The Dogmother Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 Loving those joke ears Yeti! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancing cloud Posted August 26, 2013 Share Posted August 26, 2013 Aaww! She's so gorgeous and what a rollercoaster of a week So glad it all has a happy ending Many years ago, our very first puppy went very suddenly downhill and my parents prepared us for the worst, and it turned out to be an allergy to gluten. No one could explain why it came on suddenly, and it was so rare we had vets from Liverpool visiting him for months for their research (he loved the attention), but he pulled though on a special diet, and became less and less allergic as he got to adulthood and went back to ordinary food. All very weird and wonderful and no real explanation, it just happened. Give those ears a big kiss from all of us ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bramble Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Hooray, glad you are home and on the mend little Yeti-Pup, I love your ears! Please don't do that to all of us again, we were very worried ... stay well and happy now and spend lots of time causing absolute chaos in your house! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted September 7, 2013 Author Share Posted September 7, 2013 Dear all, Yeti has been back in hospital, and she's ok, will be home hopefully tomorrow night or monday morning. Same as last time, vomiting and then extreme diarrhoea, like just a garden hose connected to a pink lemonade supply (sorry, that's what it looks like)... vet doing tests, trying to find out what causes it. The condition is HGE, (translated in my own language as bleeding gut enteritis), and can have many causes... problem is it's so dangerous, even more so for a young pup who's been sick before... it can de-hydrate and send a pup into shock in two hours... Occasionally HGE is never sourced or explained. I'm baffled that Yeti's had it twice in a month, when Charlie never had it. We're talking to vet about tests, and taking extra precautions for when she comes home. I know it's not a good idea to try several things at once, as you never end up knowing what the problem is, but the problem is too serious to take it easy, and the vet costs too high for us to risk having so often (we do have insurance, yes, but the problem started in the first fortnight of the insurance, when they only cover accidents, third party and so on, not illnesses). We plan to give her the special food she's given at the vet for longer, exclude kibble for a while, go for more natural foods, and also supervise her at ALL times in the garden (and I've bought a muzzle for when we can't... I don't mean to be cruel, but if there are times she has to be outside when I can't supervise, I'd rather protect her as I don't know if she's eating anything toxic...) I know I should check for toxic plants, but we have a huge garden and plants growing everywhere, so I'd rather supervise or muzzle. She's got room to run around unmuzzled in the house, so I'd rather try this for a while than risk losing her again... I didn't post before because I knew everyone would be worried again, but she's coming home soon and we'll go ahead with testings and precautions... Life is stressful!!! Oh, and on the day we found her sick in her crate in the early morning, we also found our last chook dead... not a happy time... Fern was old and had a lovely time the day before, freeranging happily in the garden, but then was dead in the morning... cats and ducks and other dog show no sign of problems, but if anyone suspects something affected Yeti and Fern, we are open to suggestions... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 How awful, I'm so sorry . Poor Yeti . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 I'm so sorry to hear about the recurrence Ziggy, my thoughts are with you xxxx Don't worry about muzzling her, she will get used to it; a friend muzzles her Weimerraner because it eats all sorts of rubbish, and being quite sensitive, it gets really sick. It's their only choice when he's not on the lead. My two are used to wearing muzzles for racing, and they aren't too bothered. Fingers crossed that they can get to the bottom of the cause so you can stop worrying. Just one last thought; has the vet suggested a second (expert) opinion? It may be worth doing some research to see if there's a specialist canine gastric vet you could see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 We're here for you again, poor Yeti and poor you Try to stay strong but it must be an ordeal for you all. RIP Fern Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LolaLayla Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 Oh Ziggy I am so sorry to read this. I am so sad that you are going through this again. I hope that all the precautions you plan to take will prevent any recurrence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplemaniacs Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 Oh no poor Yeti. No advice I am afraid other than getting a second opinion from a speicalist seems like a good idea. Sorry to hear about Fern, lovely that she had a great day the day before. Thinking of you! Chrissie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancing cloud Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 What a rollercoaster! Glad to here Yeti's improving again and so sorry to hear about Fern. Sending you and yours lots of ((hugs)) from me and mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groovychook Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 Oh poor Yeti and poor you!! I hope that you get to the bottom of things soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 Awww poor Yeti. I'm sorry she is feeling poorly again. I hope the vet manages to get to the bottom of the problem and that Yeti will be home again with you soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 So sorry to hear this latest update I hope that the vets manage to find out exactly what is making Yeti so poorly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bramble Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 Oh no, not again, that's just awful - hopefully the vet will be able to figure out what's causing the problem ... at least then you can hopefully have a better idea how to prevent it in future? Have you mentioned it to her breeder ... I wondered if any of her litter mates are similarly affected? Hugs to you all x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 My now departed terrier had terrible bloody dioherrea and stomach problems when he was a puppy. The vet had told me that he probably wouldn't survive. The vet suggested that we made our own food for him, so he had chicken and rice, tuna and rice, lamb mince and rice, gradually we introduced a small amount of veg to it. His problems disappeared, and he became a healthy dog. He was fed this homemade diet until he passed away at a ripe old age, aged 16. I know there are different views on homemade diets, but I know that by us taking this approach we saved Henry's life and gave him a long and happy life. May be worth mentioning to a vet and considering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 So sorry to hear this. I assume that they have tested campylobactor, salmonella and giardia. What Yeti's mum vaccinated and did she receive any vaccinations before she became ill? Does she vomit as well or does she just get diarrhoea? Has she been xrayed at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplemaniacs Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Just wondered how Yeti is this morning? I hope she is home and you have a few more answers. Chrissie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bramble Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Just wondered how Yeti is this morning? I hope she is home and you have a few more answers. Chrissie Ditto!! Come on Yeti!