Checkers' health drama

[Merlincorgi]

Where to begin...

Checkers got sick a few nights ago, vomited a few times during the night. He was still acting well otherwise though so I chalked it up to a simple upset tummy. The next night it got worse... then the day after that I started to notice little droplets of blood and mucus that seemed to have come from the back end. So... off to the vet we go.

After a quick exam he said he thought it was severe upset tummy and bowels and sent us home with two different meds and instructions to pick up some Pepcid as well. That night Checkers was up almost every hour during the night getting sick throughout the night (this was last night). So... off to the vet again this morning. They kept him all day, ran blood work and took x-rays to check for blockage. X-rays came back but didn't show anything at all... which still doesn't eliminate the possibility of blockage, but mearly means the blockage can't be seen by x-ray. Blood work came back with a slightly elevated liver enzymes, but the vet said that could be either causing, or resulting from the sickness, there was no way to tell. So... they gave him a strong anti-nausea shot, and kept watch on him at the vet. He got sick two hours later, but then didn't get sick again before 4:30pm when they told me I could come and get him.

Got him home and gave him the meds the vet told me to and he snuck in a sip of water before I could take it up (which the vet said he could have very small amounts of water so that was okay). 40 minutes later, he got sick again. Vet is now closed for the day and I can't afford the fee to even walk in the door at the emergency vets... so I will call my vet again first thing in the morning and let him know what happened and we will see where we go from there. He mentioned if things are still bad tonight doing an endoscope next. At this point we really have no idea what is going on with my poor boy. Gator is just fine... not showing any signs of illness. Please keep Checkers in your thoughts. I will continue to update this post as things progress and let you all know how he is doing. At this very moment Checkers is curled up at my feet resting.

[bunnybutts]

OMG! ((((((HUGS)))))) to Checkers and you! Hope he gets all better 2nite and the worst is over!

[MVons]

Oh Cheryl, I'm sorry.

My home Vet book says to note how and what he vomits. Also keep an eye on the bowel movement to report these to the Vet. Licking an ice cube is the easy way to limit water. There are too many causes for vomit which makes it hard on diagnosis as you have found out.

Glad he is able to sleep and his kidneys are okay.

Merrie

[Lauren]

Poor Checkers +SAD+

((((((HUGS)))))) to you and Checkers for a swift and painless recovery.
Please keep us updated.

[Jespah]

Cheryl you know we are thinking of you - call me if there's anything I can do.

Deb

[CorgiMum]

{{{{Checkers}}}}

Hope you feel well soon little guy.

[Crazy Cardis]

Hugs to you and Checkers. Keep us posted on how he is doing and you guys are definitely in our thoughts.

[ZdogZ]

Lots of love, hugs, thoughts, and prayers for Checkers and Cheryl. I hope he gets better really quick. Please, let us know tomorrow how he's doing.

[MrsGrace]

Ditto what Deb said. Call me if there's anything I can do.

[dcole]

{{{Checkers}}}.

Poor guy. Please keep us updated. Lots of healing vibes going your way...

[Merlincorgi]

Final update before I try to go to bed tonight. He has gotten sick one other time (around 8pm) since coming home.. two times total. He also seems to be struggling to defecate now... not getting much out. His spirits seem to go up and down. I was coughing (gagging from cleaning up after him) and he immediately jumped up to make sure I was okay, as is his nature anytime I cough. So sweet that as bad as he must be feeling, he is still checking up on me. Inside he still seems somewhat lethargic... but when I let him go out in the yard he seems to pick up a bit, at least some. I let him walk with me to get the mail earlier and he seemed to enjoy that short trip. We're going to try and get some sleep now and we'll be calling the vet again first thing in the morning.... looks like an endoscope might be visiting Checkers next!

[corgimom]

Cheryl,

Sending my thoughts to you that Checkers will be okay. As you know I am dealing with a vomiting sick cat on my end also and seems like we are back at square one after different tests and lots of money spent.

Did the vet mention anything such as Pancreatitis and was his white blood cell count high at all? Could he have possibly gotten into something out in the yard that Gator did not.

[taflar]

He also seems to be struggling to defecate now... not getting much out.

If he hasn't had much to eat or drink then he might not have much to get out.

