Has anyone had this experience?

[will2power]

Hi. I'm new to the forum and appreciate that it's here for me to reach out to others who might have had similar experiences with their dog. My one-year old husky (Skye) is very sick. She's been hospitalized now for 4 days and I'm so worried for her. If you'll permit me to give her history (it's a bit detailed and long, I know), perhaps you'll have something to suggest? Of course, even positive thoughts for her are welcome.

Until last Friday (April 13) Skye was completely healthy and happy. I should mention here that we have another dog (Sirius) who's also one. He's a rescue, mixed-breed cutie. Throughout all of this, Sirius has remained perfectly healthy and happy, so whatever is going on, it's impacting only Skye. Both dogs are loved and treated like our children. They have a run with an 8-foot fence and patio slabs for flooring that they can access from our house whenever they want. The run is cleaned after every use and hosed daily. Their toys are kept clean and in addition to their usual dry dog food (which they've always eaten), I cook them something for dinner every day (usually skinless chicken breast or the like). Their diet has been consistent and nothing new has been added. They have not been around other dogs recently and no one has been able to access them while they're outside (our home is located on a large piece of land and no one could get near their run without my knowledge). I'm a stay-at-home puppy mommy, so I'm with them all the time.

When we went to bed on Friday night (the dogs sleep in our bed), Skye seemed a little "off". She seemed to want to get as close to our face as possible before she would lie down. Through the night she woke and vomited once. The vomit contained the food she had the previous evening. When we woke on Saturday morning, she was covered in hives and vomiting a little more. We gave her some benedryl and by Saturday evening the hives were gone.

Then her next symptoms started. She started having severe bloody diarrhea with continued vomiting. The skin on her abdomen looked red. We took her to the vet as an emergency and she was given an injection of Cerenia and started on an oral antibiotic (Metronidazole). Abdominal x-rays were done and were normal. Her blood work looked good, too, though her electrolytes were slightly low. We started her on Pedialyte as per the vet's recommendation. The vet felt that she was having some sort of an anaphylactic reaction to something she had ingested. As a side note here, we've racked our brains to think of what that might be. Our house is puppy-proofed. We have 100% control over all food and there are no dangerous items that she can access. We don't even have house plants. Heck, we don't even leave toilet paper out in the bathroom.

We took Skye home and by 6PM on Sunday evening the vomiting and bloody diarrhea had stopped. I thought she was getting better, though she remained lethargic yet unable to rest. She wasn't left unattended through the night, so I know she never slept.

Monday morning I lifted her onto the bed because she seemed unwilling to get there herself. I noticed that the skin on her abdomen and on the inside of her flanks was brilliant red. I thought perhaps it was the remnants of whatever she reacted to initially being flushed from her system. But a little later in the morning I noticed that the pupil of her left eye was very small while the other was large. This was when I packaged her up and made my second emergency visit to the vet. They admitted her right away and said that her heart rate was very high (185 bpm) and her blood pressure was low. She's been in hospital ever since.

Okay. Now comes the saga of her time in hospital. I want to say up front that our vet is moving heaven and earth to help Skye. She's reached out to other vets, contacted an internal medicine specialist at the veterinary hospital in PEI, and posted a history and pictures of Skye's visible symptoms to a vet forum. Initially it was thought that she might have atypical Addison's disease. But since the bloody diarrhea and vomiting has stopped since Sunday evening, this is less likely. They also thought that she might have some sort of autoimmune disease like polyarthritis, but this is also now unlikely.

When she took pictures of Skye's face to share on the forum Monday, she noted that her pupils had switched. Now the right pupil was very small and the left was normal. But since Monday night, both eyes have been normal.

By Tuesday morning all her feet, from the "ankles" down were swollen and the redness of her skin was very brilliant. Her platelet count was normal as was the rest of her complete blood count. They dropped her IV fluids back by half to see if that might help. But the vet felt she was losing protein and that was why she was having the edema. At this point she's getting IV fluids, prednisone, butorphanol injections (for pain), Zentonil*, and injectable Benedryl and injectable Cefazolin* in addition to her oral antibiotic. They also gave her a dose of epinephrine.

The swelling continued into Tuesday evening and she was showing more discomfort, so her butorphanol was increased. They also switched her IV antibiotic over to Baytril (a much more powerful drug). Her red cells and platelets continued to be normal, but her white cells were high (her neutrophils looked toxic). She was getting worse and refusing even to lie down. She would just stand there with her head hung down. Her albumin levels were also starting to go down. They were giving her a "slurry" of high calorie wet dog food by syringe and, though it wasn't much, she was able to keep it down. We visited with her Tuesday evening and the vet said she did "perk up" a little after the visit (God, it was hard to leave her when it was time to go).

