# The six million dollar dog



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

She is such a lovely girl! I’m glad she’s on the mend.


----------



## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

Oh poor girl. Ouch to the wallet! I'm glad you were able to get her in quickly!


----------



## Dianaleez (Dec 14, 2019)

One lucky dog!


----------



## Silverbelle (Mar 24, 2020)

Oh Rosemary I know how those $$$$$$$ hurt! So glad Leo is on the mend and sorry you both had to go thru that.


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Wow, what did she eat? Was this something she just ate?

Good thing she had the surgery to remove it. Poor baby I hope she’s feel back to normal soon.


----------



## Starla (Nov 5, 2020)

Oh wow! I bet she’s feeling better.


----------



## TeamHellhound (Feb 5, 2021)

Skylar said:


> Wow, what did she eat? Was this something she just ate?
> 
> Good thing she had the surgery to remove it. Poor baby I hope she’s feel back to normal soon.


It looks like maybe gravel? I'm guessing she picked it up on accident, since she's not one to eat things other than food. The larger one is next to the tape measure in this photo, and there is another, smaller bit in the middle of the paper towel. 



















The hair wrapped around it meant that is couldn't pass through on its own.


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

TeamHellhound said:


> It looks like maybe gravel? I'm guessing she picked it up on accident, since she's not one to eat things other than food. The larger one is next to the tape measure in this photo, and there is another, smaller bit in the middle of the paper towel.
> 
> View attachment 481202
> 
> ...


Wow, that’s impressive, but not in a pretty way . How long did they think that was in her stomach? wit the hair, I’m assuming it’s been there awhile.

I saw you posted this on Fenzi, didn’t realize it was you.


----------



## TeamHellhound (Feb 5, 2021)

I really don't have any idea how long ago she swallowed whatever the heck it is. I'm thinking it's been a while, though.


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

TeamHellhound said:


> I really don't have any idea how long ago she swallowed whatever the heck it is. I'm thinking it's been a while, though.


 Our dogs are always surprising us. Too bad she can’t talk and tell you what she did and when.


----------



## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Well I'm glad you and Leo got things squared away. Did they fish it out with a scope, or did they go in through the abdomen? What were her symptoms that led to an emergency room visit?


----------



## TeamHellhound (Feb 5, 2021)

94Magna_Tom said:


> Well I'm glad you and Leo got things squared away. Did they fish it out with a scope, or did they go in through the abdomen? What were his symptoms that led to an emergency room visit?


They went in through the abdomen. She has a really nice, neatly glued incision that is a good five inches long.










She started having diarrhea on Friday, so I gave her some pumpkin with her dinner, as well as breakfast Saturday morning. When the diarrhea got worse, I gave her an Imodium, which didn't seem to help much, if at all. Saturday afternoon, the diarrhea started having a lot of blood in it, and she started throwing up. I decided to give her some more pumpkin, and she wouldn't even look at it, when normally she'd eat it right off the spoon.

Her not eating was my cue that something was seriously wrong, because this girl loves to eat. We got to the clinic at around 6:00 PM, and they finally got her inside the building around 8:00. She had more diarrhea and vomited a couple of times while we were waiting. Around 9:00, I was able to talk to the vet, and authorize bloodwork and x-rays. Liver and kidney values looked good, but amylase and lipase levels were through the roof, and a pancreatitis test came back abnormal. Then, x-rays showed two somethings in her stomach. After 12 hours on fluids, another set of x-rays showed they hadn't moves, so we decided to do surgery.

They finished up her surgery around 1:00 AM Monday morning, and found the hair that hadn't shown up on the x-rays, wrapped around the whatever the heck things, and lodged near the pylorus. I'm thinking it might be a piece of gravel. Whatever is was, it wasn't going to go through on its own.


----------



## babyscout (Feb 28, 2021)

Priceless dog 🐶 🥰


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Poor love, sounds like a very unpleasant episode all round. I am glad it is sorted and she is recovering well.