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LottyJ1 Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 I have been away and only just caught up on this post. Wow you really have been through it - thinking of you and Yeti xx *hugs* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted September 10, 2013 Author Share Posted September 10, 2013 The vet suggested that we made our own food for him, so he had chicken and rice, tuna and rice, lamb mince and rice, gradually we introduced a small amount of veg to it. His problems disappeared, and he became a healthy dog. He was fed this homemade diet until he passed away at a ripe old age, aged 16. I know there are different views on homemade diets, but I know that by us taking this approach we saved Henry's life and gave him a long and happy life. Space Chick, that's exactly the kind of things I'm thinking of doing and reading about. HGE (hemorrhagic gastro-enteritis) can, from what I understand, have many causes, and there seems to be hundreds of unexplained cases I've found on the internet, so when vets can't find a cause it seems to be considered an illness in it's own right (especially in the states in seems), though here vets seem to see it more as just a symptom (sometimes unexplained) rather than a diagnosis. Yeti is now back home, and she is her usual happy self. When treated quickly enough, with IV fluids, an affected dog makes a remarkably quick recovery. When she got sick this time, OH suggested we waited too see if she'd get better, thinking maybe after antibiotics, and being so young, she just needed to 'build up her immune system', but having read more about the condition, I decided to rush her back to the vet and they kept her 2 nights. The problem is the diarrhoea is so liquid (there's no fecal matter in it, just water and diluted blood, sorry for the comparison but it looks a bit like pink lemonade!!), that within a matter of 2 hours (or less) the dog's blood can thicken and the dog goes into shock. It then can lead to internal coagulating of the blood within blood vessels, and kills a dog in a very short time. That's a brief explanation of what I understand, pls don't take this as a fully savy scientific explanation. Vets have sent three stool samples to lab, hoping to get some clues as to what might cause it. It's still a big question between toxin (food indiscretion, something in the garden??), bacterial infection, viral infection (though the vet isn't sure that's likely considering she had it twice and was very well for two weeks in between). I now no longer let Yeti in the garden unleashed or unmuzzled, as I want to be sure she doesn't eat anything out there. When she's in the house, the cat food goes out of reach in a cupboard, and if I can't keep my eyes on her she goes in her pen. I will keep her on the science plan soft food (it's a special one for dogs recovering from gastric problems) for a little while, and I'm reading up on food and what would be best to feed her afterwards. I don't intend to go back to my usual kibble (she had half kibble half soft foods), but want to find other options. Of course if the vets come back with a precise answer as to what's causing the symptoms, then we can re-think our plans... It's quite a military discipline, keeping such a close eye on a dog, but I really don't want her so sick again... Having spent so much time sick or at the vet, her training has suffered a lot and, while she is a lovely affectionate dog, she is quite a wild little tear away... putting a leash on her is like trying to put a leash on a demented sledge-pulling husky... thankfully now that I have my muzzle I can let her run in the garden and she can let off steam, as having been in a cage or on leash for a few days did make her a bit edgy. I am not worried about this, though, as I have time to spend with her and she is quite bright and with a bit of patience and consistency, I'm certain she'll learn to be a well behaved dog. She, unlike Charlie, responds well to treats (trying to get Charlie to do anything for a treat, no matter what the treat, from the freshest liver, to the best sausage, via the strongest cheese - only ever resulted in him staring at me with a glazed expression on his face, as if to say 'you don't really think I'll bother to do anything for that, do you??), but I am reluctant to feed her treats when she obviously has a sensitive tummy... so right now rewards are fuss and play only. Cooking for her is definitely something I'm considering. It won't help considering I'm already cooking for scratch for our vegetarian gluten free family, but hey, I'm sure we'll manage somehow. Sorry, long post!! Thanks everyone for all your support. I do hope we get some answers soon, and if not, that my precautions will help... Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 No real advice to add to this except to say that a home prepared diet (raw or cooked) will be beneficial in terms of you knowing EXACTLY what Yeti is eating. If she tolerates something, it stays in the diet, if not, you can exclude it. I think muzzling for now is a really good idea so at least you can eliminate the chance of this reoccurring due to her scabbing something she shouldn't. And I'm so pleased to hear that she's on the mend now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Glad to hear that she's home Ziggy. Tell Yeti that Ruby has a very fetching purple racing muzzle; I can get one for her too if she wants a pretty one when she's a bit bigger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Glad to hear that she is at home again. In terms of the homemade diet, I would be extremely surprised if these episodes were caused by what you are feeding her. It is a good idea to muzzle her however as it may be something that you are not feeding her but that she is finding that is causing a problem. Or, of course it could be completely unrelated to anything ingested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 I'm so pleased for you that your pup is home again. Keep getting better Yeti xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bramble Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 How's the Pupster doing now? Any news on the test results? Sorry lots of questions!! I was just wondering if it's worth keeping a Yeti diary - what she eats, when, where she goes, where you walk her (maybe she's not old enough to go out yet, so that mightn't be relevant), behaviour etc, just in case you can spot a pattern if it happens again (although obviously, I hope against hope it WON'T happen again). Thinking of you and your little (probably not so little) pup. Hope you have a good weekend x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