On Wednesday morning they started her on colloid fluid therapy to see if that would help her albumin levels and impact on the swelling. They said she had been restless through part of the night, but by 3AM she was sleeping. They switched her IV over to the another leg and repeated her albumin levels. There was a slight decrease in the swelling around her back legs, which we took as a positive sign.

I visited with her again yesterday and spent 3 hours with her, lying on the floor. This was the first good rest she's had since Monday. I tried to feed her, but she refused. She also hadn't taken any water since admission.

Her albumin levels last evening were back to normal, which we also take to be a positive sign. Because they were unable to get a urine sample, they used an ultrasound probe to guide a needle into her bladder. The results were normal, save for slightly more than a trace of protein. Last night they started her on a Fentanyl patch for pain, so we were able to stop the butorphanol injections this morning. That's one less needle stick for her.

I just spoke with the vet and she says that this morning Skye looks brighter and generally better than yesterday. The swelling is about the same, but when they took her out for a walk, she seemed a bit perkier. They gave her another Cerenia injection this morning, because she did vomit a tiny amount of bile through the night. Her skin is also not quite as red. One of the technician's offered her some chicken, but she refused. However, while I was talking with the vet, Skye reached for her water bowl. She drank about half of the bowl and this is the first time they've seen her drink water since admission. Another positive. The plan for today is to continue on with her colloid fluid therapy (as well as the Metronidazole, Baytril, prednisone, Benedryl and Fentanyl). I had hoped that maybe she would continue to improve and we could get her home by the weekend, but the vet says she's still too sick.

As a footnote, I should add that Skye and Sirius both had their DA2P boosters and Rabies 3Y vaccine's on April 5 (about 8 days before all hell broke loose). The vet does not see a connection. At this point they think she had type I GI anaphylaxis that really impacted on her body.

I know this is costing us a fortune. The emergency outpatient visit on Sunday alone was $750. I think we're now into the many-thousand dollar range. She's worth every penny and more, though. I told my partner I'd sell him if I had to. On that note, would anyone like to buy a well-worn but highly lovable husband? (joke)

I'll be visiting with Skye again this afternoon. I'll get to spend about 4 hours with her and I'm going to try and get her to rest as much as possible while I'm there. I'm also bringing her some skinless chicken breast (which I boiled) to see if I can coax her to eat. The vet made this suggestion. We also bring blankets from home with Sirius' scent on it to see if it comforts her. We don't want her to think we've abandoned her! She looks so pitiful. I try to stay calmly happy when I'm with her so she doesn't get more depressed.

Now. If you've made it all the way through this tome, here are my questions: Has anyone experienced a similar situation with a dog (though I recognize that every situation is somewhat unique)? If so, what was the outcome? Do you have any tips or hints for getting her to eat? How about encouraging her to lie down? Is there something more that I could be doing?

Skye is absolutely crucial to our family. We've been lost without her here. I'm really worried about the weekend, because I won't be able to visit her then. I want her to know she's not forgotten. Dogs don't have the ability to reason those things out like people do. All she knows is that she's very sick and we're not there with her. This part kills me almost as much as seeing her in pain. We lost our 7-year old son to cancer a few years ago. I'm in no way minimizing that grief or showing disrespect to him when I say that this is hurting us equally. Our dogs ARE equal, important members of our family and we treat them as such. I'd walk through walls of flames for them.

Anything you can offer at this point would be greatly appreciated by me. Thank you for taking a few hours out of your day to read this book. I'm sorry for the length. I hope all of your non-human family members are healthy and happy.

(*I did an edit to correct 2 drug names: Zentonil and Cefazolin are the correct names)

[hazelrunpack]

omd, you've all been through the ringer

It does sound like you have an excellent vet. Could she have been bitten by something? Have you checked their dog run for mushrooms? We've had some really bad reactions to mushrooms--some of which only pop up for a day and then disappear.

I have no suggestions for you except that when you visit her, bring unwashed shirts from you and your husband for her, as well, since your scent may also comfort her.

Maybe someone else has had a similar experience to yours and will chime in. I wish you and Skye all the best. Pls let us know her progress!

[Loki Love]

Gosh...what an awful lot to be going through Unfortunately, I have no advice re: treatment or causes, but I am sending lots of positive, healing vibes to Skye (and the rest of your family!).