Hopefully tomorrow they can figure out what's wrong and get him on the road to recovery!

Peggy

[Dillydoodle]

oh Cheryl, I am so sorry to hear about Checkers! Poor little guy- He will be in my prayers for a speedy recovery. I am sure the vet will be able to find the source of the problem. Please give him a gentle little hug from me with wishes for a quick recovery.

Emilie

[mtoy]

Poor Checkers! I really hope it's just a passing thing and he's better very, very soon. Hugs to both of you.

[CorgiMum]

Cheryl, how is Checkers this morning?

[Merlincorgi]

I took to keeping a journal last night off all the times he woke me up to go outside so I would remember to tell the vet this morning. The good news is he has not thrown up since 8:40pm last night. He even drank some water last night and has kept it down. I just gave him his morning meds so we'll see if those stay down as well. The stuff that's still got me worried. No appetite, not for the canned stuff the vet gave us or for even a kernal of his regular food. Last night I even tried a tiny tiny piece of chicken and he wouldn't eat it either. He acts like he wants the stuff, but then just won't eat. Also, last night he woke me up to go out three times... at midnight, 1:30am, and 3:45am. Each time, and again this morning, he has tried a couple of times to poop and he's just not getting anything out at all now that I can tell. I'll report this all to the vet today in about half an hour when they open and see what they say. I'll keep updating as I find out more...

[CorgiMum]

Sending hugs for you and healthy vibes for him Cheryl.

He probably won't eat as he doesn't want to vomit and is having trouble at the other end too. Hope this visit get him some fast relief.

[Merlincorgi]

Called the vet and told him how last night went. He was very encouraged by the lack of getting sick.. said he didn't expect him to eat or poop well now anyhow. He didn't feel I needed to take him in again. Just now Checkers ate two small little bites of the "easy to digest" food... and his medicine from this morning has stayed down well so far also. His overall energy and level of happiness seems to have picked up a bit over the last hour also. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he's on the mend finally!

[Jespah]

Thank goodness Cheryl - let's just hope he continues on this road and his body has expelled whatever it was that was causing all the trouble!

Rupert threw up a plastic food wrapper first thing this morning that he must have eaten yesterday - they do things so fast sometimes and you can't see it or stop them!!

[CorgiMum]

That sounds very promising that he is one the mend. Fingers crossed that he keeps his meds & food down.

About the pooping, whenever I've been worried about Dylan, I remember what our Vet told me once. "Just keep putting it in, and it will eventually come out.":SMILE:

[MrsGrace]

Oh man, I am so relieved to read that he is doing better today!!!!

Keep us updated if anything changes.

[Penutsma]

Delilah and Grandma sends loads of love to you and Checkers (at least as soon as I quit tearing up!) Keep me posted.....

[Dillydoodle]

Sounds like he is doing better this morning- continued prayers your way for little checkers..

Emilie

[dcole]

Glad to hear that Checkers is feeling a little better today!

[MissGambler's+Mojo'sMommy]

I'm glad that things are better today, and hope that tomorrow is even better!!!

[MVons]

What great news to hear about his energy level, I was SO worried about the lethargy last night. When his tummy is better, give some kefir which will re-establish his beneficial bacteria in his gut. Then when he is on regular food give pumpkin to get that hind end moving, but don't hurry it, his system is irritated by this event.

Merrie

[MrsGrace]

What great news to hear about his energy level, I was SO worried about the lethargy last night. When his tummy is better, give some kefir which will re-establish his beneficial bacteria in his gut. Then when he is on regular food give pumpkin to get that hind end moving, but don't hurry it, his system is irritated by this event.

Merrie

Do you think plain yogurt might help too? All the beneficial enzymes/bacteria?

[MVons]

Yogurt is great, but when someone mentioned kefir on this forum, I remembered my Aunt with cancer drank it and did an internet search:

http://www.kefir.net/kefiryogurt.htm
Both kefir and yogurt are cultured milk products...

...but they contain different types of beneficial bacteria. Yogurt contains transient beneficial bacteria that keep the digestive system clean and provide food for the friendly bacteria that reside there. But kefir can actually colonize the intestinal tract, a feat that yogurt cannot match.

