Title: 2 Weeks of Hell
Tags: Health Issues
Doggy Blog Entry: Angus has been sick lately. Up until July 9 he's been happy, healthy (ok, slightly overweight) and active. Sometime in the morning last July 9 he displayed symptoms of an upset stomach. He moved his bowels 3 consecutive times, and the stool was very soft (highly uncommon for him). We didn't think much of it until we realized he started pooping blood (twice consecutively!). We ran and took him to the vet who took swabs and tested it but the results were inconclusive. He was given a shot of TMPS (antibiotics) for protozoa just in case, and was given a prescription of LC-Scour (7 ml 2x a day), Hill's Prescription Diet i/d (canned) to be mixed with his regular food (which he wouldn't touch, btw), Mondex to be mixed with H2O (didn't touch this either), and firm instructions to watch him like a hawk. He hated his meds and fought with his every being whenever it was time for medication but it seemed to help. He was not dehydrated, did not poop blood again nor did he vomit. The day after he finished the bottle of LC-Scour his stool seemed to soften again so we returned him to the vet for another consult. This time a different vet entertained us, took another swab (inconclusive yet again), prescribed him Methozine tablets (1x a day/5 days) and Gatorade (for electrolytes). Gus didn't like the tabs either but it was easier to give it to him. He wouldn't touch the gatorade after a couple of sips. Again he seemed to get better. He displayed a healthy appetite and was gaining approximately a kilo a week. On the last day of his methozine (July 20) he refused to eat anything. He seemed antsy the whole day and did not move his bowels till 3 pm but when he did he went 6 consecutive times (on an empty stomach!) He finally ate after but only 2/3 of what he normally consumes. Within 30 mins of eating he vomited it all out. We ran and took him to the vet yet again and this time he was confined. 2 bags of iv drips, 2 additional shots of TMPS, 4 anal swabs, bloodwork and an X-ray later, his results are still inconclusive. H and I decided to have him discharged against medical advice. All three of us (Gus, Jace, and I) were just miserable apart (separation anxiety issues) and the vets didn't seem to be caring for him in a way we couldn't (other than the iv drip, of course). I've quit giving him Purina Proplan (his normal food) even though he likes it because the timeline of when we switched him on it seems to coincide with his illness. He pooped blood 7 days into having it mixed into Beefpro (the food the breeder used to give him) and then started vomiting 2 days into eating purely Proplan. Right now he eats only Hill's Prescription Diet i/d (canned) and takes Methozine syrup (5ml 2x a day) on top of his daily 3ml vitamins (tiki-tiki). He hasn't vomited since his discharge nor has he moved his bowels (I'm not sure if this is good or bad) but he sure pee's a lot. He has occasional bursts of energy but is still for the most part weak. I don't want to be too optimistic because we still don't know what caused this bout of illness and there have been times when he seemed to be getting better then suddenly took a turn for worse.I am baffled, worried, anxious, and angry at the same time. They said it was worms, only it wasn't. They said it's protozoa, only it's not. They say so many things but a lot of it seems to be bull. They don't want to consider Purina Proplan because it was them who recommended it to us. They would rather insist it's protozoa even if he only drinks mineral or distilled water. They think it's worms even if his deworming schedule is up to date. They'd rather think him poisoned even if it's just me and H who feed him (strictly his rationed diet, no milk, no treats, no human food.ever.). I'm going insane with worry and I don't know what else I can do to make it and him better. This was written July 22 2008. Will post update soon.
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