[will2power]

Thank you for the responses. It's comforting to know that others understand just how important she is to us. I'll bring one of our unwashed shirts with us when I visit today.

Re: mushrooms...it's highly unlikely that she was able to access any sort of plant/fungi material outside. Their run has patio slabs and there's nothing growing down there at all. It's such a mystery to us. Even worse, if I can't figure it out, how can I be proactive to keep it from happening again? That's assuming she recovers. She's been so close to death over these past few days. But I'm latching on to every little piece of positive news we get.

We lost our beloved great dane (Nietzsche) just before we got Skye. After Nietzsche died, I spent a full month lying on the couch crying, unable to do anything. My daughter got Skye for me and I think she literally saved me. She wasn't a replacement for my baby Nietzsche, but she sure forced me to get back into the world. And now this. It just seems so unfair. Skye is just barely one year old, and she deserves a long and healthy, happy life. I'm pouring every ounce of love and energy I have into helping her get well. She just has to get better. I can't even think about losing her. Priority one is to keep her comfortable. Priority two is to get her back.

Thank you for your words and suggestions!!! Anything I can do is helping me cope.

[marko]

wow what an ordeal. I wish i had more to offer but i do thing hazelrunpack's idea of being bitten by something is a possibility here.

keeping fingers crossed for skye and sending good vibes and thoughts your way.

[will2power]

Oh, I forgot to comment on the bite possibility. I suppose it's possible. But I live in Newfoundland and the weather hasn't been the greatest yet. I've seen no bees, wasps, mosquitoes, spiders, ants, etc yet. The weather has been too cold for those things here. But maybe another sort of insect crawled into the run and she ate it. That could be a possibility.

[Melinda]

ants will crawl out from under a warm cement patio stone, in fact, if you lift them in the fall/early spring when there is still a bit of snow you'll see them being active. Im so sorry on the loss of your son. I know what you mean about being depressed over the loss of your dane, I too have been in that position. Could your pup be allergic or getting a reaction from ant bites? I know it should clear up quickly while at the vets. But it sure sounds like an allergic reaction. Has your other dog refused or a bit reluctant to eat any of the dog food you put down? thinking maybe some was tainted or out of date? Good luck and I hope your baby continues to improve.

[Rgeurts]

Welcome to the forum! I'm so sorry it's under such distressful circumstance. Believe me when I say I can relate, and my heart truly goes out to you and your family. My husband and I don't have any skin kids, just fur kids... and they mean the world to us. One thing that stands out for me, even though your vet doesn't think anything of it, are the vaccines. I have Malamutes (or had... we just lost our 12 yr old to cancer on March 4, so now just have 1 and a mixed breed rescue puppy). Malamutes and Huskies are both prone to Vaccinosis, which is an immune reaction to vaccines, and can also spawn immune-mediated diseases such as Hypothyroidism. There are so many symptoms, and I doubt any 2 dogs are the exact same. Alot of what you're describing sounds like it could be a reaction to the vaccine, as well as the time frame. I won't go in to all the details of my baby, Nanook, but we have been through the wringer with him as well. I'm going to post some links for you to read. And please, don't think I'm disrespecting your vet, but many will not even acknowledge that vaccines can be harmful, but they almost killed our sweet boy. He was in and out of the hospital for the first year of his life (we were actually told we should have him pts by a few different vets before we found one that was willing to help us). We were eventually led to a wonderful Holisitic vet who saved our babys life. Check out these links, and if you have any questions at all, please ask


Dr. Jean Dodds is the leading authority on canine immune issues and vaccinosis. She's a wonderful person and will respond if you email her. She's the one who directed us to the vet who saved our Nanook:

http://www.hemopet.org/

And here are a few links for info, but if you google Vaccinosis, you will find so many articles and actual owner accounts as well:

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/petvacc.htm

http://www.whale.to/m/pitcairn6.html

http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIP...accination.php

You will all be in my thoughts and prayers. Please keep us updated on Skye

[will2power]

I'm just going out the door to go spend time with my baby. I will read the latest posts as soon as I get back and post an update as well. I just had a quick look through what some of you added and it looks like there's some excellent direction there. Thank you SO much! Fingers crossed she looks a little better today. More when I get back.

[pbpatti]

will2power, your last post just fills my heart with JOY . I am so glad the Skye seems to have come through the worst of it. Well wishes for a full recovery and wishing you and your family some well needed rest as I am pretty sure you have not slept that well this week.

[Dog Dancer]

Just reading this post for the first time. So glad to hear that Skye has pulled through this and is coming home. Bless you and your husband for all that you have done for her. She will repay you many times over I'm certain.