Kefir contains several major strains of friendly bacteria not commonly found in yogurt, Lactobacillus Caucasus, Leuconostoc, Acetobacter species, and Streptococcus species.

So based on this if you can get kefir, I'd use it after a vomit event, and I plan to use 1 Tbls yogurt daily as maintenance.

I keep forgetting to check for it here.

Merrie

[mtoy]

Yes - kefir is king! Since I found it I have both it and yogurt daily. I love the stuff. The dogs get one or the other every day too. After an illness kefir is very soothing, I can't think of anything better.

[Dillydoodle]

what does keifer taste like? is it more like yogurt or cottage cheese or ricotta cheese ? Is it goat, sheep or cow milk? ( I have a THING about goat milk ,ewww I love feta cheese only if it is made with sheep milk but not goat milk...) Just curious..

Emilie

[sutulu]

Cheryl:

I am so sorry to hear about Checker's tummy. Poor baby.... glad to hear he is in better spirits today, do keep us posted on his progress.

It's so hard when they can't tell you what's going on. But you must be used to that, neither Justin, Checkers,or Gator can tell you how they feel.

It really leaves you feeling helpless.

Keep the faith!

Susan

[mtoy]

what does keifer taste like? is it more like yogurt or cottage cheese or ricotta cheese ? Is it goat, sheep or cow milk? ( I have a THING about goat milk ,ewww I love feta cheese only if it is made with sheep milk but not goat milk...) Just curious..

Emilie

Like yogurt, except a bit more sour and more liquidy. it's sold plain, and also pre-sweetened with fruit flavors - they taste just like a smoothie. It's in the dairy case near the milk, in a plastic quart or pint size container. The pre-sweetened would be fine for humans, but not for dogs. I get the plain and just mix in some organic strawberry preserves for myself, it's just plain for the dogs. Oh, and it's made with cows milk. Shake before pouring.

[The Chipmunk's Mom]

Cheryl

I am so glad to hear that Checkers is doing better. It is so scary when they get sick. My thoughts are with you.

[CorgiMum]

Hope that Checkers is feeling better, keeping his food & meds down.

[Dillydoodle]

Cheryl,
How is checkers feeling this morning? we didnt get any more updates yesterday so i was hoping that means that he is feeling better.... please update when you can. Sending hugs and healing vibes

Emilie

[love2corgis]

Hope Checkers continues to improve.

That happened to Sooty over Christmas when he was 18 months old- scared me to death especially as there were no out of hours vets around here then. That's one reason I changed to vets who live on the premises.

[Merlincorgi]

Checkers is still improving gradually. He was really peppy this morning about getting mom out of bed... I didn't mind too much. He just ate most all of his breakfast for the first time. Still a bit concerned about what's coming out the other end but since he's just now eating good for the first time in three days I know I have to be patient and let things clear up. In the meantime the poor little man is getting thrown in the tub for a fluffybutt wash after every poop. Still no getting sick!! Off to give him his meds in just a minute now... he likes that less than the fluff washings! Sorry about the lack of updates last night... hubby came home after being gone two weeks and we were busy catching up.

[corgimom]

At least he is starting to eat again which is a good sign. Hopefully this will all clear up for him in a couple more days and he will be back to his normal self. Thanks for keeping us updated.

[Dillydoodle]

cheryl,
Glad that Checkers is improving. The fact he is eating is a good sign and also that he is peppy is good. The runny poops will clear up... the pumpkin may help a bit on that end. I have been there with the butt washings after each poop... There was a time that every time we would walk home, i would turn on the hose and give Dillon a bit of a spritz to clean him up, and then i discovered the pumpkin and i am telling you it was amazing, in 24 hours he was all solid again and we have only had one incident where he needed a butt wash since ( and that was about 8 or 9 months ago now) so it works!
Emilie

[dcole]

Glad to hear Checkers is doing better. Go Checkers! :SMILE:

[Merlincorgi]

Guess who is frapping and wrestling around the house this evening? He's also back to his old tricks with begging for food. Still concerned about the other end though.. poops (when he can pass anything) are mucousy with occasional blood in them. I'll call the vet again first thing in the morning and see what they say about that, otherwise I am encouraged by his behaviour today.

