Need Positive Thoughts

[flowerpower]

Thanks Breeze, we'll see how it goes over the next couple of days. I have mixed feelings about the pain meds, which is all they gave her at ER today. I don't want her suffering, but I want to make sure it's not masking anything, either. Food is going in and going out OK, but she is definitely not herself. I don't know why some people seem to find it so hard to believe that the mushers KNOW when their dogs "just aren't right"; I certainly know when mine are "off". (Even though I probably tend to lean a bit to the "overprotective" side -I was like that with the kids,too!) I'll be keeping a close eye the next couple of days, for sure!

Good reminder about Lymes, we have plenty of ticks down here!

[Di*]

Hi FLower,
I didn't get a chance to chime in earlier but I've been reading the posts. Sure hope your pup is back to normal soon, as long as the food is going through I would hope that is a good sign? Hope your little hound is on the road to recovery....

Try not to worry too much(I know, pointless to say that right?!) !

[flowerpower]

I want to send HUGE HUGS and THANK YOUs to everyone! It really helps to have "hand holding"-even of the virtual type-from people who really GET IT!

[luvmy4huskiesn1mal]

Nothing like a bunch of I'rod crazees sittin around their computers able to send out good vibes when they're needed. Sorry she is sore. That's a lot of back to be hurtin', poor girl. Glad it wasn't a gut needing surgery though.
Because there was mention of "consumption" of non-food items I'm going remind everyone about hydrogen peroxide. A must for any dog owner who witnesses or determines that something has "gone down that must come up". Had a friend whose Sibe was playing tug-o-war with a long-legged monkey when two of the legs ripped off. As she tried to get them away from him "down the hatch they went". Two of them...each over 6 inches long!!!
A dose of hydrogen peroxide and 30 minutes later they were "returned".

[Di*]

Good to know Luv! Wonder how much you give them?

[luvmy4huskiesn1mal]

I've never had to use it but here is the recommendation for a 50 pound dog:

*The protocol I follow is to use 3% Hydrogen Peroxide 2-3 teaspoons
every 10 min. repeat no more than 3 times. Do not do this if more
than 2 hours have passed since ingesting the object.
You don't want to induce vomiting if they have swallowed an acid or
solvent or , of course, sharp objects.*

Obviously, if you are sure that it went down and doesn't come back up with the help of the HP....off you go to the vet.

We had a scary "horka event" just last week. Our dogs have spoiled us and have never had "consumption" issues but when our 4 yo horka'd up a 4 inch long green thing I had no clue what it was...or could be. He had been just a bit "off" (more clingy/cuddly than usual) for a day but I didn't know why. When it came up, it was clear to me that it had been there for "a while". Once the "horkautopsy" was done it was determined to be carpet from a carpet square. I fell horrible that I had no idea what kind of help he needed and that it must have felt terrible to have that in his belly. I shudder to think of what he might have had to go through if it hadn't come up, with me swearing up and down that they "never' swallow anything they shouldn't.
I went out and bought a fresh bottle of HP just in case.

It's always helpful info to have tucked away in your brain...plus hydrogen peroxide is like 88 cents. Pretty cheap help if it's needed.

[jrm]

Boo-bug is still limping this morning (not weight bearing at all)....but where I couldn't find any obvious pain-spot last night, now she is very squeaky on one toe...so finally i have a focus for the pain. No obvious damage or swelling, so I'm thinking she might have bent the toenail back or something (and we all know how much that hurts!). If no obvious improvement by this evening she's off to the vet, but can't help thinking a broken toe would swell...at least it did last time I had a terrier with a broken toe.
Fingers crossed she's just upset the nail bed whilst out running yesterday evening, and then its just a matter of waiting for the pain to subside and the nail bed to settle again.

Adding to the last post...a great one for getting a dog to vom (if its been at the rat poison or similar) is good old fashioned Soda Crystals (old fashioned soap flakes)...keep shovelling (not literally!) them down the throat and the dog is guaranteed to bring it all back up again. Always handy to have around when you have terriers, and neighbours who are keen on baiting with rat poison in the most stupid places!
Once dog has vommed..get it straight to the vet for a Vitamin K injection (for rat poison ingestion).

[tanglefoot]

wolfe is a dustbin! he'll eat all sorts given teh chance,,,we,ve lost socks...glooves. booties all sort...normaly when one of the bitchs is in season he eats allsorts of junk without you seeing...you just notice the next day when it takes 10 mins to poo and a sock you were missing comes out! his fav is toilet rolls...he steals then and takes the inside carboard bit out!
normaly if hes poee'd off with you for not taking him with you somewhere!

[fladogfan]

I knew a dobie, a BIG dobie, whose head was table height and would scoop up almost anything. Sometimes very dangerous and painful, intestines can get blocked. If swallowed item does not come out there's an operation likely needed. That dobie needed two operations while I worked at the vet. One was a baby bottle nipple, don't remember the other.

He was a great dog but you had to watch him all the time, one day he even swiped something off a table while he was being walked to the scale at the vet's.

[Quadsquad]

Have to chime in with a Gordon Setter story. Carrie, our rescue 2 1/2 year old, is a garbage gut par excellance. Thanksgiving eve, she got up on the kitchen counter and ingested 1/2 of a pecan pie, about 1/3 of a pumpkin pie, and 18 uncooked butterhorns, which are yeast rolls. That was the real problem. As the yeast works in the gut, it ferments and the dog dies of alcohol poisoning, of all things. Fortunately, we're quite close to the emergency vet service, so off we went at 10 PM, credit card and sick dog in hand. 2 hours later, she was done throwing up what the vet described at "buckets." She was a bit hang-dog for a couple of hours on whatever the vet gave her...a shot of some sort to induce vomiting..but none the worse for wear. Two weeks ago she ate almost an entire loaf of homemade cheese bread, so the lesson hasn't been learned. Doubt it ever will be, but that's one of the things that makes having a few four-foots in the house interesting, right?