when we picked her up, we were told that she refused food; we brought her home & she ate, but began vomiting and by next morning - bloody diarrhea. At ER clinic, after the complete exam, we were told that she got anxiety induced colitis, she was given 10 days of antibiotic -Metronidazole, and to keep her on boiled rice w/ cooked ground beef ( she is allergic to chicken) 3 times/day.
She recovered quickly, but we found out that she has severe separation anxiety. 2- her anxiety heightened, when I became disabled, experienced severe pain & screamed. 
Her eating habits changed, she began refusing food & developed diarrhea. We didn’t wait for blood to show up, took her to our vet- same diagnosis, same treatment, with addition of calming supplement - Composure Pro ( our vet told us the strength & we found it on Amazon. We began from high dose and tapered down, but still keep her on the supplement & increase the dose any time we need to leave her, take her to the vet or for any other situation that increases level of her anxiety.
You sound like you know that your dog has gastritis, but if not, check with your vet, her episode might be anxiety induced colitis. In this case, you might be dealing with two issues: colitis and anxiety.


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## KandyKane (Jan 10, 2020)

fjm said:


> Poppy has been having one of her gastric upsets, which didn’t worry me much till this afternoon when she had extremely bloody diarrhoea while we were out walking. A neighbour lost her dog to haemorrhagic gastroenteritis, so it has been on my watch out for list. I dashed both dogs back to the car, ready to drive to the vets, then remembered it’s Saturday so phoned them instead. Poppy was so bright and bouncy my worry abated a little, but the on-call vet agreed it could easily turn into a full blown emergency, and it would be best to start antibiotics at once. So a 20 mile drivel to meet her at the surgery there, where Poppy did a very good impression of a perfectly healthy dog - no fever, no tenderness, no dehydration, pink gums and bouncing in the hope of a treat.... She has started the ABs, had a very tiny supper of canned sensitive diet, which I now keep in the cupboard, and has now settled down for a snooze. I have poured myself a restorative whisky, and will be watching both of them like a hawk - if it is something infectious Sophy will probably get it too…
> 
> Thank heavens for a peace of mind bank account, and a car!


Look into Nature’s Farmacy they have a healing gut probiotic paste that is a must have for every poodle owner ?


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Thanks Mick - Poppy definitely has anxiety gastritis, and my vet's advice is to keep her on the gastro sensitivity diet permanently to limit the impact of stress. It is possible that her episode was a perforated ulcer, perhaps brought on by repeated bouts of IBS, but it could have been so many things. Mild diarrhoea and grass induced vomiting, followed by sudden extremely bolldy diarrhoea, then, rather more than 12 hours later, more grass induced and then bloody vomit. Then, after 36 hours of Metronidazole etc, very typical black tarry stools indicating upper gastric tract bleeding. One more drier black stool the next day, and a Perfect Poo within 70 hours of starting treatment. She kept her appetite throughout, and was really only desperately unwell for those few hours of vomiting on Sunday morning.

I already do as much as possible to manage stressful times but will watch her even more carefully in future to try to ensure things don't escalate. I suspect that she is worse during the shooting season (August to the end of January), when walks may be interrupted by sudden bangs. It also seems to have got worse since she was spayed over a year ago. I have Zitac, a PPI, in the cupboard to give her if needed, and will try to work out a desensitising programme for bangs and other stressors. She is very food motivated, and I have made "safe" treats from the canned food she is on, so scrummy treats at every distant crack may help to improve things.

Thanks Kandy - it sounds very like the paste I get from my vet. Very useful stuff to have to hand!


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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

What on earth is wrong with me? When I read these upsetting stories I end up holding my breath and getting so tense! As if it were my own dog. Ok, I am calming. So glad it is better.

I am wondering what pain killer she had during surgery last year? I had a vet tech tech friend that warned me against ace, saying that many animals ended up with long term anxiety afterwards. So I am curious as to what it was.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Poppy's illness is now being updated here: Poppy still unwell

It is liver disease, and she is very, very ill. I suspect the anxiety may be related to it.


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