[MrsGrace]

Guess who is frapping and wrestling around the house this evening? He's also back to his old tricks with begging for food. Still concerned about the other end though.. poops (when he can pass anything) are mucousy with occasional blood in them. I'll call the vet again first thing in the morning and see what they say about that, otherwise I am encouraged by his behaviour today.

Hope it's his body's way of expelling the rest of the nastiness and he'll be back to normal in no time!!!

:CUTE: Yay Checkers!!! *hugs & snuggles*

[Jespah]

That's great that he's so perky Cheryl - hooray - a big weight off of you I'm sure.

His poops will take a few days to get back to normal - things will have been pretty aggravated down there, and will take a bit to calm down.

[ZdogZ]

Glad he's better, Cheryl! Zip has been under the weather the last couple of days but he's doing better today, too. I think his was the weather making his arthritis act up. Hope Checkers continues to get better.

[Dillydoodle]

that is great news cheryl, frapping and begging for food, yup he sounds like a happy corgi to me! As far as the other end stuff, yes i would call just because you mentioned blood but the chances are that it is all residual blood and mucus from the irritation somewhere in his stomach or intestines ( same way sometimes if you have a raw throat, and get phlemmy, if you cough some up it can have traces of blood in it... sorry to be gross but it demonstrates my idea).

Continued happy corgi frapping vibes being sent to checkers!

Kristi, sorry to hear about Zip being under the weather... hope he is feeling spunky again too!

Emilie

[sutulu]

Cheryl:

Sounds like Checkers is doing better. I know you must be relieved and lots of continued well wishes to the little guy!

Susan

[CorgiMum]

Glad to hear that he is continuing to mend.:SMILE:

[bayoucorgi]

What a relief! I just read about this now and each post I was holding my breath. Thank Goodness.

[Fluffypants]

Oh Cheryl! I am so sorry that I am just posting now! (I'm never on the computer over the weekend) Poor Checkers, he gave you quite a scare! GREAT news that he is feeling better. Don't worry too much about the blood. As someone who has had extensive experience in that "area" with Jackie, I can tell you that my vet said it's nothing like when a human has blood in their stool. It just means that the dog's digestive tract is irritated from what's been going on. That was a big relief for me, hopefully for you too. Give that poor little guy a hug & kiss from me & Jackie.+WUBCLUB+

Kristi - please give Zip a hug & kiss from us as well.

[dcole]

Yea, Checkers!


Hugs to Zip!

[bunnybutts]

Glad to hear Checkers is on the mend

[Crazy Cardis]

Yeah Cheryl and Checkers!! I'm so glad to hear he is doing much better. I know how stressful it can be when one of our fur-babies are under the weather. Here's hoping that everything "down there" works itself out as well :)

[Merlincorgi]

Just thought I would throw in a final update. Checkers is back on his regular food and I just got to watch him poop and it was pretty much normal. (YAY!) He is outside tearing it up right now like he never got sick at all.... I tried to bring him and Gator inside, but it's been icky weather all day until now and they wanted nothing to do with going back in the house! Looks like we are in the clear health wise now... though we still have no idea (and probably never will) as to what made him so sick in the first place. What matters most is that he is okay.... he really had me scared a couple of nights there!!

[Jespah]

Thanks for letting us know that he is pretty much back to normal now - I don't think it's easy to figure out what a lot of these "bugs" are with animals -they just do some good guess work and hit things with the right antibiotics - whatever this case was I am thrilled for Checkers and all of you that he is fine now! +WUBCLUB+

[ZdogZ]

I'm glad to hear that Checkers is feeling better. It is so hard when we don't know what's wrong with them.

[dcole]

Checkers! +WUBCLUB+

[Denaluvscorgis]

IHi Cheryl...I'm so happy that Checkers is feeling much better now!!!! (((((HUGS))))) to you both!!!!:SMILE:

[Fluffypants]

SO happy to hear that he is on the mend Cheryl! Must be a huge load off your mind!

[tevababydog]

Cheryl -

Sorry I missed this thread for so long. I'm glad Checkers is doing better. It is so scary when they get sick lick that and, bless their hearts, they can't tell us what is wrong.

Give that boy a hug from me - he sure is lucky to have you as a mom.