You know, you keep saying thank you to everyone who had their comments (and Robyn with her similar experiences, poor sweet lady) but your post will help others also. Just from reading this it has reminded me when Robyn posted about Mal's being prone to issues with their vaccines. As I am currently waiting for a Mal puppy it's good to be reminded of that. I'm sure I have read that in Robyn's threads before, but had long since forgotten. So you see, now I can thank you! These boards are so helpful all along.

I really hope that the home coming goes smoothly. We're looking forward to some pics. And I sure hope that Skye just continues to improve daily. Trust your gut with this issue and you won't go wrong. Hugs to you all for a great weekend with the pups at home.

[will2power]

That was a very sweet post, Dog Dancer. And all the others, too. They really have lifted my spirits.

I have my darling girl home now. She looks a bit rough around the edges, but the difference in her today compared to last weekend is remarkable. As soon as we came home she found a few small treats that I left for Sirius and she gobbled them up. It was like she was starved for food, even though they'd only been able to get her to eat a little of the high calorie slurry at the hospital (and that was by force feeding with a syringe). I have a bunch of 165g cans of Medi-Cal Recovery food for her (this is what they were making the slurry from) and I'm supposed to try and get her to eat 4.5 cans per day if she doesn't start eating on her own. Now I'm a little unsure how to proceed. She's eating very well and I'm even having to hold back food from her. She's supposed to eat frequent, small meals until her digestive system gets back on track. I think I still want her to have the canned food because it's specially formulated to help her heal.

I have a new problem now. Since she came home at 4, she's peed in the house 5 times. She's also peed in her run twice (no poops yet). I guess I have to start over to some degree with the potty training. We've found that if we go outside with her as soon as she drinks, we can get her to go in her run. I don't want to be stern with her if she goes in the house, because she's still sick. She also has a Fentanyl patch on her back which I'm sure must make her a bit zonked. She's still taking Benedryl, too, and I know that makes her drowsy. Any suggestions as to how I should handle this little dilemma? We don't have carpeting on our floors, so it's not such a challenge to clean up after her. The Fentanyl patch comes off on Sunday morning, so maybe we can be a little more effective then.

So, right now she's resting on the couch beside hubby. Sirius is there beside her, too. He's being such a good boy. I'll get some pictures taken over the weekend.

As of this moment, she's taking 50mg prednisone twice daily (or b.i.d.), 375mg Metronidazole b.i.d., 300mg Zentonil b.i.d., 150mg Baytril b.i.d., 50mg Benedryl b.i.d and a Fentanyl patch. She goes back to the vet on Monday morning for a check up and reassessment, so fingers crossed! So far the grand total is $3118.72. I don't think I ever spent that much money in 6 days in my entire life! LOL

I'm just so happy that she's home. My daughter sent me an email today (she lives in Ottawa and has been worried sick over Skye) and she said, "Mom, sometimes life throws you a curve ball and then comes back with something like this as an apology." Well, I have my Skye back, so apology accepted!

May we all have a restful, happy weekend. More to follow...

[Rgeurts]

I'm SO happy she's home and eating!!! That's a great sign
Dog Dancer is a doll! And the rest are equally wonderful. This forum is full of caring, compassionate and knowledgeable people. I really don't know how I would have made it through everything I went through without them

As for the peeing, if she's on pred, not to dampen your spirits, but you can expect the peeing to continue lol. Nookie was on it for about 8 months and all he did was eat, drink and pee. He was a crazy boy (well, crazier than his normal crazy self ). He is never left alone in the house, not even for 10 minutes, so he goes to daycare when we work. His peeing was so bad that I had to buy the multi-packs of paper towels for the daycare to help with the cost of cleaning up after him
We put a belly band on him in the house. I think the equivalent for Skye would be a doggy diaper?

I hope you all have a restful and worry free weekend!!

Robyn

[hazelrunpack]

Ya, it's the dang prednisone. 100mg a day is a large dose. The inappropriate peeing should stop as she's weaned off the pred. She really can't help herself. Just invest in a large jug of a good enzymatic cleaner formulated for neutralizing urine odors and maybe get some pee-resistant pads for any furniture she may be used to lying on.

So glad she's home and eating!! I wonder if she just doesn't like the Medi-Cal Recovery food and that's why she wouldn't eat it at the clinic? I take it that she's eating her regular food now? Frankly, if that's the case, I'd call the clinic and ask if it would be okay if you returned the canned food and let her go back on her regular diet.