----------



## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

I'm so glad she's going to be ok! Hope you're all recovering now!


----------



## The Popster (Feb 23, 2021)

Ho Hum...
Glad it's sorted, but ho hum....
So often on tenter hooks when our Poppy gulps something down out in the world...


----------



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Wow that is a yikes for sure. I hope her recovery is smooth and that she does as your husband wishes and has a good long life.


----------



## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Boy oh boy! Quite a scary adventure. Glad it turned out OK. I would have thought a piece of gravel (or?) that size would pass. Shows you what I know. Time to relax and heal.


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

94Magna_Tom said:


> Boy oh boy! Quite a scary adventure. Glad it turned out OK. I would have thought a piece of gravel (or?) that size would pass. Shows you what I know. Time to relax and heal.


I’d have thought so, too. This is a learning experience for many of us, I’m sure! Very helpful hearing about your poor girl’s symptoms, @TeamHellhound. Thank you for sharing.


----------



## TeamHellhound (Feb 5, 2021)

94Magna_Tom said:


> Boy oh boy! Quite a scary adventure. Glad it turned out OK. I would have thought a piece of gravel (or?) that size would pass. Shows you what I know. Time to relax and heal.





PeggyTheParti said:


> I’d have thought so, too. This is a learning experience for many of us, I’m sure! Very helpful hearing about your poor girl’s symptoms, @TeamHellhound. Thank you for sharing.


I think if it was just the gravel or whatever, it would have passed on its own. The problem was that it had all that hair and stuff wrapped around it, making a mass too large to pass through the pylorus and into the intestines. The foreign objects and resulting irritation is probably what triggered the pancreatitis. The pancreatitis symptoms are what made me concerned enough to take her to the emergency clinic then, instead of waiting.

I'm sure that eating the gravel was an accident, because while she will happily steal any and all things remotely edible if they are left unattended, she's not one to pick up non-food items.


----------



## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Now you'll have to keep an eye on her to figure out what's causing her to eat too much hair. Dry skin? Boredom? Allergies? Excessive shedding? Probably a good idea to brush her thru even more frequently. I hope she heals quickly!


----------



## TeamHellhound (Feb 5, 2021)

94Magna_Tom said:


> Now you'll have to keep an eye on her to figure out what's causing her to eat too much hair. Dry skin? Boredom? Allergies? Excessive shedding? Probably a good idea to brush her thru even more frequently. I hope she heals quickly!


They aren't called German Shedders for nothing. There are always tumbleweeds of the stuff floating around the place. I could brush her every single day, and she'd still shed like crazy, because she's got a crazy amount of undercoat year round, probably because she's spayed. Brushing helps, but blowing her out with the forced air dryer works even better. 

She probably just accidentally picked it up while vacuuming up after my son and the bird.


----------



## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

I'm certainly no expert. Far, far from it. But even I can say shedding is normal, but surgery to remove hairballs is not.
I thought this was a good read.








Hairballs in Dogs – Prevention, Treatment & FAQs — Breeding Business


Hairballs in dogs are a rare but possible problem. Dog hairballs can be managed at home. Find out how to prevent and treat them.




breedingbusiness.com


----------



## PowersPup (Aug 28, 2020)

Poor pup! And smart you for taking her in! Topper had an obstruction recently that scared the heck out of me. Thankfully an enema cleared it out and he didn't need surgery. Yikes! Now on our walks I watch him so carefully to make sure he doesn't eat ANYTHING! Best wishes for a speedy recovery to your beautiful girl!


----------



## TeamHellhound (Feb 5, 2021)

It is amazing how much hair you can get off this dog. When she's doing a heavy seasonal shed, I can blow, brush, and comb huge gobs off of her, until you'd think she couldn't possibly have any coat left at all, and get just as much, if not more, off her the next day. Even without that, she sheds a ton. No dry skin, no excessive itching (she is on Apoquel for environmental allergies), and no parasites. And yes, needing surgery to remove a hairball is rare, but not unheard of.


----------

